Synthetic Consumers, Real Culture: AI adoption at Colgate-Palmolive | Michaela Schoberova

Synthetic Consumers, Real Culture: AI adoption at Colgate-Palmolive | Michaela Schoberova

Michaela Schoberova, SVP HR for Global Commercial Transformation at Colgate-Palmolive, on what 20+ years inside one company taught her about running AI experiments without breaking the culture. Stela Lupushor (Donna is off this week) gets into: * Colgate's proprietary digital consumer twins and how they compress early-stage product innovation * Whether you can, or should, build synthetic employees the same way * The AI Hub, mandated short training, and broad access behind a firewall * "Super You" peer cohorts: why voluntary, role-specific learning beats top-down training * Where AI grows the business vs. where it just cuts cost * Coaching at scale, knowledge management, learning velocity * The positive psychology lens on AI: character strengths, human relationships, and what we risk losing * Leadership for a BANI world (brittle, anxious, non-linear, incomprehensible): empathy, clarity, agency * What HR will regret in three years if we don't act now References from the episode: * "The GenAI Focus Shifts to Innovation at Colgate-Palmolive" (MIT Sloan Management Review, Davenport & Bean) * "Navigating the Age of Chaos" by Jamais Cascio, Bob Johansen, and Angela F. Williams (2025) * Anna Gallotti, MCC, Chair, ICF Task Force on AI in Coaching More at workestration.ai.

The 21st Century Renaissance Workplace: HR in the Age of AI

On the Workestration podcast, hosts Stela Lupushor and Donnas Scarola speak with Jeff Schwartz (VP at Gloat, author of “Work Disrupted” and “Workforce Ecosystems,” and Columbia Business School professor) about navigating the future of work in 2026 as AI accelerates. Schwartz argues leaders need “new maps” to move beyond old either/or frames (human vs. machine, employee vs. contractor) and focus on integrated automation and augmentation, super teams, and work orchestration. The conversation explores the shift from pilots to enterprise AI, the need to redesign work around outcomes rather than optimize existing processes, and the idea of “renaissance” roles enabled by AI (illustrated with radiology). Schwartz highlights Deloitte data that 84% of companies haven’t started redesigning work, emphasizes workforce ecosystems that include employees, contractors, and technology, and discusses evolving expectations for HR and managers as designers, coaches, and navigators, alongside concerns about individual adaptation, organizational speed, and public policy transition nets. 00:00 Welcome to Workestration 00:39 Meet Jeff Schwartz 02:10 New Maps for Work 06:23 Beyond AI vs Human 09:34 From Pilots to Redesign 14:35 Rethinking Jobs and Careers 24:08 Beyond Work Disrupted 29:28 Renaissance Work Example 33:14 Reimagining HR for 2030 42:55 Workforce Ecosystems Shift 45:03 What Keeps Jeff Up 47:58 HR as Navigators 50:08 Closing and Part Two You can contact Jeff at: Email:  jeff.s@gloat.com [jeff.s@gloat.com]; jls2387@columbia.com [jls2387@columbia.com] Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeff-schwartz-future-of-work-disrupted/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeff-schwartz-future-of-work-disrupted/] Websites: gloat.com [http://gloat.com/]; https://www.fowdisrupted.com/ [https://www.fowdisrupted.com/]; https://business.columbia.edu/faculty/people/jeffrey-schwartz [https://business.columbia.edu/faculty/people/jeffrey-schwartz]

From Davos to the Workplace: Practical AI, Radical Uncertainty, and Talent Transformation with Yelena Mammadova, EdD

On the Workestration podcast, hosts Donna Scarola and Stela Lupushor speak with Yelena Mammadova Ed.D, fresh from Davos, about three themes shaping the 2026 AI trajectory: more grounded, pragmatic AI discussions (constraints like energy and ROI, plus societal impact), leadership in “radical uncertainty,” and the widening gap between technology advancement and people readiness. Yelena argues AI value must be judged by society, not just tech companies, and emphasizes that adoption requires workflow redesign, transparency, explainability, and safe space to experiment and fail forward. She describes her role at Microsoft at the intersection of product strategy and workforce transformation, building “people products” that interpret talent using observed, declared, and increasingly powerful inferred skills from work activity signals. The conversation covers intentional talent mobility, challenges of becoming truly skills-based, and Yelena’s personal AI use via a Researcher agent while writing a book. 00:00 Introduction to the Workestration Podcast 01:25 Insights from Davos: AI and Leadership 04:53 The Role of HR in AI Transformation 08:52 Yelena's Career Journey and Role 10:37 Building AI-Powered Tools for the Workforce 18:19 AI and Skills Data: Observations and Challenges 31:40 The Future of Skills-Based Organizations 34:21 Personal Use of AI and Final Thoughts 40:10 Conclusion and Forward-Looking Statements

Culture Eats AI for Breakfast with Steve Garguilo, Cultivate

In this episode of the Workestration podcast, hosts Donna and Stela welcome Steve Garguilo, CEO and Founder of Cultivate, a boutique consultancy that helps science-led companies build thriving cultures. Steve draws on 15 years of experience at global giants like Johnson & Johnson, Chevron, and Mars to discuss how organizations can navigate the intersection of human behavior and emerging technology. The conversation dives deep into why culture is the prerequisite for successful AI integration and how leadership must shift from a "scarcity" to an "abundance" mindset.

Episode 3. Team Human? Team Machine? And Us (p2 of 2)

In this episode of the Workestration podcast, hosts Donna and Stela welcome Douglas Rushkoff and Amar Bakshi, co-founders of Andus Labs. The conversation explores the evolving nature of work in the AI era, touching on themes such as the historical control over labor, the future of meaningful work, and the societal implications of artificial intelligence. Douglas and Amar discuss the potential for AI to restore human-centric, value-based work environments and the importance of collective action. They also reflect on how HR leaders can navigate these changes and the innovative approaches of Andus Labs in fostering a generative mindset within organizations. The discussion emphasizes the need for authenticity, human connection, and the re-imagination of value in the workplace.00:00 Team Human? Team Machine? And Us (p2) w/Douglas Rushkoff & Amar Bakshi co-founders of Andus Labs02:28 Introduction and Welcome02:38 The Changing Meaning of Work03:45 Reconnecting Work with Human Needs05:34 The Role of AI in the Future of Work06:30 Shared Studios and the Importance of Purpose10:05 The Impact of Automation on Jobs16:16 The Future of AI and Human Collaboration27:02 Building a Generative Mindset37:23 Conclusion and Final Thoughts Mentioned in the episode is Civic [https://civicplatform.org⁠]: A system for public data, built on public collaboration; Technics and Civilization [https://www.amazon.com/Technics-Civilization-Lewis-Mumford/dp/0226550273] book by Lewis Mumford [https://www.amazon.com/Lewis-Mumford/e/B000APEA92/ref=dp_byline_cont_book_1]  Douglas' Books: Team Human, [https://www.amazon.com/Team-Human-Douglas-Rushkoff/dp/039365169X] Survival of the Richest [https://www.amazon.com/Survival-Richest-Escape-Fantasies-Billionaires/dp/B0B5JZMH29/ref=sr_1_1], Present Shock [https://www.amazon.com/Present-Shock-Douglas-Rushkoff-audiobook/dp/B00EJMGZCM/ref=sr_1_5], Throwing Rocks at the Google Bus [https://www.amazon.com/Throwing-Rocks-at-Google-Bus-audiobook/dp/B01A7L3LUM/ref=sr_1_1] and his Team Human [https://www.teamhuman.fm/] podcast. Amar's other ventures: Shared Studios [https://www.sharedstudios.com/], Noro [https://www.noro.co/], MIT center for constructive communication [https://www.ccc.mit.edu/]. And their joint venture - Andus Labs [https://www.anduslabs.com/].