The magazine for alumni and friends of the UB School of Management
Issue link: http://ubschoolofmanagement.uberflip.com/i/1546147
12 Buffalo Business Autumn 2026 center agents find information faster when speaking with customers on the phone, they expected the payoff to be reduced call times. But the times didn't change at all. "Rather than scrapping the project, we listened to our agents to find out why they liked the tool," says Krebs. "The real value turned out to be building agent confidence, which resulted in far fewer interruptions to colleagues. We were measuring the wrong thing. The people closest to the work oen know where the value actually is, and leaders need to listen to them." Kate Bezrukova, associate professor of organization and human resources, has studied the emergence of AI as a team member, as well as group and organizational faultlines, how AI can help self-employed workers and more. She says that while the productivity gains of AI are real, leaders need to accommo- date a range of acceptance from their employees — with an eye toward the future. Bezrukova L everaging a foundation of high-impact scholarship, the School of Management's Center for Leadership and Global Impact empowers agile leaders who learn locally — wherever they are — and think globally to drive transformative results in an interconnected world. The center offers a wide range of programs for professionals, businesses, nonprofit organizations, exec- utive leaders and students, including conflict manage- ment, executive and team coaching certification, the leadership accelerator program, leadership express, 360° assessments, team and leadership development, international education programs and more. "We provide the space for academics and prac- titioners worldwide to come together to apply the school's cutting-edge leadership research in practical ways," says Dorothy Siaw-Asamoah, clinical professor of organization and human resources, and faculty director of the center. "We study scenarios, provide solutions and bring them to practice. And, in our classrooms, we connect students with international organizations to make real impact." Each spring, the center hosts an annual leadership conference, which serves as its marquee event, providing a daylong deep-dive into the pressing leadership chal- lenges of the day with experts and attendees from across Western New York and around the world. The 2026 conference focused on building resilient organizations and featured keynote presentations from Don Sandel, founder of GoPositiv, and Jade Cochran, Empowering leaders around the globe Dean Ananth Iyer addresses attendees at the conference� Photos: Meredith Forrest Kulwicki and Ivy Moon Studios