O-Types Rising

Our guest this week is Ron Kersic, a Digital Strategy & Innovation expert at ING who advises both internally and externally with startups and scaleups. In this wide-ranging conversation, we cover platforms and ecosystems, AI's impact on our relationship with computers (shifting from "oracle to muse"), and the importance of rethinking business structures, perspectives and mindsets. Ron also offers practical advice for founders and 'O types' on focusing their curiosity and embracing ambiguity as a strength in the modern business landscape.You can find the Futuring Architectures Substack here. 00:00 Introduction to O Types Rising00:22 Meet Ron Kersic: Futuring Architect01:53 Exploring Ecosystems and Platforms05:54 The Role of Technology in Business11:14 Generative AI: A New Paradigm21:25 Rethinking Organizations24:52 The Value of Niches and Ecosystems25:59 The Role of External Participants27:31 Lessons from Airbnb's Ecosystem28:52 B2B and Ecosystem Innovation33:44 The Importance of Slowing Down36:58 Embracing the O Type Mindset39:16 Advice for O Types and Founders42:25 Closing Thoughts and Reflections

In this episode of O Types Rising, host Jen Rice interviews Graham Glass, the founder, CEO, and CTO of Cypher Learning - an AI-powered Learning Management System in scale-up mode supported by $40 million in funding.Graham shares his journey from childhood inspiration by English sci-fi to becoming a serial entrepreneur. He discusses the evolution of AI, the future of personalized learning, and how intelligent agents can revolutionize education. Graham also talks about what it takes to succeed as a founder, maintaining a distributed workforce, and the value of mentorship.00:00 Introduction to O Types Rising00:22 Meet Graham Glass: Founder of Cypher Learning00:47 The Genesis of Cypher Learning04:53 AI and the Future of Education08:08 The Role of Humans in an AI-Driven World14:17 The Personal Qualities for Success24:33 Distributed Workforce and Company Culture30:40 The Most Important Lesson Learned33:10 Wrap up

In this first episode of O-Types Rising, host Jen Rice interviews John Durrant, co-founder of Human-Centric Engineering. We discuss the oft-overlooked people and relationship issues within software engineering, focusing on the importance of collaboration and empowerment for true value creation.The relevance of this conversation expands far beyond software teams, delving into the value of self-organizing systems, the benefits of team topologies, and the need to balance specialists with generalists. The episode also explores O-Types, individuals who thrive on curiosity and holistic thinking, and how their contributions can enhance organizational effectiveness at all levels. 00:00 Introduction to O-Types Rising00:23 Meet John Durrant: Human-Centric Engineering01:15 The Importance of Relationships in Engineering01:54 Software is a Team Sport02:59 No One Wants to Be a Cog in the Machine04:44 Under-leveraged Potential of SEs and O-Types07:35 Self-Organizing Systems and Trust11:34 Team Topologies and Organizational Structure21:31 The Drawback of Overspecialization27:32 Balancing Curiosity and Focus30:12 Unlocking Engineering Team Performance34:28 Final Thoughts and Advice--Resources:https://humancentricengineering.substack.com/https://www.humancentricengineering.com/Reflections on Palantir re: "forward-deployed engineers"