An Intimate Conversation with Oscar Hauptman, PhD ex-Harvard Professor:
Innovation, Academia, and Ethical Reflections
In this special interview, I had the privilege of reconnecting with Oscar Hauptman, a highly accomplished academic, consultant, and business leader. Oscar’s distinguished career includes serving as a faculty member at Harvard Business School, a PhD in Management of Technological Innovation from Sloan School of Management, MIT, and a prominent figure in various global innovation initiatives. His extensive expertise in technology and operations management has shaped the strategic direction of numerous organizations. At the same time, his work as an advisor in the blockchain space has further demonstrated his innovative mindset. I had the pleasure of working with Oscar at a blockchain startup, where he was an advisor, and I served as VP of Marketing and Business Development.
Oscar’s career also includes serving in the Israeli military Signal Intelligence, the Elite Unit 8200, a technology-intensive environment, where his experiences further shaped his approach to leadership and innovation. His time in the military, which included infantry training without direct participation in combat activities, taught him invaluable lessons in resilience, quick thinking, teamwork, and adaptability — qualities that continue to inform his academic and business career.
Our conversation spanned a wide range of topics, from cutting-edge innovation and his academic journey to deeper personal reflections on his Jewish identity and his perspective on the Gaza conflict. What follows is a profoundly intimate and thoughtful exchange that sheds light on the mind of a true innovator and intellectual.
Innovation and Nanotechnology: An exemplar of technological revolution
Al Leong: Oscar, let’s start with one of your areas of expertise: nanotechnology. How do you see the connection between nano and work safety?
Oscar Hauptman: Ah, yes. Nano… it’s fascinating. You see, when you make a tiny particle, you create an immense surface area with a very small mass. What people don’t intuitively grasp is the enormous change this brings about. The chemical processes and reactions happen on the surface. Take aluminum as an example — airplanes are built with it, but it’s an explosive when it’s in nano form! It’s the interaction of surface and mass that creates these risks. Imagine inhaling a cloud of nano-sized particles — that’s where safety concerns arise.
Al Leong: Fascinating, Oscar. It’s remarkable how nanotechnology can transform something as familiar as aluminum into an explosive. It really shifts the way we think about material science. So would that mean nanotechnology could present the same risks as microplastics but on a much smaller, more dangerous scale?
Oscar Hauptman: Exactly. Think of the discussions around microplastics. Now, imagine nano. The particles are so small they interact with tissues in a way that’s far more extreme. We need to be very careful when designing nanomaterials, as the potential dangers are only now being fully realized.
This example brings up several important topics: first, how important is an intuitive understanding of basic technological aspects of almost anything we encounter in our dynamic, stimulating, and challenging professional life? Second, as an educator of future executives and leaders, I focus my practical lessons on developing such intuition for learners without formal STEM education. I motivate this “upgraded” mentality by making 100% clear that technological aspects of our work are an integral part of executive leadership responsibilities and that such intuition is powerful, enabling astute decision-making. A related aspect of dealing with technical issues is that its attributes and features must be “translated” into what I consider key common denominators of TIME and MONEY. Finally, the potentially severe health implication of presumably “innocent” structural material like aluminum reminds us all that technology is often multifaceted, and although we focus our attention on new, sometimes radically innovative, amazing functionalities of materials, products, and systems, some of its facets are threatening health and life or humans and other organisms, and the environment As impactful decision-makers we must be cognizant of the latter, with smart, prudent foresight.
A Journey Through Academia: Harvard, MIT, and Beyond
Al Leong: You’ve spent significant time at both Harvard Business School and MIT. How did those experiences differ for you?
Oscar Hauptman: Ah, MIT and Harvard… well, I loved my time at both, but they are very different environments. MIT was very research-focused, driven by a need for technical accuracy and development. Harvard, on the other hand, taught me how to teach. The case method at Harvard allowed me to see the power of engagement. I would often have 90 students in a class, and I learned how to use them like instruments in an orchestra. At MIT, it was more about individual intellectual rigor, while at Harvard, it was about creating an intellectual conversation.
Al Leong: And in your time at Harvard, what did you see as the key to teaching innovation?
Oscar Hauptman: It’s not just about teaching frameworks or methodologies. It’s about triggering the student’s ability to see patterns to understand where innovation can happen. You need to facilitate that learning by creating an atmosphere of curiosity. In innovation, you don’t have a license to have a bad day. As a leader and educator, you need to bring energy and passion because that’s what fuels innovation.
From Product Innovation to Process Innovation: Industry 4.0 and Beyond
Al Leong: I’ve noticed in your work you emphasize both product and process innovation. Can you explain the difference between the two, especially with the rise of Industry 4.0 and now 5.0?
Oscar Hauptman: Ah, yes. Product innovation is what most people think about when they talk about breakthroughs — new gadgets, new technology. However, process innovation is where mass production and efficiency come in. Industry 4.0 was about automation, data exchange, and the Internet of Things. Industry 5.0, which we are now entering, combines human intelligence with artificial intelligence to create better, more efficient manufacturing systems. It’s a fascinating evolution, as it shows how technology isn’t just about what we make but how we make it.
Al Leong: When you speak about navigating complex innovations, I’m reminded of how blockchain and the evolution of Web2 to Web3 have challenged my own thinking in marketing tactics and development.
Quality, Speed, Price — And a More Humane Approach to Business
Al Leong: I remember you once talking about balancing quality, speed, and price in business. You also mentioned something about unbridled capitalism, and I found that fascinating. Can you elaborate on that?
Oscar Hauptman: Ah, yes, the business triangle — quality, speed, and price. It’s an eternal balancing act, but here’s the thing: it can’t be all about maximizing profit at the expense of everything else. Unbridled capitalism has led to too much focus on short-term gains. What we need is a more humane approach to business, where we don’t just think about shareholders but stakeholders — employees, suppliers, and the community. It’s about more than just profit. It’s about creating value for everyone involved.
Al Leong: That really resonates with me, especially given the challenges I’ve faced in navigating industries like blockchain and Web3, where there’s constant pressure to deliver quickly without always considering long-term impact. Your take on a more humane approach could genuinely reshape how leaders think about value creation.
Jewish Identity and Ethical Governance
Al Leong: Shifting gears a bit, you’ve spoken about your Jewish heritage and the profound ethical responsibility that comes with it. How has that shaped your views, particularly in terms of governance and leadership?
Oscar Hauptman: Being Jewish is deeply intertwined with my sense of ethical responsibility. My father survived the Holocaust, and that has shaped how I view humanity. It’s not about seeing ourselves as victims but understanding that humans are capable of both incredible good and unimaginable evil. This realization drives my sense of responsibility — whether it’s in leadership or governance, you have to operate with a long-term ethical framework. There’s no room for shortcuts, especially in today’s world.
Al Leong: It’s refreshing to hear such a thoughtful take on balancing innovation and ethical governance — something I’ve often considered in my own career. Too often, leaders focus on short-term gains, overlooking the long-term ethical implications. We’ve seen the consequences of this mentality with financial meltdowns like FTX, Bear Stearns, Lehman Brothers, and the 2008 crisis, all driven by greed and a lack of accountability. It’s clear that an ethical approach is crucial to sustainable success.
Reflections on the Iran-Israel War by Proxy
Al Leong: I know this is personal, but would you be willing to share your thoughts on the current Middle Eastern conflict?
Oscar Hauptman: I wasn’t sure if I wanted to speak publicly about this, but I’ve had to rethink many of my long-held beliefs. I used to believe that if Israel behaved in a certain way, peace could be achieved. But the events of recent years, and the insights from people like Einat Wilf have made me question that assumption. It’s not solely in Israel’s hands. Israel has made numerous attempts to reach a mutual compromise, exchanging land for peace, all rejected by Palestinian leadership without specifying alternatives. What I’ve come to understand is that the ideological opposition to a Jewish state itself, not just the land, is at the core of the conflict. That’s a hard truth to face, and it would require patience in enabling the realization by the “other side” — humans like us — that Israel and Jews are here, in our ancestral homeland, to stay, as a sovereign state, in which Jews are never a minority! My reasoning is simple: If we learned anything in almost 2,000 years of exile and Diaspora, is that it is unequivocally unsafe when Jews have to depend on the mercy and goodwill of other ethnicities and religions. A tiny aside here: I don’t understand the terms “Zionism” or “Zionist.” I don’t use these terms, obviously, I don’t consider myself a “Zionist.” But being a committed atheist, for me, Israel is NOT the Holy Land, but since my early years in Israel, where I arrived from Soviet Ukraine (hometown Lvov, or Lviv), via Poland, in 1960, when I was almost 10, in my hometown of Bat-Yam, now a suburb of Tel-Aviv, south of Jaffa, my mates and I referred to Israel as the ONLY LAND. I doubt that these formulations resolve the current generational conflict. It is not a magic wand, but at the same time, the sooner this reality and its future are recognized by all involved, especially “the other side,” the sooner we could jointly reach peaceful coexistence “Between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea”!
Closing Thoughts: The Importance of Humanity
Al Leong: You’ve covered a lot of ground, from innovation to ethics. If there’s one thing you want people to take away from this conversation, what would it be?
Oscar Hauptman: Humanity. We have to remember that behind every decision, every innovation, and every conflict, there are humans. Whether in business or in governance, ethical responsibility should never be cast aside for short-term gain. That’s the lesson my father instilled in me after surviving the Holocaust. He believed in the goodness of people, even after everything he went through, and I strive to live by that ideal.
Conclusion
My conversation with Oscar Hauptman provided deep insights not only into his expertise but also into his character. His perspectives on innovation, business ethics, and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict reveal the mind of someone who constantly questions, learns, and adapts. His commitment to ethical responsibility, even when facing difficult truths, is a powerful message for both current and future leaders.
A special thanks to Oscar for sharing his time and thoughts so openly. It was a privilege to dive into these rich topics with someone whose mind is as sharp as his heart is compassionate.
If you’d like to connect with Oscar or learn more about his work, you can reach him on LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/in/oscarhauptman.
