Since Moneyball, sport have gone through a transition from gut-driven decisions to using data to understand better how performance of elite athletes is shaped, how teams are built to win and how managerial decisions write sports history.

According to data from McKinsey (Baggio, Digentiki, Varma, 2019) as many as 70% organizational change initiatives fail to deliver what the expected results. This makes understanding of proper implementation of such initiatives incredibly crucial. In search for some ideas on how to properly implement such interventions, I came across a thorough scientific paper written by Ulrica von Thiele Schwarz and her colleagues forming a multidisciplinary team tackling change from different perspectives. Their list of 10 principles of organisational intervention is a must read for anyone implementing changes in their work across all levels, from small teams to entire organization.

Prof. Schwarz accepted my invitation to Science of Business Podcast where we dive even deeper in these principles, searching some practical solutions to:

▶️ Involving essential stakeholders in change initiative

▶️ Defining proper objectives for it

▶️ Considering organizational context that might influence the change

▶️ Designing the change logic

▶️ Managing change implementation and using it beyond the initial purpose

Share this podcast with your Managers, Directors, Trainers and other change makers, so the next change you make in your organisation is evidence based.

Paper discussed:

von Thiele Schwarz, U., Nielsen, K., Edwards, K., Hasson, H., Ipsen, C., Savage, C., ... & Reed, J. E. (2021). How to design, implement and evaluate organizational interventions for maximum impact: The Sigtuna Principles. European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology, 30(3), 415-427.

New research shows that organic social media content brings higher influence on sales than what your clients say about you over the internet. If your company tends to offer deal after deal in your social media, and you wonder if it makes sense to invest time in writing anything else, then you should listen to this interview. Together with Georgia Liadeli from Vrije University Amsterdam, we are exploring her newest paper, summarizing over 95 000 000 observations of how social media activity affects engagement and sales. Listen to get a big picture view on:

Paper discussed:

Liadeli, G., Sotgiu, F., & Verlegh, P. W. (2022). A Meta-Analysis of the Effects of Brands’ Owned Social Media on Social Media Engagement and Sales. Journal of Marketing, 00222429221123250.

In this episode, we discuss the recent research considering the use of algorithms in recruitment with Djurre Holtrop, PhD, Assistant Professor from Tilburg University – Department of Social Psychology. Over the past years, Djurre was invested heavily in the potential use of Machine Learning and other technologies to support decision-making in corporate recruitment. Listen to this episode to know:

In this episode, I'm talking with Tom Junker, Assistant Professor at Tilburg University. We discuss his work on Agile Work Practices (AWP) and their influence on teamwork results. Listen to this episode to know:

In a study I have conducted in 2022, I realized that over 60% of adults feel too tired after work to engage in meaningful activities. What drains us so much during work? Can we do something about it?

These questions were guiding me in the exploration of work from dr Oliver Weigelt. He's a very productive scholar that was conducting multiple research projects uncovering different aspects of human energy at work and beyond. In this episode of Science of Business Podcast I'm interviewing dr Weigelt about his biggest discoveries. Tune up to get to know:

▶️How our energy fluctuates over the week?

▶️What factors influence our energy over work day?

▶️How can we help our brain leave work on evenings, weekends?

▶️What can we do to take control of our energy?

This episode is a must for all the managers and HRM practitioners that care about how their team members feel every day. It should also provide some insights to every person involved in workforce, that feels down at work and after work every now and then. If you'd like to know how the energy is shaped over the work time - listen carefully!

Papers discussed:

This episode is a must for anyone who deals with graphic design in their everyday work. Together with Felipe Affonso, Incoming Assistant Professor at Oklahoma State University, we discuss his recent paper, sharing multiple insights on how choosing different structures for your logo, leaflet, website and other materials, influences your customer perceptions of your brand.

Listen to this episode to:

1️⃣ Learn about the influence simple decisions concerning symmetry, proximity, simplicity, and organisation of your contents have on your brand perception.

2️⃣ Understand how you can work with your identity, when working with multiple customer segments, each having different needs and preferences.

3️⃣Get to know some examples of brands that use the power of design well and those that miss this opportunity.

Paper discussed:

Affonso, F. M., & Janiszewski, C. (2022). Marketing by Design: The Influence of Perceptual Structure on Brand Performance. Journal of Marketing

This episode is a must for every data scientist that deals with scraping web data. Together with  Prof. Johannes Boegershausen and prof. Hannes Datta we discuss their new paper that lists state-of-the-art standards in web scraping.

In 1928, Nazi Party received only 2,6% votes in the elections to German parliament, while in 1932 their popularity raised up to 37%, offering the largest amount of seats in Reichstag. What happened between those four years that shifted the public trust towards extremists? 

This question was guiding recent research work published in Leadership Journal by Prof. Paul Sanders from Neoma Business School. Analyzing the work of great thinkers describing totalitarian regime and comparing it to the practices used by populists, his paper provides some worrying insights about the state of current democracy and the threats to both - the state and the nation, that populist agenda provides. 

Listen to this podcast to understand better how populism works, what are its roots and how does it affect democracy in multiple countries. 

Paper discussed: 

▶️ Sanders, P. (2019). Leadership and populism: A parallel reading of Hannah Arendt and Franz Neumann. Leadership, 15(6), 750-767.

According to IBISWorld, US coaching market was increasing by 2,8% every year since 2017, reaching $14,2 bn size in 2022. There is plenty of evidence showing its great effects on organizational and individual goals, including the meta-analysis by Theeboom and colleagues (2014). While we know coaching is working as a whole, we didn't know which specific aspects of it are especially important. What to pay attention to when choosing a coach or what to focus on, when we are running coaching processes ourselves? We didn't know until the paper discussed in this episode was published. 

Listen to learn about:

▶️ What types of outcomes are to be expected from the coaching process?

▶️ How can coachee characteristics and behaviors facilitate the success of the process?

▶️ What is within the control of the coach to assure high attainment of coaching goals?

Whether you are a manager who is still wondering if coaching is the right development tool for them or if you are a coach that wants to bring their practice to the next level, insights from this episode will appear helpful to you.

The paper discussed in this episode:

💡Sonesh, S. C., Coultas, C. W., Marlow, S. L., Lacerenza, C. N., Reyes, D., & Salas, E. (2015). Coaching in the wild: Identifying factors that lead to success. Consulting Psychology Journal: Practice and Research, 67(3), 189.