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Kenan Institute 2023 Grand Challenge: Workforce Disrupted
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Market-Based Solutions to Vital Economic Issues

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Frontiers of Business Conference:
Workforce Disrupted

October 12-13, 2023 • Carolina Inn, Chapel Hill, NC

The COVID-19 pandemic has driven massive shifts in the global labor market, with repercussions continuing to be felt by both firms and workers today. While employers navigate the demand for an increasingly skilled and agile workforce, employees advocate for greater flexibility and a desire for their companies to proactively reflect their own values. Is it possible to address the needs of employers and employees alike – particularly amid persistent uncertainty about future economic conditions and the market power of workers? And how might workers and their firms most productively contribute to shaping a new and modern labor force?

Our 2023 Frontiers of Business Conference will convene corporate executives, top researchers and policy leaders to share objective, evidence-based solutions for navigating the precarious road toward a labor market equilibrium.

Video
Distinguished Fellow Thomas Stith Panel: Seeking a New Labor Market Equilibrium

Kenan Institute Distinguished Fellow Thomas Stith moderated the panel discussion “Seeking a New Labor Market Equilibrium: A Leadership Perspective” on Aug. 23. Panelists were Jeff Cox of the North Carolina Community College System, state Sen. Amy Galey, Jennifer Paylor of Capgemini and Gary Salamido of the NC Chamber.

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Event
Angelica Leigh: The Influence of Mega-Threats on Individuals at Work

Leigh, a Kenan Institute Distinguished Fellow, will discuss the influence that societal events which occur outside of organizations have on employees when they enter the workplace and on individuals in society more broadly.

Fellows

The Kenan Institute’s Distinguished Fellows comprise an exemplary set of global scholars committed to leveraging their individual expertise, thought leadership, research and networks to further the institute’s efforts to examine – and drive solutions to – the most complex and timely issues facing business and the economy today. Appointed on an annual basis, the 2023 Distinguished Fellows work to support the Kenan Institute’s exploration of workforce disruption.  

John Haltiwanger
Dudley and Louisa Dillard Professor of Economics, University of Maryland, and 2023 Kenan Institute Distinguished Fellow
Angelica Leigh
Assistant Professor of Management and Organizations, Duke Fuqua School of Business, and 2023 Kenan Institute Distinguished Fellow
Arvind Malhotra
H. Allen Andrew Distinguished Professor of Strategy and Entrepreneurship, UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School, and 2023 Kenan Institute Distinguished Fellow
Ricardo Perez-Truglia
Associate Professor, University of California, Berkeley, Haas School of Business, and 2023 Kenan Institute Distinguished Fellow
Thomas Stith
CEO, The Michael Thomas Group Inc.; former president, North Carolina Community College System; and 2023 Kenan Institute Distinguished Fellow
Tara Watson
Professor of Economics, Williams College, and 2023 Kenan Institute Distinguished Fellow

The Distinguished Fellows program is supported by a generous gift from Bruce and Katie Van Saun.

More on Workforce Disrupted

SHOW ME:

Join IBM’s Tim Humphrey and former Domino’s CEO Ritch Allison for “Workplace Talent, Skills and Economic Competitiveness: A Fireside Chat with UNC Kenan-Flagler Dean Mary Margaret Frank” Oct. 12 at The Carolina Inn.

Our 2023 Frontiers of Business Conference will convene corporate executives, top researchers and policy leaders to share objective, evidence-based solutions for navigating the precarious road toward a labor market equilibrium. Learn more today.

Leigh, a Kenan Institute Distinguished Fellow, will discuss the influence that societal events which occur outside of organizations have on employees when they enter the workplace and on individuals in society more broadly.

UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School Professor Jim Johnson, director of the Urban Investment Strategies Center, defines three groups facing challenges as companies return to the office and updates his forecast of demographic gale force winds.

Stith, a Kenan Institute Distinguished Fellow, will moderate a panel on strategies to build a sustainable workforce pipeline in North Carolina.

Sekou Bermiss, UNC Kenan-Flagler associate professor of strategy and entrepreneurship, unpacks the topic of people analytics, discussing how firms can build better culture by supporting both managers and employees.

Workforce Disrupted

The American Growth Project explains why manufacturing remains essential for economic growth and how manufacturing in the U.S. today incorporates both regional shifts and “stickiness” in traditional strongholds.

UNC-Chapel Hill Professor Kurt Gray discusses how research can help us understand – and navigate – our rapidly changing professional and social lives.

Workforce Disrupted

UNC Professor Mohammad Jarrahi and IBM’s Phaedra Boinodiris address concerns about organizational adoption of artificial intelligence and how to include employees in important discussions, such as ethical considerations and potential job-related changes.

The Kenan Institute and UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School’s inaugural Conference on Market-Based Solutions for Reducing Wealth Inequality on June 1-2 highlighted research on market mechanisms that might also work to ameliorate inequality.

Kenan Institute Distinguished Fellow John Haltiwanger of the University of Maryland sees the growth in startups and remote work as especially benefiting the South and the areas around urban downtowns.

Workforce Disrupted

The institute has teamed up to work with Fifth Third Commercial Bank Chief Economist Jeff Korzenik on research into second-chance hiring. In his new opinion piece in The Wall Street Journal, Korzenik discusses Japan’s “miracle” workforce expansion and what the U.S. can learn from it.