RC TOM Challenge 2018

November 13, 2018

Read The Full Prompt

The TOM Challenge provides an opportunity for you to continue exploring organizational learning and innovation through the lens of process improvement and/or product development, the focus of RC TOM’s second module. In this challenge, you will investigate how an organization is grappling with machine learning, additive manufacturing, or open innovation. These megatrends are likely to significantly affect how organizations manage process improvement and product development in the coming years of your career. The TOM Challenge requires you to (1) conduct research and write an essay that examines how one organization is facing a particular aspect of one of these megatrends, and (2) write six comments that share your reflections on some of your section mates’ essays.

Your essay should address four questions in the context of the organization you choose:

  1. Why do you think the megatrend you selected is important to your organization’s management of process improvement and/or product development?
  2. What is the organization’s management doing to address this issue in the short term (the next two years) and the medium term (two to ten years out)?
  3. What other steps do you recommend the organization’s management take to address this issue in the short and medium terms?
  4. In the context of this organization, what are one or two important open questions related to this issue that you are unsure about that merit comments from your classmates?

Your essay should convey facts, analysis, and your recommendations. It should focus on a single organization (e.g., a single company, non-profit organization, or government agency) and a concern related to one megatrend. It is fine if the concern you choose relates to other megatrends that the organization is facing, but that’s not required. Roughly a third of your essay should be dedicated to each of the first three questions, with just a few sentences dedicated to the fourth question. Your essay should be at least 700 words but no more than 800 words, and must conclude with a word count in parentheses (such as 778 words).

When posting your essay to Open Knowledge, be sure to enter “Machine Learning”, “Additive Manufacturing”, or “Isolationism” in the Topics field.

More details on research, sourcing, deadlines, and other matters are provided in the RC TOM Challenge: 2018 note.  For assistance with the Open Knowledge platform during business hours (9:00 am – 5:00 pm M-F), email openknowledge@hbs.edu. A short video with instructions on how to post an essay to this platform is available at https://aiinstitute.hbs.edu/platform-rctom/how-to/.

Submitted (926)

Bridgestone: Production System Innovation Through Machine Learning
Yusuke Shimada
Posted on November 13, 2018 at 2:41 pm
Increasing product quality while reducing costs through higher productivity leveraging machine learning technology
I’m A Barbie Girl in a Digital World
RJ WEB
Posted on November 13, 2018 at 4:37 pm
Mattel turning around their business using digital innovation, focusing on machine learning for their unique product development
Eli Lilly: Improving R&D Through Open Innovation
Publius
Posted on November 13, 2018 at 6:43 pm
Pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly uses its open innovation platform to encourage collaboration with the broader scientific community in the early-stage development of new drug therapies.
Unlocking the Power of Open Innovation in Disaster Relief
Kaleigh Killoran
Last modified on November 13, 2018 at 2:51 pm
How the International Federation of Red Cross is Tapping into the Universal Desire for Purpose & Connection Through Crowdsourcing
Building industrial-scale LEGOs using open innovation
Mariam Hachem
Last modified on November 13, 2018 at 6:25 pm
How one company is fulfilling every engineer’s dream using industrial-scale LEGOs and open innovation
SenseTime and Public Safety
Toni Campbell
Last modified on November 14, 2018 at 9:38 pm
Cities and countries already have begun to deploy AI and ML technologies for public safety and security. On one hand machine learning applications in image and video recognition can help law enforcement officials in detecting criminal activities and efficiently prevent [...]
Combatting Food Shortages—Have No Fear, Machine Learning Is Here
TheHen
Posted on November 13, 2018 at 8:10 pm
What do you do when you have access to satellite imagery of the entire world and a mission to better understand the planet? You have the information needed to answer many important questions, but need a path to unlock those [...]
Highway to the danger zone? Machine learning at DHL
Logan Thrun
Last modified on November 13, 2018 at 10:26 pm
Machine learning represents both a key opportunity and a critical threat to the shipping industry. How will the current players react?
Machine Learning: Powering the Insurance Industry’s “Buy It Now” Button
Marybeth Egan
Posted on November 12, 2018 at 2:28 pm
The rise of big data and machine learning has created new opportunities for incumbent insurers and competitors alike.
Lemonade reinvents the insurance industry with machine learning
Petra
Posted on November 13, 2018 at 7:28 pm
Lemonade, a company offering home insurance policies, is a pioneer in the InsurTech world where its use of machine learning (ML) goes beyond satisfying customers and driving efficiencies to underwriting risks and managing claims Despite its exponential growth, Lemonade’s scalability [...]
Machine Learning in the Shale Patch: A Look at the “Mother Fracker”
Mark B
Posted on November 13, 2018 at 3:06 pm
"The energy patch is ripe for opportunities related to things like predictive analytics, machine learning, artificial intelligence projects" - Tim Dove, Pioneer Natural Resources CEO (June 2017) [1]
Comcast and Machine Learning: Can One of America’s Most Hated Companies Revive its Reputation?
AJB
Posted on November 13, 2018 at 2:44 pm
Comcast was named the most hated company in America. Can it leverage machine learning to improve its product offer and customer service?
Machine Learning at the heart of JP Morgan’s growth strategy
Uorfrou
Posted on November 13, 2018 at 10:44 am
Although markets have largely recovered from the 2008 financial crisis, significant increases in regulatory burden have affected the profitability of most, if not all, financial institutions. To cope with these rapidly changing regulations, the growing need for high operational efficiency, [...]
Bringing machine learning to music – Spotify’s vision to win the hearts and ears of humanity
Ryo Takahashi
Posted on November 13, 2018 at 7:53 pm
Is Spotify singing to us what we want to hear?
Optimizing athletic performance and recovery using machine learning at WHOOP
eagerbeaver20
Last modified on November 14, 2018 at 10:57 am
WHOOP, a start-up founded out of the Harvard iLab, uses machine learning to improve athletic performance and possibly the lives of diabetes patients.
Snowy Cheese Flavored Latte: Starbucks and Machine Learning in China
Mutian
Last modified on November 12, 2018 at 3:26 pm
Starbucks has been an innovator in big data and machine learning through its highly successful mobile order and pay application. How can that translate to China, its next leg of growth?
Airbnb: Utilizing Machine Learning to Optimize Travel
Wanderlust
Posted on November 13, 2018 at 6:45 pm
Airbnb utilizes machine learning to personalize search rankings for guests and to optimize pricing for hosts.
3D Printing Toyota’s Headlights: The Sourcing Decision
Liz Delozier
Posted on November 13, 2018 at 5:54 pm
Wondering how 3D printing will really affect our vehicles? Here's how I approached it at Toyota.
Bricks & Code: Open Innovation at LEGO Group
Bruno2010
Last modified on November 13, 2018 at 1:45 pm
The iconic toymaker LEGO Group faces a crisis in the mid-2000s as increased competition and changing consumer habits threaten its business. Turning to its passionate customers, LEGO uses open innovation to reimagine its product development process and catalyze radical change [...]
Beauty in the Age of Individualism: Sephora’s Data-Driven Approach
cah
Posted on November 13, 2018 at 7:26 pm
Sephora harnesses user data to offer pinpointed product recommendations, offers, and loyalty incentives
Disney – “A Whole New World” of Machine Learning
Anna Pam
Last modified on November 13, 2018 at 4:10 pm
Let us explore how the masters of imagination are using machine learning to alter the movie production and animation processes
DMs for Dollars
Melekot
Posted on November 13, 2018 at 7:06 pm
Individuals and businesses in America enjoy access to a mind-boggling array of financial services.  Borrowing is ubiquitous – consumers swipe plastic to their heart’s content, smaller firms tap into bank loans, and big corporations issue public bonds.  And while societal [...]
Streamlining Humanitarian Aid with Additive Manufacturing at Oxfam
Probably Alex
Posted on November 14, 2018 at 10:25 am
After the devastating Nepal earthquake, Oxfam used 3D printing to provide faster aid. This post explores that example as well as the other ways that 3D printing can revolutionize the supply chains of humanitarian organizations.
Can Machine Learning Save Us From Being Stuck in Traffic?
Sebastian Wilner
Posted on November 13, 2018 at 6:23 pm
Rapid-Flow is solving traffic congestion by offering governments a real-time traffic signal control system powered by machine learning.
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