Brain for Business

While in the Western world, gender has traditionally been viewed as binary and as following directly from biological sex, in recent years these views have started to change. Gender is now seen, at least by some, as less binary and more independent of sex. These changes are reflected in societal developments such as the growing support for transgender individuals and in new policies and practices, such as unisex bathrooms and, in some countries, the legal recognition of a third gender.To explore these questions further and to gain a better understanding of transgender issues we were joined on the Brain for Business podcast by Professor Thekla Morgenroth.Thekla Morgenroth is Assistant Professor, Department of Psychological Sciences at Purdue University. Their research examines why and how people maintain social categories and hierarchies with a particular focus on the gender/sex binary and its consequences for women and members of the LGBTQ+ community.Some of Thekla’s current projects include research on opposition to policies and practices that challenge the gender/sex binary, the psychology of different feminist ideologies, the link between gender nonconformity and identity denial, and support for and opposition to the decriminalization of sex work.Thekla can be followed on Twitter (@TheMorgenroth) and you can find out more about Thekla’s research projects here: https://tmorgenr.wixsite.com/unicornlab?ga=2.204537744.1297948127.1668455134-498954844.1666261862 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

While we might all enjoy a magic trick or an intriguing sleight of hand by a magician, most of us prefer not to be actively deceived in our personal or professional lives. Yet despite repeated calls in recent years for greater authenticity in leadership, there are still leaders in who rely on the magician’s tools of deceit and manipulation to further their personal agendas. To better understand the way that magical processes are used and abused by leaders, we are joined by Professor David Hannah of Simon Fraser University.David R. Hannah is an award-winning researcher and teacher, and presently an Associate Professor of Management at the Beedie School of Business at Simon Fraser University in Vancouver. His research and teaching focuses on how individuals at work can cope effectively with the challenges and dilemmas of organizational life, and how they can help others to do so. The article referred to is available here: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0007681322000994You can find out more about Dave and his research here: https://beedie.sfu.ca/profiles/DavidHannah Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We all have the same number of seconds, minutes, hours and days in a week, yet some people seem to be able to use the time available to them so much better than others. Perhaps they are just naturally good at managing their time, perhaps they are more organised, or perhaps they have simply spent more time analysing and planning what they are going to achieve in their day. However, as Professor Abbie Shipp of Texas Christian University highlights in this episode of the Brain for Business podcast, even experts in time management can develop an unhealthy fixation on time management leading to significant negative consequences for health and well-being. Yet some simple steps to reframe our perspective on time can make a real difference and help us to be happier, healthier and more productive.Dr. Abbie J. Shipp is the M. J. Neeley Professor and Department Chair of the Management & Leadership department at Texas Christian University. She holds a Ph.D. from the University of North Carolina and studies how people think about and use time at work. She has published widely in premier journals in management and is currently an Associate Editor at Academy of Management Review, the top theory journal in her field. In addition to prior work at The Boeing Company and TV Guide, she has consulted with multiple Fortune 500 companies on topics such as time management, engagement and retention, and leading change.You can find out more about Abbie’s work at her TCU page: https://www.neeley.tcu.edu/DirectoryProfile/Our-Team/afb81ade-ae80-4b40-8aa2-d5dc1d1153a9?pageAlias=Shipp-Abbie The HBR article referenced in the podcast can be accessed online: https://hbr.org/2021/06/my-fixation-on-time-management-almost-broke-me Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

While bias and discrimination are far from new phenomena, in recent years we have all become much more aware of their meaning and impact. From me too to black lives matter and a whole range of other movements, there has in many ways been a global questioning of the role that bias, discrimination and the implicit associations that often underpin them can play in human interactions. To dig deep into these questions and find out more I am delighted to be joined by Jordan Axt, Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychology at McGill University in Montreal.Jordan’s research explores how people form and express intergroup bias in attitudes and behavior. As part of this he investigates how such bias is presented both explicitly, when mental processes are more controlled, and implicitly, when mental processes are more automatic and uncontrolled. Jordan investigates these questions across many social domains, such as race, politics, religion, age, sexual orientation, and physical attractiveness. Through this work, he seeks to discover how intergroup bias can be best conceptualized, measured, and reduced.You can find out more about Jordan’s work at the following links:https://www.mcgill.ca/psychology/jordan-axthttps://implicit.harvard.edu/implicit/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Magical beliefs such as belief in luck and precognition are universal, yet the nature and extent to which such beliefs are embraced varies significantly across cultures. While not often considered, the implications of for cross-cultural engagement, whether for work, holidays or other reasons, are potentially quite significant and can have a much bigger impact on how we understand other people and cultures than we might at first realise. In this episode of Brain for Business we were delighted to be joined by Dr Emily Harris of The University of Melbourne to discuss her recent research into this unique and fascinating area. Dr Emily Harris is an academic at the University of Melbourne in the field of social psychology. Dr Harris is broadly interested in how distal worldviews can shape our everyday experiences. She has conducted two large scale multinational studies assessing people’s beliefs about science and magic. In her other research life, Dr Harris studies how our worldviews about gender can shape our intimate relationships and body image. You can find out more about Emily's research at: https://www.dremilyaharris.com/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When we look back on history, the industrial revolution in Britain seems likely an historical inevitability. Following on from the Scottish Enlightenment and the growth of Britannia as a global empire and trading power, surely the industrial revolution as we now know it was uniquely and distinctly British thing. But is this really the case? To discuss this and other questions we are joined by Dr Anton Howes. Key amongst Anton's arguments is the belief that a unique "improvement mentality" drove the Industrial Revolution and resulted in the unique innovations of that time. We also explore the implications of this improvement mentality for businesses and organisations today.Dr Anton Howes is an innovation historian focusing on the development of innovation over the centuries and author of the Age of Invention newsletter.He is head of innovation research at The Entrepreneurs Network, a UK-based think tank focused on encouraging innovation and entrepreneurship. He is also honorary historian-in-residence at the Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures, and Commerce, having written its latest history. Anton was previously a lecturer in Economic History at King's College London. Anton’s forthcoming book will examine why innovation accelerated in seventeenth and eighteenth century in Britain, which in turn led to the Industrial Revolution.You can find out more about Anton's work at: https://www.antonhowes.com/And sign up to his newsletter: https://antonhowes.substack.com/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We have all been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic… perhaps we have had COVID ourselves, perhaps friends, family and loved ones have suffered. Yet how has the COVID-19 pandemic impacted on wellness and well -being in the workplace? And what does this mean for individuals and organisations?For this, our 50th episode, we speak to Professor Thomas Roulet of the University of Cambridge to explore the trends in workplace wellness and wellbeing, and consider what the future might hold.Thomas Roulet is Associate Professor in Organisation Theory at the University of Cambridge and Deputy Director of the MBA Programme at Judge Business School. He is a Fellow in Sociology and Director of Studies in Management at Girton College, Cambridge, and Bye-Fellow and Co-Director of the King’s Entrepreneurship Lab at King’s CollegePrior to starting an academic career, Thomas worked in Debt Capital Markets on a trading floor in London, and for the Center for Entrepreneurship at the Organization for Economic Cooperation & Development (OECD) in Paris.His work has appeared in a variety of scientific outlets in management, including the Academy of Management Journal, Academy of Management Review, Academy of Management Annals, Journal of Management Studies, British Journal of Management), ethics (Business Ethics Quarterly, Journal of Business Ethics, Business & Society), and more broadly in social sciences and sociology His book The Power of Being Divisive: Understanding Negative Social Evaluations was the runner-up for the George Terry book award of the Academy of Management in 2021, an award recognising the book having made the most important contribution to the field of management. The Financial Times described the book as “a fascinating study of the social-media fuelled and fast-changing landscape of public opinion, and the possible ways in which that might be beneficial”.Thomas’ personal website is www.thomasroulet.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

While we might assume that all psychopaths are serial killers, the reality is that they are just as likely to be “snakes in suits”, haunting the corridors of any workplace. But what are the key traits of psychopaths? What careers do they tend to pursue? And what should you do if you are afraid that your boss is a psychopath – or worse, that you might be one? To explore these and other questions further we are joined by leading expert in the science of psychopaths, Professor Cristina Crego, Assistant Professor of Psychology at Longwood University in Virginia. Dr. Cristina Crego earned her PhD in Clinical Psychology at the University of Kentucky. Her research investigates both empirically and conceptually the importance of shifting the classification of personality disorders from the traditional categorical model to a dimensional approach. Dr. Crego also publishes on various diagnostic and assessment issues related to conceptualizing personality disorders, with a strong emphasis on utilizing the five factor model (FFM) of general personality structure. Some of Dr. Crego’s most recent work focuses on assessment and diagnostic issues related to the personality syndrome of Psychopathy. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

While once we might have been reluctant to have hybrid meetings, the COVID-19 pandemic and varying return-to-work protocols means that they are almost inevitable. But how can we hybrid meetings work more effectively and be more engaging and productive?Joseph A. Allen is a Professor of Industrial and Organizational Psychology at the University of Utah. Before he completed his doctorate (Ph. D.) in Organizational Science at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte (UNCC) in 2010, he received his Master of Arts degree in I/O Psychology at the UNCC in 2008 and his Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology from the Brigham Young University in 2005. Professor Allen’s research focuses on three major areas of inquiry including the study of workplace meetings, organizational community engagement, and occupational safety and health, and he directs the Center for Meeting Effectiveness housed in the Rocky Mountain Center for Occupational and Environmental Health. Professor Allen’s latest book – Suddenly Hybrid: managing the modern meeting – authored with Karin M Reed, was published in 2022 by Wiley. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The question of why we forget history has never been more relevant – only a few short years ago almost nobody had heard of the so-called “Spanish Flu” pandemic of 1918-1919. Yet with advent of COVID-19 we all became familiar with the history of that and other pandemics.But when we consider the forgetting of history, an even more important question emerges which has relevance for us all: why do we remember history? And what does this tell us about ourselves and how we view ourselves, our past and our present?Professor Guy Beiner is the Sullivan Chair in Irish Studies at Boston College where he specializes in the historical study of remembering and forgetting. Other interests include oral history, folklore, public history and heritage, historiography, terrorism and the so called ‘Spanish’ Influenza pandemic. His books on history, memory and forgetting in Ireland have won multiple international awards.Professor Beiner was previously professor of modern history at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev in Israel and has held research fellowships at Trinity College Dublin, University of Notre Dame, Central European University, University of Oxford, as well being a former Burns Scholar at Boston College. Professor Beiner's most recent book – Pandemic Re-Awakenings: The Forgotten and Unforgotten ‘Spanish’ Flu of 1918-1919 – was published by Oxford University Press in 2022. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.