Thinkers50, the premier ranking of global business leaders, announced the nominees for their 2019 Distinguished Achievement Awards. Dubbed the “Oscars” of Management Thinking by the Financial Times, this year’s shortlist features no less than six Lavin Speakers, whose ideas are being recognized for their potential to change the world.
Ajay Agrawal—Digital Thinking Award
In their book Prediction Machines: The Simple Economics of Artificial Intelligence, Ajay Agrawal and his colleagues Avi Goldfarb and Joshua Gans, consider AI as a basic commodity. With clarity and insight, they reveal a simple economic framework for understanding the artificial intelligence revolution.
Safi Bahcall—Innovation Award
Former biotech entrepreneur Safi Bahcall applies his physics training to the study of innovation, offering a new and unique take on the subject. His book, Loonshots: How to Nurture the Crazy Ideas That Win Wars, Cure Diseases, and Transform Industries, draws on the science of phase transitions to explain the behavior of companies—and reveals how a change in structure can help nurture the radical break-throughs that change the world.
Francesca Gino—Talent Award
Rebels have a bad reputation, according to Harvard Business School professor Francesca Gino. The behavioral scientist has spent more than a decade studying “rebel talent” in organizations, and what we can learn from them. Her book, Rebel Talent, offers a practical, science-backed guide for when and how to break the rules—bringing joy, meaning, and fulfillment in our lives.
Chris Clearfield & András Tilscik—Strategy Award
In their award-winning book Meltdown: Why Our Systems Fail and What We Can Do About It, Chris Clearfield and Andras Tilscik explain how the increasing complexity of our systems set us up for failure. By better understanding the conditions of these failures, Clearfield and Tilscik help us design better systems and prevent “meltdowns” in business and in life.
Shoshana Zuboff —Digital Thinking Award
Scholar Shoshana Zuboff explores the rise of digital technology as it relates to capitalism. In her landmark book The Age of Surveillance Capitalism: The Fight for a Human Future at the New Frontier of Power, Zuboff warns against the dangers of corporate powers that seek to control human behavior. The consequences—for individuals, society, even the foundations of our democracy—are far more sinister than they initially appear.
For more information, visit our dedicated Leadership Speakers page, or contact The Lavin Agency today.
