What would it take to turn you into a hero or an uncaring and cruel authoritarian? It might be the right conditions. Conditions shape much of what we do, yet often don’t get a lot of credit. Unlike the myth of the self-made man (or woman), understanding conditions means recognizing that some things are out of our hands, some results are due to luck, and that there are ways we can best leverage what we have in ways we didn’t know possible. 

In this episode, we look at the place of conditions in shaping behaviour change and innovation. We’ll look at studies from psychology and provide recommendations for how you can better live with and shape the conditions for change around you. 

Show Notes: 


The Stanford Prison Experiment is among the most famous and notorious studies in social psychology. It’s been called everything from being a deeply flawed experiment to outright fraudulent; either way, it still shows how conditions shape outcomes.

Stanley Milgram’s obedience study is controversial for other reasons, mostly on account of its ethics and how people were treated in dealing with what became a very traumatic experience for some.

Both studies would not be allowed today. 

Ali Abdaal has a great review of the book The Unfair Advantage (by Ash Ali & Hasan Kubba) which highlights how we all have limitations imposed on us that aren’t fair and how we can leverage the advantages we have better. 

This podcast is a production of Cense Ltd. where we do this kind of work — innovation, design, and psychology — to help organizations to success, strategize, and navigate change. 

For more information on change-making, articles on innovation, and ideas about transformation visit Censemaking at https://censemaking.com

Closing credit clip sampled from “Business Time” by Flight of the Conchords.