Brain for Business

As societies begin the gradual return to office work after the worst of Covid has passed, what will be the impact on productivity of renewed commutes, travel and associated stress? In a recent article, Professor Wlad Rivkin and colleagues explored exactly this and challenged the assumption that a return to “normal” work will be beneficial.Dr. Wladislaw (Wlad) Rivkin is an Associate Professor in Organizational Behavior at Trinity Business School. His research focuses on how self-regulation affects employees’ mental health, well-being, and effectiveness. It has been published in high impact academic journals such as the Journal of Applied Psychology, and the Journal of Occupational Health Psychology.Wlad has a track record as a PI of several research projects funded by national governments, Industry, and the European Union. These projects focused on developing and evaluating organizational interventions to facilitate employee effectiveness involving leadership training and work design. He is currently the PI of the Diversity Innovation Support Scheme for SMEs project funded by the European Union’s H2020 program (https://dinnos-h2020.com/) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Originally from The Netherlands, Sacha had an accomplished career as learning & development professional spanning the energy and technology sectors for organisations including Shell, LinkedIn and Oracle. Yet in 2015, suddenly and completely unexpectedly, everything changed. Since that time Sacha has grappled with disability and overcome significant adversity. Along the way she has become a rights campaigner and re-established her career, recently being appointed as Vice President of Global Go-To-Market Enablement for HubSpot. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In modern mythology, most particularly that of Silicon Valley, failure and entrepreneurship go hand-in-hand. But is that always the case? And is there a “dark side” to entrepreneurial failure?Dr. Jeffrey Overall is an associate professor of entrepreneurship and strategy in the Faculty of Business and Information Technology at the University of Ontario Institute of Technology. He has held professorships at Nipissing University, Ryerson University, and Leibniz Universität Hannover.He has over 20 years of experience working directly with entrepreneurs within start-ups, incubators, and SMEs across various sectors and countries. He is the President and co-founded of the Global Institute for Conscious Economics – a platform that promotes the connection between consciousness (mindfulness) and economics. Professor Overall actively researches in three areas of management: (a) conscious business, (b) entrepreneurship, and; (c) philosophy of management, and has written extensively on questions related to organisational and entrepreneurial failure. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Over recent years many countries and organisations have introduced legislation and policies to support whisteblowers, yet the challenges remain. Although a vital function of any organisation, whistleblowing can have significant personal and professional impacts. In this episode we speak to Professor Kate Kenny of NUI Galway about her research into whistleblowing and discuss both the challenges and opportunities.Kate Kenny is Professor of Business and Society at National University of Ireland Galway. She has held research fellowships at the Edmond J. Safra Lab at Harvard University and Cambridge's Judge Business School. Her research focuses on organization studies, specifically political and psychosocial approaches. Kate's recent book ‘Whistleblowing: Toward a New Theory’ (Harvard University Press, 2019) examines whistleblowing with a focus on the financial sector.Her book ‘The Whistleblowing Guide’ (Wiley, 2019) with Professors Wim Vandekerckhove and Professor Marianna Fotaki is aimed at practicing managers, coaches and others working in this space.Watch a short video on the findings from research into best practice in Speak-Up/ Whistleblowing arrangements, mentioned in the podcast.Short pieces on Covid-19, healthcare and whistleblowing, featured in the The Conversation and RTE BrainstormReports, videos and research from Professor Kenny are all on www.whistleblowingimpact.org Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

At a certain point all organisations are destined to fail, or are they?In a recent article, Professor Charles McMillan and colleagues explored some of the reasons why organisations fail and considered, in particular, three levels at which organisational failure can occur. We discuss these further with Professor McMillan in this episode of Brain for Business, Brain for Life.Professor Charles J McMillan, Professor of Strategic Management and International Business at York University in Toronto. Charles is the author of nine books and monographs related to international business and global management and has written and lectured extensively on globalization, bilateral and multilateral trade agreements, strategic management, corporate governance, science policy, knowledge management and diffusion, and management development.Active in Public Affairs, Professor McMillan has also served as Senior Policy Advisor to Canadian Prime Ministers, working on trade agreements, regional development, Pacific Rim strategies, energy policy, science and technology strategies and Centers of Excellence, privatization of crown corporations, regional development, and foreign investment legislation. He now also consults widely to governments, multinationals, and international organizations around the world.The article referred to is available here: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Charles-Mcmillan/publication/319421301_Crossing_the_Chasm_and_Over_the_Abyss_Perspectives_on_Organizational_Failure/links/5a5fa61a458515b437798050/Crossing-the-Chasm-and-Over-the-Abyss-Perspectives-on-Organizational-Failure.pdf Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Little did we know when we kicked off Brain for Business 12 months ago how the year would turn out. So much has happened, and yet so much of our normal, everyday lives has been prevented from happening by Covid and associated restrictions.To reflect on the past year and everything that has happened in the world of the brain and behavioural sciences we are re-joined by Professor of Experimental Brain Research, Trinity Institute of Neurosciences (TCIN), Professor Shane O’Mara. Professor O’Mara also provides insights into recent research from Trinity College Dublin into the effects of “Long Covid”.Shane O’Mara is Professor of Experimental Brain Research (Personal Chair) at Trinity College, Dublin - the University of Dublin. He is a Principal Investigator in the Trinity College Institute of Neuroscience and is also a Wellcome Trust Senior Investigator. His research explores the brain systems supporting learning, memory, and cognition, and also the brain systems affected by stress and depression, and he has published more than 140 peer-reviewed papers in these areas. Professor O'Mara is a graduate of the National University of Ireland - Galway, and of the University of Oxford (DPhil). He is an elected Fellow of the Association for Psychological Science (USA), and an elected Member of the Royal Irish Academy.Professor O'Mara's new book is 'In Praise of Walking: A New Scientific Exploration' (WW Norton, 2020). He loves to walk wherever and whenever he can, with walking in cities a firm favourite. He particularly wants to see urban design incorporate ease of walking and movement for all into our daily lives.www.shaneomara.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In a recent article discussing the evolution of organisations, Professor Francisco Brahm and colleagues draw upon cultural evolution theory to explain their growth. But what does this tell us about how organisations have evolved and what makes them effective and productive?Francisco is Assistant Professor of Strategy and Entrepreneurship at London Business School. His research focuses on two key aspects of organisations. First, their nature: the essential forces that explain their origin and functioning. And second, the interchange between the formal structures and the informal forces within firms such and how these impact performance. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

While we might like to think that innovation is a rational and considered process with a clear formula for success, the reality is somewhat different. Trial & error, failure and even serendipity all play a crucial role in the innovation process and recognising the value of these is more important than ever.Dr Wendy Ross is a Senior Lecturer at London Metropolitan University. She is particularly interested in serendipity and its role in creativity and innovation. Her research explores how we can best foster these at both an individual and an organisational level. She has published research on collaborative creativity as well as serendipity and creativity. She is an invited member of several international networks and has been asked to talk about her research in Europe and the US. She is the co-editor of two collections on Serendipity, The Art of Serendipity and Serendipity Science, and secretary of the Serendipity Society as well as its conference chair. In 2021 she was awarded the Frank X Barron prize by Division 10 of the American Psychological Association. She is currently working on serendipity and innovation in the business environment as well as examining small moments of “accident” and how we can turn them to our advantage. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In times of great turmoil and uncertainty radicalisation can emerge as a real challenge. Yet what is it that really drives radicalisation and how can we better support de-radicalisation?Based in Stockholm, Robert Örell is an internationally sought-after trainer, speaker, workshop facilitator and expert in the field of radicalisation, disengagement, and intervention.Robert Örell has two decades of experience in the field of disengagement and exit work and has led Exit programs in Sweden and in the USA.Since 2011, Robert has been a member of the Steering Committee of the European Commission’s Radicalisation Awareness Network (RAN) and he currently works as an independent expert, consultant, and trainer in the Preventing and Countering Violent Extremism field. His recent work focuses on setting up exit programs, online counseling in exit work, and advising on policy guidelines and recommendations. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It is sometimes claimed that more needs to be done to increase diversity in the tech sector, yet beyond rules and legislation, what tools do we actually have to help that make that change a reality? Perhaps the answer lies in behavioural science and the application of approaches from that field to help drive greater change.Nurit Nobel is co-founder and CEO of Impactually, a management consultancy which applies behavioural insights to create business and societal impact. In addition, Nurit is currently pursuing a PhD at Stockholm School of Economics examining human decision-making and behaviour change.You can read more of Nurit’s thoughts on how behavioural science can drive greater diversity on her website: https://impactually.se/increasing-diversity-in-recruiting-backed-by-behavioral-science/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.