S4E2: When AI Leads to Skill Decay, with guests Alva Taylor and Rob Shumsky

S4E2: When AI Leads to Skill Decay, with guests Alva Taylor and Rob Shumsky

In this episode of the Tuck Knowledge in Practice podcast, Tuck professors Alva Taylor [https://tuck.dartmouth.edu/faculty/faculty-directory/alva-h-taylor] and Rob Shumsky [https://tuck.dartmouth.edu/faculty/faculty-directory/robert-a-shumsky] explore a counterintuitive risk of artificial intelligence: not that it fails, but that it succeeds just enough to make us stop thinking. In their working paper with Tuck professor James Siderius [https://tuck.dartmouth.edu/faculty/faculty-directory/james-siderius], they examine how working alongside AI can subtly erode human expertise over time—a phenomenon they call “skill decay.” Drawing on research in operations and organizational behavior, the conversation highlights a critical danger zone: when AI performance is inconsistent but generally reliable. In this middle ground, people are more likely to disengage, pass along outputs without scrutiny, and gradually lose the very skills needed to catch mistakes. They discuss how this dynamic plays out across industries, from healthcare to consulting, and explain why traditional approaches to training and incentives may no longer be sufficient. They also offer practical insights for leaders: don’t just evaluate AI outputs, but test whether your people can still spot errors, maintain expertise, and stay engaged.

S4E1: Inside the Great Supply Chain Reordering, with guest Davin Chor

In this episode of the Knowledge in Practice Podcast, Davin Chor [https://tuck.dartmouth.edu/faculty/faculty-directory/davin-chor] discusses his new working paper, An Anatomy of the Great Reallocation in U.S. Supply Chain Trade [https://www.nber.org/papers/w34490]. Chor explains how global trade—once seen as a settled issue—has returned to the center of economic and political debate, reshaping how firms think about sourcing, risk, and resilience. Tracing the impact of U.S. tariffs introduced in 2018 and intensified in recent years, he shows how American companies have steadily shifted supply chains away from China, with lasting consequences for consumers and managers alike. As Chor puts it, “We’ve come full circle in 25 years—China’s share of U.S. imports is now back to where it was when China joined the WTO.” The conversation explores who has gained from this shift, why it’s better described as selective decoupling rather than deglobalization, and what business leaders should expect as trade uncertainty becomes the new normal. Davin Chor is the Michael G. Fisch 1983 Professor at Tuck and a chair in Dartmouth's academic cluster on globalization, which studies the far-reaching repercussions of globalization on world markets, governments, trade, and society. Professor Chor's current research focuses on international trade and political economy.

S3E7: Why Do Gender Gaps in Leadership Persist? with guest Sonya Mishra

Why are women still underrepresented in leadership roles? And what can organizations do about it? In this episode of the Knowledge in Practice Podcast, Tuck professor Sonya Mishra explores the hidden dynamics shaping career advancement, from “likeability penalties” to the unequal expectations placed on women at work. Drawing on her latest research, Mishra explains how leadership pathways themselves are gendered, often limiting women to narrower routes to advancement while exposing them to backlash for behaviors that are rewarded in men. She also examines the difference between power and status, why women’s gains in authority can trigger resistance, and how data-driven decision making and exposure to new leadership models can help organizations build more equitable systems. Research papers discussed: Psychological drivers of gender disparities in leadership paths [https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1364661325002839] What Is Mine Cannot Be Yours: How Zero-Sum Perceptions of Power and Status Shape Men’s Perceptions of Ingroup Harm From Women’s Hierarchical Advancement [https://www.researchgate.net/publication/390893646_What_is_mine_cannot_be_yours_How_zero-sum_perceptions_of_power_and_status_shape_men's_perceptions_of_ingroup_harm_from_women's_hierarchical_advancement]

S3E6: From Coast Guard Captain to Leadership Professor, with guest Amy Florentino T’10

As a sector commander in the Coast Guard, Amy Florentino T’10 [https://tuck.dartmouth.edu/faculty/faculty-directory/amy-florentino] directed strategy and operations for all Coast Guard missions across Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, and northeastern New York. In that role, she developed a command philosophy that people should feel motivated, nurtured, and valued. Florentino draws on that philosophy as a clinical professor of business administration at Tuck. “A lot of it is about this idea of creating an environment where people can be successful,” she said. “Tuck students are quite capable of doing amazing things, so it’s my job to create an environment where they can excel.” In this episode of the Knowledge in Practice Podcast, Florentino talks about her career in the Coast Guard, and her time at Tuck as both a student and a professor.  Courses and Programs discussed: Management Communications, Advanced Management Communications, Client Project Management, Crisis Management, Tuck Bridge, Next Step, and Impact Academy.

S3E5: A Business with Humanity at its Very Core, with guest Kirsten Detrick T’92

Kirsten Detrick T’92 [https://tuck.dartmouth.edu/faculty/faculty-directory/kirsten-detrick-t92] spent more than 30 years as an executive in the biopharma industry, working for firms such as Takeda, Amgen, and Bristol Myers Squibb. Detrick recently returned to Tuck to teach the mini course “Contemporary Issues in Biotechnology,” which is offered every year in the spring. Detrick discusses her career, her course, and some of the most pressing challenges faced today in the biopharma space. Detrick uses her position as an adjunct professor to teach, coach, motivate, and inspire. As she explains in the conversation, biopharma is a business, “but unlike other businesses, it has humanity at the very core of what it’s about. The people who succeed, thrive and find themselves attracted to this industry are those who hear a higher calling and want to use business to address that higher calling.”