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This was a fantastic 2 part series on how to design intelligent organizations. Check it out!

Part 1 of 2

How do we make organizations not just run — but run intelligently?

In this episode of Making Data Simple, we welcome Phanish Puranam, Professor of Strategy and Organizational Design at INSEAD, to explore the intersection of AI, organizational science, and intelligent design. From tools and teammates to blockchain and the metaverse, Phanish walks us through the evolving relationship between humans, algorithms, and the systems we build.

We dive into real-world use cases, research-backed insights, and surprising pitfalls — plus a contrarian take on why bad ideas might be the key to better innovation.

⏱️ Chapters

• 01:50 – Meet Phanish Puranam
• 03:36 – Organizational Design
• 08:39 – Where is Org Design Today
• 12:41 – A Research Example
• 15:59 – Technologies as Tools & Teammates
• 17:54 – A Real Use Case Example
• 20:30 – The Metaverse, Eliminate Bad Ideas Fast
• 21:28 – Pitfalls
• 23:30 – Use Case Deep Dive
• 30:06 – The Power Structure

🔗 Connect with Phanish Puranam

• LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/phanishpuranam
• INSEAD Profile: insead.edu/faculty/phanish-puranam

#OrganizationalDesign #ArtificialIntelligence #PhanishPuranam #FutureOfWork #AIinBusiness #AlgorithmicOrganizations #Leadership #INSEAD #MakingDataSimple #AIandWork #BusinessStrategy #DigitalTransformation #OrgDesign

Want to be featured as a guest on Making Data Simple? Reach out to us at almartintalksdata@gmail.com and tell us why you should be next. The Making Data Simple Podcast is hosted by Al Martin, WW VP Technical Sales, IBM, where we explore trending technologies, business innovation, and leadership ... while keeping it simple & fun.

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We're joined by Ron Brill, President and Chairman of the Board, and Kris Johnson, Chief Product Officer of Anglepoint, a global leader in software asset management. From their startup origins to tackling massive compliance challenges, we'll dive into the world of SAM, licensing, and what the future holds for optimizing IT assets – a conversation essential for anyone in this space.

⏱️ Timestamps:

• 01:38 Meet Ron Brill and Kris Johnson
• 05:32 Deciding on Startup Roles
• 07:32 The Ah-Ha Founding of Anglepoint
• 12:03 Largest Challenges
• 13:03 One Word to Encapsulate Anglepoint
• 16:23 Anglepoint's Differentiation
• 21:03 Gartner's Leadership Quadrant
• 23:50 Licensing Skills
• 25:17 Difficult Licensing Scenarios
• 28:11 Clients Biggest Compliance Issues
• 31:12 Unique Technology
• 33:19 The Infamous Audit
• 37:26 Trends in SAM
• 41:40 Systems-based Token Consumption
• 43:17 SAM Advice
• 47:03 Anglepoint in 3 to 5 Years
• 48:38 For Fun
• 49:53 Right Talent

Connect with our guests:

• LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/ronbrill
• Linkedin.com/in/johnsonkristian
• Website: https://www.anglepoint.com/

Want to be featured as a guest on Making Data Simple? Reach out to us at almartintalksdata@gmail.com and tell us why you should be next. The Making Data Simple Podcast is hosted by Al Martin, WW VP Technical Sales, IBM, where we explore trending technologies, business innovation, and leadership ... while keeping it simple & fun.

Send us a text

Unpack a groundbreaking application of IBM’s AI technology designed to revolutionize training and learning. This episode delves into how IBM’s AI-powered partner – built around IBM training – can sharpen technical knowledge, boost confidence, and help teams master every interaction, from pipeline development to closing critical deals.

• 02:12 Meet Paul Zikopoulos, Matt Bateson, and Kyle Sava
• 09:17 Best Methods to Learn
• 17:57 AI and Training
• 23:05 The Learning Punch Up!
• 25:42 IBM Clarity, Now watsonx Workshop!
• 30:40 The Art of the Possible Use Cases
• 35:42 Favorite Features
• 41:32 Architecture
• 45:55 Cost
• 46:37 Tips of the Week

LinkedIn:

• Paul's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paul-zikopoulos-4323607
• Al's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/~ks
• Matt's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mattbateson

IBM AI Solutions Website: https://www.ibm.com/solutions/artificial-intelligence

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Want to be featured as a guest on Making Data Simple? Reach out to us at almartintalksdata@gmail.com and tell us why you should be next. The Making Data Simple Podcast is hosted by Al Martin, WW VP Technical Sales, IBM, where we explore trending technologies, business innovation, and leadership ... while keeping it simple & fun.

Send us a text

Fresh off a high-profile appearance on CNBC’s Worldwide Exchange discussing how AI will move beyond chatbots to autonomous agents that reshape jobs and productivity! Replay this episode where Jure digs into why structured data is still lagging behind the AI revolution and what comes next for predictive AI on relational data.

Data’s everywhere, but so often it feels… stuck. Joining us today is Jure Leskovec, Chief Scientist at Kumo and a Stanford Professor who's fundamentally reshaped how we understand networks—from Pinterest's recommendations to tracking the spread of disease. Jure was just on CNBC, and now he’s back on the show to dive even deeper into how structured data is lagging behind the AI revolution. We’ll explore how techniques like Graph Neural Networks are finally unlocking its potential, and how this all plays out in real-world applications.

• 00:57 Meet Jure Leskovec
• 02:31 Knowing When to Move On
• 04:01 Academia versus Industry
• 07:30 Learnings from Pinterest
• 10:28 The Kumo Pitch
• 17:57 The Secret Sauce
• 25:51 Monetization
• 27:12 Only the Enterprise?
• 29:49 The Sandbox to Try Before Buy
• 31:42 The Best Use Cases
• 35:00 Summarizing
• 37:38 Predicting AI
• 40:15 What's True and No One Agrees
• 41:19 Learning

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/leskovec/
Website: https://kumo.ai/

CNBC appearance: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G98bFN4HE1w

Want to be featured as a guest on Making Data Simple? Reach out to us at almartintalksdata@gmail.com and tell us why you should be next. The Making Data Simple Podcast is hosted by Al Martin, WW VP Technical Sales, IBM, where we explore trending technologies, business innovation, and leadership ... while keeping it simple & fun.

Send us a text

When there’s a need to re-center, stay grounded, and remember that growth is accessible to all of us, this is the episode to revisit. The Mindful Response with Estela Zuheros, Corporate Social Responsibility leader at IBM, explores how social impact, reskilling, and mindfulness come together to create a better, more inclusive world. Come for the global perspective on reskilling, stay for practical reflections on slowing down, being kind to yourself, and avoiding burnout along the way.

• · 02:06 Meet Estela Zuheros
• · 05:21 Your personal why?
• · 07:16 Reskilling
• · 11:41 The skills problem to solve
• · 18:44 Measuring success
• · 20:07 Primary areas of reskilling
• · 23:02 Program selection criteria
• · 26:31 The Mindful Response
• · 37:30 Avoiding burnout

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/estelaquesadazuheros/​
Website: https://estelaquesadazuheros.com/

Want to be featured as a guest on Making Data Simple? Reach out to us at almartintalksdata@gmail.com and tell us why you should be next. The Making Data Simple Podcast is hosted by Al Martin, WW VP Technical Sales, IBM, where we explore trending technologies, business innovation, and leadership ... while keeping it simple & fun.

Send us a text

Are your teams struggling with disengagement and declining performance? What if the real problem isn’t talent or strategy, but a hidden “buy-in” gap quietly draining energy, innovation, and results? Joining us is Dave Garrison, a seasoned leadership strategist who has seen firsthand how a lack of buy-in fuels these issues – costing businesses billions every year. Dave unpacks the seven critical ingredients for real engagement and shows how to build a truly high-performing organization, starting with simple data and practical, repeatable leadership habits.

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• 01:19 Meet Dave Garrison - Again
• 02:11 The Buy-in Advantage
• 04:50 Following Your Passions
• 05:59 The Pandemic's Impact
• 07:15 A Buy-in Crisis
• 09:30 Seven Critical Ingredients for Buy-in
• 17:45 Three Pillars of High Performing Organizations
• 21:11 A "Yes" Culture
• 26:05 Prioritization and Focus
• 31:15 Recognition and Rewards
• 34:49 Pushback
• 39:35 Scaling
• 41:00 Case Studies
• 44:22 The Collective Genius

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dave-garrison-growth/​
Website: https://www.buyinbook.com​

#makingdatasimplepodcast #Leadership #EmployeeEngagement #BuyInAdvantage #HighPerformance #WorkplaceCulture #PeopleAnalytics #TeamPerformance #BusinessGrowth #DaveGarrison

Want to be featured as a guest on Making Data Simple? Reach out to us at almartintalksdata@gmail.com and tell us why you should be next. The Making Data Simple Podcast is hosted by Al Martin, WW VP Technical Sales, IBM, where we explore trending technologies, business innovation, and leadership ... while keeping it simple & fun.

Send us a text

On this replay of Making Data Simple, Manav Gupta, VP and CTO of IBM Canada, jumps straight into the world of large language models and what they really mean for businesses trying to scale AI. From how today’s models are built and tuned, to where the next generation is headed, Manav translates complex AI concepts into practical guidance for leaders, practitioners, and anyone trying to cut through the hype.

The discussion spans everything from model architectures and IBM’s Granite family, to how to pick the right model for your use case, balance innovation with governance, and build the skills needed to stay relevant in an AI-first world. If you want a clear, no-nonsense guide to “all things AI models” from someone advising enterprise clients every day, this replay is for you.

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• 02:04 Jumping Right into AI!
• 02:59 Meet Manav Gupta
• 08:17 Let's Talk All Things Models
• 27:20 How to Choose the Right Models
• 31:48 Where are the Models Going???
• 46:01 How to Learn AI

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mgupta76/
IBM Granite Models: https://www.ibm.com/granite

Want to be featured as a guest on Making Data Simple? Reach out to almartintalksdata@gmail.com and share why you should be next.

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Hashtags

#makingdatasimplepodcast #MakingDataSimple #AI #LargeLanguageModels #AIModels #ArtificialIntelligence #IBMCanada #ManavGupta #AIInnovation #TechLeadership #TechPodcast #IBMGranite #LearnAI

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Want to be featured as a guest on Making Data Simple? Reach out to us at almartintalksdata@gmail.com and tell us why you should be next. The Making Data Simple Podcast is hosted by Al Martin, WW VP Technical Sales, IBM, where we explore trending technologies, business innovation, and leadership ... while keeping it simple & fun.

Send us a text

Hit replay on this high-energy conversation with Ben Lowe, Founder and CEO of Lighthouse Technology, as he breaks down what it really takes to build something from scratch in a fast-changing AI world. From finding the right co‑founder and stepping into the CEO role, to navigating the toughest challenges of entrepreneurship, Ben shares practical lessons and hard‑won insights for builders at every stage.

Ben also lifts the curtain on Lighthouse Technology’s mission at the intersection of cloud modernisation, cost optimisation, and Agentic AI, and how enterprises can turn AI hype into outcomes with the right GTM motion and architecture. If you care about innovation, AI for the enterprise, or your own startup journey, this replay is packed with career gold, strategic perspective, and a candid look at what’s next.

• 01:34 Finding a Entrepreneurial Partner
• 04:43 The Creation of Lighthouse
• 08:10 Becoming the CEO
• 09:34 The Biggest Challenge of Entrepreneurship
• 11:30 Lighthouse Technology
• 19:07 Agentic AI
• 20:16 The Lighthouse Trajectory
• 22:12 The GTM
• 31:39 Reseller versus Innovator
• 36:53 AI for the Enterprise
• 41:35 The 2-Min Pitch
• 43:30 What's True?

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lowebenjamin/?originalSubdomain=uk
Website: https://lighthousetechnology.ai/

#Entrepreneurship #AgenticAI #TechLeadership #Innovation #BusinessGrowth #CareerAdvice #AIForEnterprise #StartupJourney #MakingDataSimple #LighthouseTechnology #PodcastReplay

Want to be featured as a guest on Making Data Simple? Reach out to us at almartintalksdata@gmail.com and tell us why you should be next. The Making Data Simple Podcast is hosted by Al Martin, WW VP Technical Sales, IBM, where we explore trending technologies, business innovation, and leadership ... while keeping it simple & fun.