Business
What can we learn from Walmart, Xcel Energy and the humble electric motor?In retrospect, big economic or technological shifts are often obvious — but they’re not always obvious as they’re unfolding. This episode will focus on how big businesses respond to external challenges in real time.We’ll start with a glimpse at how the distributed electric motor catalyzed the second industrial revolution. Are we in the middle of an “electric-motor moment” for the modern economy?Then, we’ll reflect on Walmart’s groundbreaking push into sustainability back in 2005. What does it tell us about how to craft a purpose-driven business case?We’ll finish with a conversation about Xcel Energy’s goal to get 100% of its energy from zero-carbon resources by 2050. How do you push a “moonshot” goal through an executive team and a company with thousands of employees? And how will it influence other electric utilities to make bold moves?Guests featured in this episode:Erik Brynjolfsson, director of the MIT Initiative on the Digital EconomyRebecca Henderson, economist and professor at Harvard Business SchoolBrett Carter, executive vice president and chief customer and innovation officer at Xcel EnergyResources:Rebecca Henderson’s HBS case study on WalmartXcel’s report on its zero-emissions goalErik Brynjolfsson’s book: “Machine, Platform, Crowd”ILLUMINATORS is brought to you by Uplight, the leading provider of end-to-end customer-centric technology solutions dedicated solely to serving the energy ecosystem. Subscribe on Apple, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, or anywhere else you get your podcasts. .