AT&T: Managing Technological Change and the Future of Telephone Operators in the 20th Century

Daniel P.  Gross; William R. Kerr

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Teaching Note | HBS Case Collection | May 2018

AT&T: Managing Technological Change and the Future of Telephone Operators in the 20th Century

by Daniel P. Gross and William R. Kerr

Abstract

Teaching Note for HBS No. 718-486.

Keywords: AT＆T; Bell Telephone; phone lines; phone operators; mechanical switching; disruption; layoffs; technological change; Transition; History; Innovation and Invention; Technological Innovation; Technology; Disruption; Change Management; Communications Industry; Telecommunications Industry; United States;

Language: English

Format: Print

21 pages

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Citation:

Gross, Daniel P., and William R. Kerr. "AT&T: Managing Technological Change and the Future of Telephone Operators in the 20th Century." Harvard Business School Teaching Note 718-518, May 2018.

About the Authors

Daniel P. Gross

Assistant Professor of Business Administration

Strategy

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William R. Kerr

Dimitri V. D'Arbeloff - MBA Class of 1955 Professor of Business Administration

Entrepreneurial Management

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Case | HBS Case Collection | December 2018 (Revised December 2019)

Modern Automation (A): Artificial Intelligence

William R. Kerr and James Palano

This primer is meant to be a field guide to the late 2010s' surge in business use of "Artificial Intelligence" (AI), or enterprise software based in machine learning. First, it provides an overview of the key trends - digitizaiton, connectivity, the continuation of Moore's law, and advancements in machine learning algorithms - which led to the inflection point in adoption of AI. Then, the primer describes the range of use cases of state-of-the-art enterprise AI organized in a taxonomy designed to build generalized understanding of the types of work to which AI can be applied. This knowledge is useful not only to managers looking to best leverage the technology but to those working to manage resulting organizational change and prepare the workforce for transitions into complementary tasks. Finally, key issues and implications of AI adoption are also discussed.

Keywords: artificial intelligence; digitization; connectivity; Computing; future of work; automation; Technology; Technology Adoption; Employment; Management; Information Technology;

Citation:
Kerr, William R., and James Palano. "Modern Automation (A): Artificial Intelligence." Harvard Business School Case 819-084, December 2018. (Revised December 2019.) View Details

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Working Paper | HBS Working Paper Series | 2019

Tech Clusters

William R. Kerr and Frederic Robert-Nicoud

Tech clusters like Silicon Valley play a central role for modern innovation, business competitiveness, and economic performance. This paper reviews what constitutes a tech cluster, how they function internally, and the degree to which policy makers can purposefully foster them. We describe the growing influence of advanced technologies for businesses outside of traditional tech fields, the strains and backlash that tech clusters are experiencing, and emerging research questions for theory and empirical work.

Keywords: clusters; agglomeration; innovation; entrepreneurship; patents;

Citation:
Kerr, William R., and Frederic Robert-Nicoud. "Tech Clusters." Harvard Business School Working Paper, No. 20-063, November 2019. View Details

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Supplement | HBS Case Collection | October 2019

The Golden Triangle: Back in Business (A)

William R. Kerr

Citation:
Kerr, William R. "The Golden Triangle: Back in Business (A)." Harvard Business School Multimedia/Video Supplement 820-704, October 2019. View Details

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AT&T: Managing Technological Change and the Future of Telephone Operators in the 20th Century

Abstract

Citation:

About the Authors

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