Can gender diversity on Boards reduce misconduct? That's what my guest on this episode, Barbara Casu of The Business School in London, explored in recent research into the banking sector. Barbara is a Professor of Banking and Finance and she's also Director of Centre for Banking Research. In a paper published in December, Barbara and her colleague Dr Angela Gallo showed that banks with a strong female presence on the board of directors incurred fewer financial penalties for wrongdoing.The study, titled Gender Diversity and Bank Misconduct, uncovered data suggesting that banks with strong diversity at the top were more compliant, and tended to avoid the same level of financial punishment compared to those with male-dominated boardrooms, with significant equivalent savings of $7.48 million per year.On the episode, we explore the impetus behind the research, what they discovered and what the implications are for the industry going forward. Barbara's insights are fascinating and illustrate that if we want to mitigate Human Risk, a focus on diversity and inclusion is critical.For more on the Centre for Banking Research 👉https://www.cass.city.ac.uk/faculties-and-research/centres/cbrTo read more about the research 👉https://www.cass.city.ac.uk/news-and-events/news/2019/december/gender-diverse-boardrooms-reduce-bank-misconduct-penalties-by-748m-per-year-study-findsYou can download the paper 👉https://www.cass.city.ac.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0009/510975/Arnaboldi_et_al_2020.pdf

How can we make it easier for people to do the right thing? My guest on this episode, Maarten Hoekstra, is fascinated by this challenge of "making the good, doable". Maarten is Co-Chair of the Behaviour & Culture Roundtable of the Dutch Asociation of Compliance Officers (VCO). For more on that (🇳🇱) 👉https://www.vco.nl/kennistafels/gedrag-cultuurI've known Maarten for a few years and he is one of the most innovative and thought-provoking people I've come across dealing with Human Risk-related matters. In our discussion, we explore what 'doing the right thing' means and how we can build frameworks that empower people to do that, rather than try to force rules on them that might not be applicable or might have unintended consequences.During our discussion we explore:The 🇳🇱tradition of Zwarte Piet, or 'Black Pete' which is explained in this National Geographic article 👉https://www.nationalgeographic.com/history/article/black-pete-christmas-zwarte-piet-dutchThe ethics of autonomous vehicles which is explored in this Nature article 👉https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-018-07135-0The episode of this podcast featuring Dr Roger Dooley on Friction 👉https://www.spreaker.com/episode/21190498To watch Maarten's video exploring his Broccoli Method, which I reference in the introduction 👉 https://youtu.be/DVnihb9iOiM

How has COVID facilitated Pink Collar Crime? That's what my guest on this episode, Kelly Paxton, is here to explain. This is her second appearance on the show (you'll find the first here 👉https://www.podpage.com/the-human-risk-podcast/kelly-paxton-on-pink-collar-crime/). If you missed that, then you may be wondering what Pink Collar Crime is. The answer is that its a form of Human Risk that Kelly specialises in helping people to avoid and resolve. More specifically, Pink Collar Crime are embezzlement-type crimes like bookkeeping fraud that have historically been perpetrated more by women than men. That, of course, isn’t because men don’t commit this type of crime. But rather because there are more women doing the types of role that permit it. As Kelly emphasises on the show, men are just as capable of committing pink collar crime as women.In our discussion, we explore how COVID has made Pink Collar Crime more prevalent and what the warning signs are. We also talk about her new book and podcast and hear some of the stories about Pink Collar Crime incidents she's investigated.As ever with Kelly, it's gripping and highly informative content, presented with her customary sense of humour.To find out more about Kelly, Pink Collar Crime and her podcast, visit her website: https://kellypaxton.com/You can read about her new book here: https://pinkcollarcrime.com/new-book-1

What can we do to reduce the spread of misinformation on social media?That was the challenge facing my guests on this episode and, having succeeded, they came onto the show to talk about what they'd learned. Evelyn Gosnell and Lindsay Juarez work for Irrational Labs, a Behavioural Science consultancy. On a recent project, they worked with social media platform TikTok, to reduce the spread of misinformation on the platform. By encouraging users to think before sharing certain types of content, they were able to reduce the spread of unverified information. In the episode, we explore how they went about this, what they learned from the experience and where they see the future of preventing the spread of misinformation. What they share are fascinating insights into a 21st-century human risk problem, that behavioural science can help to resolve.For more on my guests, Evelyn & LindsayEvelyn 👉 https://irrationallabs.com/our-team/?view=evelyn-gosnellLindsay 👉 https://irrationallabs.com/our-team/?view=lindsay-juarezFor more on Irrational Labs and the work they do: 👉https://irrationallabs.com/For more on the broader topic, I recommend this piece co-authored by Evelyn and her colleagues: 👉 https://techcrunch.com/2021/02/17/reducing-the-spread-of-misinformation-on-social-media-what-would-a-do-over-look-like/?guccounter=1To read press coverage of their work:👉https://cheddar.com/media/tiktok-prompts-users-when-content-is-flagged-as-misleading👉https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/tech-news/tiktok-warn-users-about-sharing-misleading-content-n1256668

What do Magic, Money & The Mind have in common? They're all things that interest my guest on this episode, Paul Craven. As he explains, the tricks our minds play on us is what allows magic tricks to amaze us and drives many of our financial decisions. Paul is an expert in behavioural science, decision making, investment and psychology, applying the inner operations of the mind to the economic world. On this episode, you can hear Paul do a magic trick on the podcast - no mean feat, given you can't see him and hear about what he's learned from his extensive career in finance. He's got some fabulous stories and fascinating insights, which he tells in an engaging style.In our discussion, Paul talks about:Aristotle's ideas on Rhetoric: 👉 https://boords.com/ethos-pathos-logosCharles Ellis 'Winning The Loser's Game' 👉 https://g.co/kgs/FPoVmRIllusionist Derren Brown's story about dealing with a potential attacker by distracting him 👉https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/derren-brown-explains-how-reduce-mugger-tears-using-nothing-words-9859017.htmlLouise Leakey's TED Talks on Humanity's Origins 👉 https://www.ted.com/talks/louise_leakey_a_dig_for_humanity_s_origins?language=enPareidolia, the idea that we see faces in everyday objects. For more on that, I recommend 👉 https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-22686500 and 👉 https://earthsky.org/human-world/seeing-things-that-arent-thereThe Makapansgat jaspilite cobble 👉 https://www.researchgate.net/figure/The-Makapansgat-jaspilite-cobble-a-manuport-from-South-Africa-scale-in-cm_fig4_322234501You can find out more about Paul on his personal website 👉 https://www.paulcraven.com/ & find him on social media 👉 https://twitter.com/cravenpartners

What's the biggest challenge facing humanity? While the impact of COVID has been severe, an even bigger crisis awaits us if we don't take action. That crisis is the Climate Emergency and it's the subject of this episode. As the effects of climate change become more obvious, and the need to take action ever more urgent, I wanted to speak to someone at the forefront of trying to change human behaviour on a global scale. That person is Roc Sandford, who is my guest on this episode. Roc is a member of Extinction Rebellion (XR) - an environmental movement, that started in the UK which is focussed on persuading governments to take action to stop climate change. XR's methods have been highly successful in terms of generating publicity, but they've also been met with criticism. Given they need public support to succeed, how can they balance the need to get the public's attention, with activities that might alienate the very people they need to get on board? That's what I explored in my discussion with Roc, where I asked him about his background, XR's mission and the thoughts he has about how they are approaching the challenge they've set for themselves. We also look at the human risks inherent in their approach - how can they attract a broad coalition, without the risk of individuals doing things that might put others off?Roc's insights and arguments are fascinating. Not just about the environment, but also in terms of subjects like corporate governance - it might surprise you, but a democratic protest group has some ideas that might just help companies to improve the way they run things.For more on Extinction Rebellion visit their website. In the UK that's https://extinctionrebellion.uk/and outside the UK https://rebellion.global/To learn more about Roc, you can visit his website: http://www.rocsandford.com/

How do differences in context, impact behaviour? That’s what my guest on this episode, Behavioural Scientist Elina Halonen, has been exploring as part of her work on behavioural change projects. As she explains, much of the study of behavioural science has been driven by research and the experience of people in so-called WEIRD - that’s Western, educated, industrialized, rich and democratic - countries. Yet, a large percentage of the world’s population doesn’t live in that type of environment. The culture we live in, the language we speak, and other contextual elements, can all impact how we make decisions. That matters if we're trying to understand and influence others. What might it, for example, mean for companies who try to impose global standards or cultures?Elina is also a keen dog lover and discovered, as she was training her dogs, that it had a lot in common with the ways we try to influence human decision-making. We also explore that, and what it has in common with cross-cultural psychology.On the show, Elina mentions:The Behaviour Change Society - https://behaviorchangesociety.com/homeMind In Context, her resource on cross-cultural psychological research - https://www.mindincontext.com/Her company Square Peg Insight - https://www.squarepeginsight.com/Keith Payne’s book The Broken Ladder: How Inequality Affects The Way We Think, Live & Die - https://www.weidenfeldandnicolson.co.uk/titles/keith-payne/the-broken-ladder/9781474601139/?v2=trueJoseph Henrich’s book The Weirdest People In The World - https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/193/193790/the-weirdest-people-in-the-world/9781846147968.html

Conversations are a key part of how we communicate - but how do they actually work & what might go wrong? That's what my guest on this episode, Professor Elizabeth Stokoe, helps me to understand in...a conversation! Liz is the Professor of Social Interaction at Loughborough University in the UK. Her research analyses conversations in a wide range of settings. In our discussion, we explore some of the findings of her studies, how she came to specialise in the subject and her thoughts on COVID. Unsurprisingly, given her discipline, Liz is engaging, insightful and entertaining. To learn more about Liz's research, visit her faculty website 👉https://www.lboro.ac.uk/subjects/communication-media/staff/elizabeth-stokoe/To find Liz on Twitter 👉 https://twitter.com/LizStokoeYou can watch Liz's TED Talk 📺 here 👉 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MtOG5PK8xDATo learn more about her book 📕Talk: The Science of Conversation 👉 https://www.hachette.co.uk/titles/elizabeth-stokoe/talk/9781472140845/

How can we best manage remote teams? What skills can we develop & techniques can we deploy, to be more effective when we're not face to face.It's a question that doesn't just apply to Line Managers - it's also relevant to those managing human risk. If we want to get the best out of employees, then we need to understand how best to engage with them in a virtual environment. That's what my guest on this episode, David Burkus, explores in his new book 'Leading from Anywhere: The Essential Guide to Managing Remote Teams'. Filled with practical suggestions, its a guide to engaging with people who aren’t in the same location as you. In our discussion, David shares some fascinating insights about what he’s learned about the subject, that obviously apply to leaders but are also hugely relevant to everyone trying to engage with others remotely. 
For more on the book 👉https://davidburkus.com/books/leading-from-anywhere/To learn about the Compliance Communication Toolkit, a joint project with FrontLine AntiBribery, visit 👉https://www.human-risk.com/toolkit

How can making people accountable change their behaviour and mitigate human risk? Given recent history, can enforcing accountability in the banking industry, drive behaviour change?That's what my guest on this episode Professor Elizabeth Sheedy, helps me to explore. She has been researching rules recently implemented by Financial Services regulators to ensure senior management are held accountable for their actions - like, for example, the Australian Banking Executive Accountability Regime (BEAR) and the UK's Senior Managers & Certification Regime (SMCR). Elizabeth, who has been a previous guest on the — link 👇— is at Macquarie University in Sydney, and she specialises in researching Risk Governance, Culture and Remuneration in Financial Institutions. Her latest research explores whether the introduction of BEAR has resulted in a change in behaviour in the Australian banking system.In our discussion, we explore the rationale for introducing an Accountability regime, what lessons can be learned from it so far & whether it has been successful. We also look at how Elizabeth's work helps to keep regulators in check.For more on BEAR 👉https://bit.ly/2MRfXuH and SMCR 👉https://www.fca.org.uk/firms/senior-managers-certification-regimeYou can read Elizabeth's research 👉http://ssrn.com/abstract=3775275 with a summary article on it 👉https://www.afr.com/companies/financial-services/apra-macquarie-says-bear-regime-is-showing-sharp-teeth-20210204-p56zfrTo discover more of Elizabeth's research 👉https://researchers.mq.edu.au/en/persons/elizabeth-sheedyFor more on the Australian Royal Commission into Misconduct in the Banking, Superannuation and Financial Services Industry 👉https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_Commission_into_Misconduct_in_the_Banking,_Superannuation_and_Financial_Services_IndustryYou can hear Elizabeth's previous appearance on the podcast 🎧 👉 https://www.podpage.com/the-human-risk-podcast/professor-elizabeth-sheedy-on-behaviour-in-banking/