Brain for Business

Brain for Business

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Brain for Business episodes

  • Series 2, Episode 29: How can we better understand and manage organisational scandals? With Professor Julien Jourdan, HEC Paris

    “Scandals regularly sweep through organizational fields: they wreak havoc in markets, vaporize billions of dollars in firm value, bring down giant corporations, get CEOs fired, alter the evolution of technologies, and trigger major changes in society. In spite of their significance for organizational life, scandals have received remarkably limited attention in management research.”

     

    So says our guest today on the Brain for Business podcast, Professor Julien Jourdan, who attempts to address this gap in the literature by building on the social sciences’ sparse but growing stream of research on scandals to provide new insights and understandings.

     

    Julien Jourdan is an Associate Professor of Management and Human Resources at HEC Paris. 


    Julien’s research focuses on reputation, legitimacy, and other social evaluations of organizations. In so doing, he examines how a) stakeholders evaluate organizations in institutionally complex environments and b) how these evaluations shape organizational conduct, governance, strategy, and performance. 

    Julien has previously held academic positions at Imperial College London, Università Bocconi, and PSL-Paris Dauphine, and before moving into academia was a finance executive at a major film studio.


    The article referred to in the podcast is available here: https://osf.io/preprints/socarxiv/7x2rb/download


    More information on Julien and his research is available here: https://sites.google.com/site/julienjourdan/

    https://www.hec.edu/en/faculty-research/faculty-directory/faculty-member/jourdan-julien

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    32 min
  • Series 2, Episode 28: Free agents: How evolution gave us free will, with Professor Kevin Mitchell, Trinity College Dublin

    “The question of whether we have free will does not have a yes-or-no, all-or-none answer. Instead, we have degrees of freedom – an idea that is reasonably well captured… by a more commonsense understanding of the (still useful) notion of free will. That understanding entails, first, the ability to make choices – that we really can choose what to do. Our actions are not simply determined by outside forces because we’re causally set apart from the rest of the universe to at least some degree. And, just as importantly, we are not driven by our own parts. Rather, we holistically – our selves – are in charge.”

     

    So says our guest today on the Brain for Business podcast, Dr Kevin Mitchell, of Trinity College Dublin.

     

    Kevin takes an evolutionary approach to the question of free will and amongst other things argues that:

     

    • Humans have agency and the capacity of self-control – we have the ability to adjust our focus and behaviour in real time depending on what is happening around us
    • While genes do influence our behaviour, this is not a direct or deterministic relationship and there are many factors that impact on our innate natures and behaviours
    • These factors include learning and experience, as well as the important and largely positive role played by constraints, including the basic need for a survival as well as social rules, norms and culture

      

    About Kevin…

    Dr Kevin Mitchell is an Associate Professor of Genetics and Neuroscience at Trinity College Dublin.

     

    Kevin’s research is aimed at understanding the genetic program specifying the wiring of the brain and its relevance to variation in human faculties, especially to psychiatric and neurological disease and to perceptual conditions like synaesthesia. As part of his research, Kevin also studies the biology of agency and free will.

     

    Kevin is an active communicator on Twitter and writes a popular blog on the intersection of genetics, development, neuroscience, psychology and psychiatry. He also regularly gives public lectures and media interviews on diverse topics, with the goal of promoting public understanding of neuroscience and genetics. His 2018 book "Innate; How the Wiring of Our Brains Shapes Who We Are", published by Princeton University Press, develops an integrative conceptual framework in which to consider the origins of variation in human faculties, through a novel synthesis of findings from behavioural genetics, developmental neurobiology, neuroscience and psychology. Kevin’s most recent book – Free agents: How evolution gave us free will – is published on 3rd October, 2023, but Princeton University Press.

     

    You can find more about Kevin’s work at his website – www.kjmitchell.com – at his blog - (http://www.wiringthebrain.com – and by following him on Twitter: @WiringtheBrain.

    Kevin’s latest book, Free agents: How evolution gave us free will, is available on Amazon (https://amzn.eu/d/7Qkafwv) as well as all good bookstores.

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    33 min
  • Series 2, Episode 27: Why don’t people work as hard for female entrepreneurs? With Professor Olenka Kacperczyk, London Business School

    While accurate data is hard to come by, some sources claim that up 90% of starts up fail.  There can be many reasons for this including but not limited to the product or service not meeting market needs, the business model being flawed, or early-stage funding not materialising.  One potential issue not often discussed is the impact of employee commitment and the extent to which those working for startups are prepared to put in the discretionary effort sometimes needed to get the startup over those critical early-stage challenges, something which is apparently experienced to a much greater extent by female founders when compared to their male peers. 


    To discuss this I am delighted to be joined on the Brain for Business podcast by Professor Olenka Kacperczyk of London Business School.


    Amongst other things Olenka argues that: 

    • Women face well-documented obstacles when looking to found startups 
    • Research has consistently revealed patterns of inequity in the sharing of venture capital, but reasons for the performance gap between male and female-led startups are unclear 
    • A key factor may be that people generally are significantly less motivated to work for women than they are for men 
    • To address this, it is vital that educators and others intensify efforts to promote awareness of often-unconscious discriminatory behaviours to address bias against female bosses 

     

    About Olenka 

    Olenka Kacperczyk is a Professor of Strategy and Entrepreneurship at London Business School. She received her PhD from the Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan and prior to joining London Business School, Olenka held a faculty position at the Sloan School of Management at MIT. 

     

    Olenka’s research focuses on entrepreneurship and examines (a) why individuals sometimes give up their jobs and become entrepreneurs and (b) how people’s movements into entrepreneurship affect social inequality, workplace segregation, and income distribution.  

     

    Olenka currently serves as an Associate Editor at Administrative Science Quarterly. She has previously served as an Associate Editor at Organization Science, Strategic Management Journal, and Management Science. She is the recipient of many awards, including the Kauffman Junior Faculty Scholarship for Entrepreneurship Research and the William F. Glueck Award at the Academy of Management. Olenka teaches topics related to entrepreneurial strategy and strategic management in established firms. 

     

    The paper discussed - Do Employees Work Less for Female Leaders? A Multi-Method Study of Entrepreneurial Firms - is available online https://pubsonline.informs.org/doi/10.1287/orsc.2022.1611  

    You can find out more about Olenka’s research here: https://www.olenkak.com/ 

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    37 min
  • Series 2, Episode 26: How can we encourage people to eat more healthily? With Dr Sarah Snuggs, University of Reading
    Internationally, healthy adults are consistently falling below national and international recommendations for physical activity and failing to meet guidelines for dietary intake. Interventions to address behaviour change in these fields typically target clinically at-risk individuals, yet these do not always work and obesity levels in developed countries continue to rise with significant implications for both individuals and societies. So what then are some of the barriers and facilitators to healthy eating and exercise, and how can we as societies help people to sustain positive physical activity and healthy eating behaviour change?To explore this I am delighted to be joined by Dr Sarah Snuggs of the University of Reading.Drawing on a novel online community health programme and survey, recent research undertaken by Sarah and colleagues (https://psyarxiv.com/pq4bs/) across five countries found that:-Key motivators for positive health behaviours include enjoyment of health behaviours, positive emotions before and after activities, and clear reward structures-Barriers included difficulties with habit-breaking, giving in to temptation and negative affective states, i.e. a bad mood!-Changes in physical activity and eating behaviour were mutually supportive-Those with a high BMI placed more importance on social motivators (e.g. social pressure) than those with healthy BMISarah and colleagues consequently concluded interventions to support adults who are not chronically ill but who would benefit from improved diet and/or increased physical activity should not focus exclusively on health as a motivating factor. Emphasis on enjoyable behaviours, social engagement and the role of reward will likely improve engagement and sustained behaviour change. About Sarah…Dr Sarah Snuggs is a Chartered Health Psychologist and Lecturer in the School of Psychology & Clinical Language Sciences at the University of Reading. Her research interests include children and family eating behaviours and other health behaviours.You can find out more about Sarah’s work and research at these sites:-https://research.reading.ac.uk/kids-food-choices/ -Twitter: @sarah_snuggs-Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/familyfoodin5/

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    30 min
  • Series 2, Episode 25 : Introducing a ‘Stop Doing’ Culture: How to free your organization from rigidity with Dr Adrian Klammer, University of Liechtenstein
    In a 2019 article published in Business Horizons our guest today on the Brain for Business podcast, Dr Adrian Klammer, together with colleagues Thomas Grisold and Stefan Gueldenberg argued that organisations need to introduce a “stop doing” culture. But what is a “stop doing culture”? and what does it mean for leaders and their organisations?Originally from Austria, Adrian has a doctorate in business economics from the University of Liechtenstein and is affiliated with the Liechtenstein Business School. Adrian’s academic research is focused on Organizational unlearning and learning in different contexts, especially innovation; Organizational change; Organizational development. Adrian has published widely in top tier journals including Harvard Business Review, California Management Review, Business Horizons, Management Learning, Industrial Marketing Management, Journal of Knowledge Management, International Journal of Innovation Management, European Journal of Innovation Management.The article discussed – Introducing a ‘Stop Doing’ Culture: How to free your organization from rigidity – can be accessed here: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0007681319300357 You can find out more about Adrian’s work via these links:LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/adrian-klammer/ Google Scholar – https://scholar.google.com/citations?hl=en&user=FavrW2IAAAAJ University of Liechtenstein – https://www.uni.li/en/who-s-who/@@person_detail/1531774.67

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    30 min
  • Series 2, Episode 24 - “Talking Heads: The new science of how conversation shapes our worlds", with Professor Shane O'Mara, Trinity College Dublin
    Like many podcasts, Brain for Business is based around a conversation – a conversation between me as host and the various guests who join us. Each are experts in their fields and through the conversations that ensue we try to delve deep into their research as well as into their way of seeing and understanding the world around them, most particularly as it relates to the questions that they have chose to explore.It consequently made perfect sense for us to interview our guest today, Professor Shane O’Mara. Shane has not only played a key role in the Brain for Business initiative – both the events and the podcast – but more importantly for today’s conversation his latest book, “Talking Heads: The new science of how conversation shapes our worlds”, explores the impact that conversation has on our our worlds!Shane O’Mara is Professor of Experimental Brain Research at Trinity College, Dublin - the University of Dublin. He is a Principal Investigator in, and was formerly director of the Trinity College Institute of Neuroscience, one of Europe’s leading research centres for neuroscience and is also a Wellcome Trust Senior Investigator and a Science Foundation Ireland Principal Investigator. Shane has published more than 140 peer-reviewed academic papers as well as a number of books including “Why Torture Doesn’t Work”, “A Brain for Business, A Brain for Life, and “In Praise of Walking”.“Talking Heads: The new science of how conversation shapes our worlds” is published by Bodley Head and is released in Europe on 3rd August, 2023.

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    34 min
  • Series 2, Episode 23 - Banishing the Sunday Night Blues, with Professor Ilke Inceoglu, University of Exeter
    I first came across the work of today’s guest one Monday morning at around 4am as I browsed the website for The Guardian newspaper on my phone. Unlike some people who make a point of waking that early in order to get a head start on the week, for me this was just another Monday morning when I woke far too early with far too many thoughts about work buzzing through my head. What perhaps made it worse is that I had also struggled to get to sleep early the night before as those same thoughts kept spinning around!To discuss this phenomenon, sometimes called the Sunday Night Blues, I am delighted to be joined by Professor Ilke Inceoglu. About Ilke…Professor Ilke Inceoglu is a Professor in Organisational Behaviour & HR and Director of the Exeter Centre for Leadership at the University of Exeter Business School. Her research focuses on employee well-being and work behaviour, and has been published in leading journals such as Leadership Quarterly, Journal of Occupational Health Psychology and Frontiers in Human Neuroscience.Ilke is currently also Primary Investigator on the ongoing Banishing the Sunday Night Blues research programme commissioned by Channel 4 in the UK and delivered in close partnership with Investors in People. The Banishing the Sunday Night Blues project aims to investigate the experience and impact of the Sunday Night Blues and develop a toolkit with guidance for employees, line managers and HR Directors to help banish the Sunday Night Blues.You can find out more about the Banishing the Sunday Night Blues research project at these links:https://news.exeter.ac.uk/faculty-of-environment-science-and-economy/sunday-night-blues-caused-by-weekend-emails-and-blurred-boundaries-study-reveals/https://business-school-expertise.exeter.ac.uk/banishing-the-sunday-night-blues/

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    33 min
  • Series 2, Episode 22 - How can we more effectively grapple with "Blame Games"? With Asst Professor Sandra Resodihardjo, Radboud University
    Sometimes in life things go wrong… mistakes, accidents, even disasters will occur. From festivals that fail due to poor advance planning, product launches that simply fail to, well, launch through to public construction projects that seem to drag on for ever and end up costing much more than originally envisaged. And typically when things do go wrong there are calls for inquiries, accountability and the apportionment of blame, sometimes leading to demands for heads to roll. To explore these questions further and to dig deeper into the question of blame games, we are joined on the Brain for Business podcast by Assistant Professor Sandra Resodihardjo of Radboud University.About Sandra…Sandra Resodihardjo is an Assistant Professor of Public Administration at the Institute for Management Research, Radboud University. Her research focuses on questions relating to safety/security issues and public policy. Sandra has written on agenda-setting, policy reform, inquiries, local safety policies, and blame games following crises. Sandra is currently working on resilience & crisis management, blame games, and NGOs and disaster management.For more information on Sandra’s work on Blame Games, take a look at the following links:Google scholar: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=PxO8KoYAAAAJ&hl=en&oi=ao Read Sandra’s book Crises, Inquiries and the Politics of Blame: https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-030-17531-3Or read Sandra’s latest open access chapter Blame Games. Stories of Crises, Causes, and Culprits: https://www.taylorfrancis.com/chapters/oa-edit/10.4324/9780429355950-25/blame-games-sandra-resodihardjo

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    38 min
  • Series 2, Episode 21 – Developing new perspectives on collective wellbeing, with Theo Edmonds, University of Colorado Denver Imaginator Academy
    A recent project in the US sought to map collective wellbeing. Supported by a grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the Mapping Collective Wellbeing Project aimed to better understand the wellbeing ecosystem in the United States and globally. In so doing, the project aimed to address a number of key questions: “How do we co-create a vision and appreciation of the roles we play in working toward collective wellbeing? What might deepen, strengthen, and broaden this work? Where are there connections in unlikely places? Where and how do we begin?To explore the question of collective wellbeing in greater detail, I am delighted to be joined by Theo Edmonds who contributed to that research.About Theo…Theo Edmonds is a skilled, energetic Culture Futurist™ and innovator with over 25 years senior-level strategic national and international leadership experience spanning the private, public, and nonprofit sectors. A seasoned communicator, Theo’s unconventional background traverses and connects scholarly research with pop culture across scientific disciplines, data analytics, creativity, and cultural wellbeing in the places we work, learn, heal, and explore. As Directing co-founder of University of Colorado Denver’s Imaginator Academy - a cultural analytics, strategy, and futurist innovation hub, Theo is a weaver of ideas who scouts global networks of entrepreneurs, companies, scientists, artists, creative innovators, and change-makers of all kinds in order to find hidden opportunities that others miss.An experienced builder of industry-university collaborations, Theo and collaborators have been recognized across many areas – ranging from “Trailblazer” awards in research for culture analytics innovation inside a National Science Foundation-sponsored lab to a number of national grants and vision awards in arts and creative economy.You can find out more about Theo and his work at: www.theoedmonds.comMore information about the Mapping Collective Wellbeing Project is available on their website: https://mappingcollectivewellbeing.org/Details of the Brain Capital Innovation Summit can be accessed here: https://www.broadreach-global.com/braincapital

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    1 hr
  • Series 2, Episode 20 - How does behavior change spread through organizations? with Professor Damon Centola, University of Pennsylvania
    Over the last few years of the Covid pandemic we all became used to the idea of contagion and, in particular, how viruses spread through communities. But have you ever thought about how change – most especially behavioural change – spreads through networks, societies and, indeed, organisations? To explore this further we are joined on the Brain for Business podcast by one of the world's leading thinkers in this area, Professor Damon Centola.About our guest…Damon Centola is the Elihu Katz Professor of Communication, Sociology and Engineering at the University of Pennsylvania, where he is Director of the Network Dynamics Group and Senior Fellow at the Leonard Davis Institute of Health Economics. Damon’s research centers on social networks and behavior change. His work has received numerous scientific awards and, in addition to his positions at the University of Pennsylvania, is a fellow of the Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences at Stanford University.Popular accounts of Damon’s work have appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, Wired, TIME, The Atlantic, Scientific American and CNN, among other outlets. He is a series editor for Princeton University Press and the author of How Behavior Spreads: The Science of Complex Contagions and Change: How to Make Big Things Happen.Damon’s U Penn webpage can be accessed here: https://www.asc.upenn.edu/people/faculty/damon-centola-phd The Scientific American article referred to in the interview is available here: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-25-revolution-how-big-does-a-minority-have-to-be-to-reshape-society/The underlying research in that article is available via this link: https://www.science.org/doi/abs/10.1126/science.aas8827

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    42 min

About Brain for Business

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The Brain for Business podcast takes the lessons from evidence-based academic research in the brain, behavioural and organisational sciences - neuroscience, psychology, behavioural economics and more…