Coffee Break With Game-changers, Presented By Sap

Employee engagement is at its highest level since Gallup started tracking this metric in 2000. That’s the good news. The truth? Less than one-third (31.4%) of US workers said they were engaged in their jobs in 2014. Success in this global and highly competitive economy may be less reliant on strategic investments in technology, acquisitions, and products, and more reliant on how you treat your employees. Does it help to create an atmosphere of fun for your employees on-site and virtually? Well, that depends. The experts speak. Tom Koulopoulos, Delphi Group: “Anyone who tries to make a distinction between education and entertainment doesn't know the first thing about either” (Marshall McLuhan). Sherryanne Meyer, ASUG: “Happiness can be found, even in the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn on the light” (Albus Dumbledore, Harry Potter). Frank Sofia, SAP: “Is it supposed to be ‘fun’ to go to work? Well, that depends.” Join us for Employee Engagement Part 1: Having Fun Yet?

The buzz: Invisibles. Visible healthcare wearables like smart wrist bands and watches are commonplace. What if you prefer non-obvious tracking devices? Almost-invisible-to-invisible innovations are entering the market, hoping to gain your trust and improve healthcare outcomes. Coming soon: under-clothing heartrate tracking strips that detect and report epileptic seizures; “smart pills” that measure blood pressure, pH, body temperature; tattoo-thin strips that store health data and even deliver medications. How easy or hard is it to launch innovative health devices and gain profitable market share? The experts speak. Harry Greenspun, MD, Deloitte: Just because I have a fitness app on my phone, it doesn’t make me an athlete.” Scott Lundstrom, IDC: “The future is already here–it's just not evenly distributed” (William Gibson). Bernhard Schweizer, SAP: “Life is either a daring adventure or nothing” (Helen Keller). Join us for Health Wearables Part 2 – The Next Breakthrough?

The buzz: Are you really “you”? Authentication techniques designed to confirm you are who you say you are, typically entail one or more of three techniques: Something I have, Something I know, Something I am. Thus, accessing the things and information we value can range from easy – like physical keys to our home and our car – to complex passwords intended to protect the privacy of our medical records and national secrets. But we're in a hurry. And as we clamor for faster, easier processes, persistent thieves are toiling overtime to continue stealing our identities and our money. Aye, there's the challenge. The experts speak. Gerlinde Zibulksi, SAP: “My password is SECURE.” Hillel Zafir, HMS Technology Group: “A bad plan well executed is better than a good plan not executed (George S. Patton, Jr.). Richard McCammon, Delego: “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it (George Santayana). Join us for Data Security in the Age of Credit Card Breaches – Authentication.

The buzz: Make for me healthcare. In medicine, one-size-fits-all treatments have helped save many people cost-efficiently. But for complicated illnesses like cancer, a standardized approach doesn’t always work. Personalized medicine – tailored to a specific patient profile – may be the answer. It sounds promising, but will individualized therapies really work, be affordable, and be appropriate for every patient and illness? The experts speak. Barbra McGann, HfS: “The future is a point on the horizon toward which we are headed. We can’t get to the future right away because there is stuff in the way. We have to tack back and forth around obstacles.” (Paraphrased from Michael Rogers) Subhro Mallik, Infosys: “It’s supposed to be automatic, but actually you have to push this button.” (John Brunner) Emanuel Ziegler, SAP: “Numerical quantities focus on expected values, graphical summaries on unexpected values.” (John W. Tukey) Join us for Personalized Medicine: Individual Therapies for All

The buzz: Fine Art. To survive, small businesses must understand the fine art of customer engagement and cohesive omni-channel branding. But how can you “know your customers” and where your product fits into their lives? Hint: Social media can help you create mini-focus groups and technology can help ensure customers know you value them uniquely. The experts speak. Susan Wilson Solovic, THE Small Business Expert: “No company big or small can run the risk of being fat, dumb and happy. To remain relevant to your customers, you must constantly be innovating. Morgan Browne, IIS Group: “Different people have different presences for how they engage – especially in an environment dominated by social media and digital communications.” Carrie Maslen, SAP: “'Who are you – I really wanna know'. A brand needs to clearly define and convey what we want it to in a predictable and consistent manner.” (Pete Townsend lyric) Join us for Small Business Insights Part 2: Art of Customer Engagement.

The buzz: Social. Social media is the new way of doing business: always on, available, working for or against your company and brand. With vast data at their fingertips, buyers simply click a mouse to show support or disappointment. If your company is still debating the value of social media, the better question to ask is whether you know how to use social in ways that create measurable business value. The experts speak. Hilary Carter, InTune Communications: “The reason we love our parents is because they loved us first. Every single company should take this advice” (Gary Vaynerchuk). Chris Boudreaux, EY and Social Media Governance: “The greatest opportunity in social business lies in connecting social data and processes into the rest of the enterprise: we need to hold social to the same levels of accountability and integration as any other channel. Malin Liden, SAP: “In the social economy, everyone carries a quota!” Join us for Social Business: Creating Measurable Business Value.

The buzz: Partners. Small businesses today must deftly manage business partnerships without risking IP, valued talent, or worse, in a business milieu where the lines can blur between cooperation and competition. And in the networked economy, supply chains can shift and transform seamlessly. How can a small business owner shore-up enough protection to avoid getting squeezed out? How often should they re-examine business agreements? What red flags signal that it’s time to start looking for a new business partner? The experts speak. Susan Wilson Solovic, 'THE Small Business Expert': “Failure is the key to entrepreneurial success. If you aren't failing, you aren't doing.” Morgan Browne, IIS Group: “Partnerships are always a gamble – but what choice do we have?” Carrie Maslen, SAP: “I believe the best business policy is the golden rule … this is a small interconnected world, and what goes around comes around.” Join us for Small Business Insights: Sustainable Collaboration – Part 1.

The buzz: To life! With over two billion people expected to be 60 and older by 2050, chronic illness and diminished wellbeing are fast becoming major global public health challenges. The solution to aging gracefully, managing chronic diseases, and minimizing impacts? Not cure, but treatment. But if we turn to smart technologies and data—a “Connected Care” continuum—to support aging populations, will one Robo-Doc replace multiple human MDs? And is Connected Care just for the wealthy—no iPad or Smartphone, no health? The experts speak. Avner Halperin, EarlySense: “Technology is neither good nor bad, nor is it neutral … It is our thoughtful and ethical implementation that can help improve and save lives” (Melvin Kranzberg). Dr. Oliver Haferbeck, Roche Diagnostics Germany: “A DJ is always listening for what's next (Grandmaster Flash). Dr. David Delaney, SAP: “You can lead a horse to water but you can’t make it drink” (Aphorism). Join us for MD in the Palm of Your Hand: Connected Care.

The buzz: Engagement. Baylor University and SAP researchers found employee engagement alarmingly low worldwide, with just 13% of employees feeling actively engaged. Wondering if complexity in organizations could be a root cause, they explored whether simplification, engagement, and trust together contribute to better-functioning companies. The experts speak. Dr. Ann Mirabito, Baylor: “Everything should be as simple as possible, but not simpler” (Albert Einstein). Lauren Moser, Baylor: “Hell isn't merely paved with good intentions; it's walled and roofed with them. Yes, and furnished too” (Aldous Huxley). Josh Arnold, Baylor: “God help those with open hands, may they never feel burden again. Yeah I’ll stand up for those that can’t. I’ll close the distance” (A Day to Remember). Deb Stambaugh, SAP: “Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference” (Robert Frost). Join us for Employee Engagement: Simplification at Work.

Today’s buzz: Risk. Supplier risk management is the fastest growing discipline within supplier management. Why? When a key supplier disrupts the supply chain, your costs of doing business increase along with perceived and unperceived risks for the buying enterprise. Do you have a solid strategy in place? Think technology. The experts speak. Dr. Van Gray, Baylor: “As our world becomes increasingly connected and multicultural, supply chains and their good management will be important fuel to the elimination of poverty, eradicating diseases, and to increasing rates of literacy with freedom of thought.” Sarah Hill, Baylor MBA: “Failures, repeated failures, are sign posts on the road to achievement. One fails forward toward success.” (C. S. Lewis). Aaron Peavy, Baylor MBA: “The best way to find out if you can trust somebody is to trust them” (Ernest Hemmingway). Eric Coker, SAP: “Chance favors the prepared mind” (Louis Pasteur). Join us for Supplier Risk Management: Time to Get Serious.

Today’s buzz: Empowering managers. Want to improve your organization’s performance management? If you’re focusing on HR processes, but not your managers’ POV or day-to-day style, listen-up! SAP and Baylor University researchers studied best practices, tools, and processes that empower natural manager behavior to make better performance-based job assignments, promotions, and pay decisions. The experts speak. Dr. Gary Carini, Baylor: “We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard…” (John F. Kennedy). Hannah King, Baylor MBA: “Nothing is more unequal than the equal treatment of unequal people” (Thomas Jefferson). Kevin Mitchell, Baylor MBA: “The greatest obstacle to discovery is not ignorance - it is the illusion of knowledge” (Daniel J. Boorstin). Dr. Gabriela Burlacu, SAP: “When you win, sometimes it overshadows a poor performance” (Duke's “Coach K”). Join us for Employee Performance: Empowering Managers.

Today’s buzz: The Journey. Customers are changing the rules of the marketplace. Digitally connected, socially networked, better informed before making a purchase, they jump between web, mobile, in-store, and phone and expect it to happen seamlessly in a personalized context. Whew! What is their POV on personal data privacy, advice for competing retailers, and definition of the best-ever customer experience? The experts speak. Prof. Chris Pullig, Baylor: “It’s not rocket science, but it can get complicated.” (Kevin Lane Keller and Chris Pullig) Arnold Bueso, Baylor: “People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” (Maya Angelou) Akin Oladipo, Baylor: “If you have run with the footmen, and they have wearied you, then how can you contend with horses?” (Jeremiah 12:5) Bill Hou, SAP: “It’s more fun to be a pirate than to join the Navy.” (Steve Jobs) Join us for The Buyer’s Journey: What Do They Really Want?

The buzz: Breached again. Forbes.com’s “The Big Data Breaches of 2014” include Neiman Marcus, Michaels, P.F. Chang’s, Dairy Queen, Goodwill Industries, Affinity Gaming’s 11 casinos, Albertson’s, plus “22.8 million private records of New Yorkers.” Breaches cost merchants dearly in lost customers and profits, a tarnished reputation, and substantial fines. Are merchants waking up and becoming proactive about PCI (Payment Card Industry) compliance and security standards? How easy is it for hackers to gain access via merchants’ unprotected vulnerabilities? The experts speak. Richard McCammon, Delego: “Look wide, and even when you think you are looking wide – look wider still” (Lord Robert Baden-Powell). Hillel Zafir: “If it happens once, it’s ignorance; if it happens twice, it’s neglect; if it happens three times, it’s policy” (Anonymous). Gerlinde Zibulski, SAP: “The forecast is cloudy with a chance of security.” Join us for Data Security in the Age of Credit Card Breaches–Part 2.

The buzz: Safety first. After record vehicle recalls in 2014, automakers are under intense pressure from consumers and regulators to be proactive about product quality and safety issues; protect consumers; and minimize the duration, scale, and cost of recall events. How? Advanced analytics. The experts speak. Mark Gardner, Deloitte: “Anyone who sits on top of the largest hydrogen-oxygen fueled system in the world, knowing they’re going to light the bottom, and doesn’t get a little worried, does not fully understand the situation” (Space Shuttle Commander John Young). Josh Greenbaum, EAC Consulting: “Beware the unintended consequences of advanced analytics in the automotive sector. Saving lives is unequivocally a good idea, but big data analytics will have other impacts that might not be as well-received.” Derek Snaidauf, Deloitte: “Better three hours too soon than a minute too late” (William Shakespeare). Join us for Time for a Tune-up: Advanced Analytics and Auto Safety.

The buzz: HR here and there. HR practices in Western countries can differ significantly from Eastern countries in terms of organizational structure, motivation, communication and conflict resolution. Whose are the most successful? According to professor Dr. Michael J. Marquardt, American companies think they're the keepers of the best management practices. Consequently, they don't try to learn as much as they can from other places. Is it time for U.S. HR leaders to take a page from other countries’ HR playbooks? The experts speak. Patrick Heffernan, TBR: “With malice toward none, with charity for all…” (Abraham Lincoln). Allan Krans, TBR: “Train people well enough so they can leave, treat them well enough so they don't want to” (Richard Branson). Thomas Otter, SAP: “When we hold a World Championship for a particular sport, we invite teams from other countries to play, as well” (John Cleese of Monty Python). Join us for HR Makes the World Go Round: Global Practices – Part 2.

The buzz: Health. Wearables like wrist bands, watches, glasses, and contact lenses are the NBT. Why? They can now measure body conditions and use the data to support healthier living, disease prevention, and faster rehab. But will patients actively track and share wearables-generated data, despite privacy concerns? And are wearables precise enough to meet medical device quality standards? The experts speak. Lynne Dunbrack, IDC Health Insights: “…When the familiar pen-and-paper methods of self-analysis are enhanced by sensors that monitor our behavior automatically, the process of self-tracking becomes both more alluring and more meaningful.” (Gary Wolf) Greg Reh, Deloitte Consulting: “For a busy doctor, the ability to use email would save more lives than a Fitbit.” (Jeff Tangney) Joe Miles, SAP: “Connected gadgets that are indistinguishable from their disconnected peers will fuel the growth of wearable technology.” (Roger Bate) Join us for Health Wearables – Hype or Revolutionary?

The buzz: Space. Changing the culture and shaking up the status quo in organizations is always challenging, but key to survival. How to make it happen? Build a continuous innovation culture by identifying the right people, process, and space. But working in a tiny cubicle with half-walls or a conference room is hardly conducive to brainstorming new ideas. Hint: Your employees, partners and customers need a stimulating environment that inspires them to loosen their (proverbial) ties and think outside the box. Get it now? The experts speak. Jason Yotopoulos, mach49: “If humans can live for 100 years, why do companies die so young?” (Sukant Ratnakar). Greg Petroff, GE Software: “Eventually everything connects–people, ideas, objects. The quality of the connections is the key to quality per se.” (Charles Eames). Sam Yen, SAP: “We don't know who discovered water, but we're certain it wasn't a fish.” (John Culkin). Join us for The Case for Space: Disrupting the Status Quo with Innovation.

The buzz: Recruiting. If acquiring and retaining top talent for your company tougher than ever, three factors may be at play: workforce mobility mindset, competitors’ poaching, and your employer brand. If the third comes as a surprise, here’s a reality check. Just as customers check social media for product and service reviews, potential job recruits are combing the Web for insider info about you, the employer. Are your talent leaders helping or hindering your brand? The experts speak. Tim Sackett, HRU Technical Resources: “Oh, you hate your job? Why didn’t you say so? There’s a support group for that. It’s called “EVERYBODY”, and they meet at the bar.” (Drew Carey). Chrissy Glover, GlassDoor: “What you deny or ignore, you delay. What you accept and face, you conquer.” (Robert Tew). Jessica Miller-Merrell, Xceptional HR: “Any fool can make something complicated. It takes a genius to make something simple.” (Willie Woody Guthrie) Join us for The Yelpification of Recruiting – Part 2.

The buzz: Future of Insurance. According to a survey from SAP and the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU), long-standing insurance companies are struggling to keep pace with strong competition from other industries that offer advanced consumer-facing insurance capabilities. Can traditional insurers survive? It may depend on how well they embrace analytics and learn to incorporate data from M2M and IoT. brbr The experts speak. Anthony O’Donnell, Insurance Innovation Reporter: “Now Harrison was prepared to reject 25 years of his own work and move ahead on an almost untried technology…” (NOVA) Karen Furtado, SMA: “We always overestimate the change that will occur in the next two years and underestimate the change that will occur in the next ten.” (Bill Gates) Hugh Anderson, SAP: ‘Your success in … is based on your ability to change faster than your competition, customers, and business.” (Mark Sanborn) Join us for Future of Insurance in the Age of Customer Intimacy and IoT.

The buzz: Travelers’ TMI brbr “The customer is #1” is a customer service industry mantra and mandate, particularly for business-to-consumer travel and hospitality staff who are required to greet each visitor by name. But now that their clients willingly share searchable, “TMI”-level personal data on digital media, how and when should the industry use it, if at all? The experts speak. brbr Deva Senapathy, Infosys: “The best customer service is if the customer doesn't need to call you, doesn't need to talk to you. It just works.” (Jeff Bezos) brbr Mike Wittenstein, Storyminers: “In work, no matter how hard you try or how much you spend, your brand can’t be any better than what your customers experience.” brbr Raghu Ramanathan, SAP: “The whole object of travel is not to set foot on foreign land; it is at last to set foot on one’s own country as a foreign land.” (GK Chesterton) brbr Join us for Hotel Guest Personalization: Welcome or Social Media Stalking?