At the Intersection of Technology and Organizational Culture

Following its annual board of advisors meeting, UCLA Anderson’s Easton Center for Technology Management hosted an exclusive alumni event in Seattle at The Spheres, Amazon’s unique workspace whose environment offers a direct link to nature and wellness. Surrounded by more than 40,000 plants from the cloud forest regions of over 30 countries, Seattle area Anderson alumni welcomed Dean Tony Bernardo and Adjunct Professor Terry Kramer (B.A. ’82), Easton’s faculty director, for a conversation about UCLA Anderson’s strategic plan.

UCLA Anderson’s new mission is to advance management thinking and develop transformative leaders to make a positive impact on business and society. Noting that technology and organizational culture are at the center of advancing that mission, Dean Bernardo discussed how the school’s innovative curriculum updates, cross-campus partnerships and immersion programs already underway will differentiate UCLA Anderson and prepare Anderson students and alumni for a rapidly changing world. One such example is a new lifelong learning initiative coming this winter that will offer Anderson alumni access to live, virtual sessions with Anderson faculty on the key themes: leadership and personal development, disruptive technology and managing the modern workplace.

Adjunct Professor Terry Kramer (B.A. ’82) (right) was joined by special guest Jon Jones, VP of Go-to-Market (GTM) for Amazon Web Services

Event attendees, many of whom are employed by Amazon, were also treated to Kramer’s iconic insights on key technology trends, drivers of innovation and leadership imperatives — this time with an added focus on the potential of generative AI and related competitive advantages. Kramer was joined by special guest Jon Jones, go-to-market vice president of Amazon Web Services, who enumerated the benefits of generative AI and explained how AWS is utilizing it to reduce the cost of business and drive innovation. Echoing the night’s theme of the intersection of technology and organizational culture, he underscored how critical a top-down mandate from the board is to providing an organization a safe environment to develop generative AI.

As part of his closing remarks, Jones imparted the immense value of being part of an alumni network, and he encouraged alumni to continue to engage with the Anderson community. Many UCLA Anderson graduates move to Seattle for employment. Establishing connections with colleagues at work and fellow alumni at alumni chapter events can greatly facilitate a more seamless transition to a new city.