The Decision Corner

Dr Rachel Carey is Chief Scientist at Zinc, a UK-based organisation that runs a venture-builder for mission-driven entrepreneurs, combining the best of creative design, scientific rigour, technological innovation and entrepreneurship. She leads Zinc’s Research & Development team, a growing, interdisciplinary team of applied scientists, committed to building a new approach to science-based innovation.

She completed her PhD in psychology at the National University of Ireland, Galway, which examined the impact of threat-based persuasive communications on driver behavior. She spent several years as a postdoc at University College London, before joining a newly formed behavioural science team at Bupa. Since joining Zinc in 2017, she has helped to shape over 40 new mission-driven start-ups. Through an honorary role at UCL, she continues to be involved in a range of research and teaching - mainly centred around health behaviour change, safe and sustainable transport, and digital health.

Dr. Carey has a wealth of knowledge about the differences between behavioral science academia and applied research, and is eager to share her experiences and ideas about how to bridge the two worlds. In today’s episode, she discusses these differences, as well as how behavioral science shows up in the world of entrepreneurship, and the need for certain elements of research culture - including public perception - to evolve. Some specific topics discussed include:

In this episode of the Decision Corner, Brooke speaks with award-winning journalist Kimberly Seals Allers. Kimberly was formerly a senior editor at Essence and a writer at Fortune magazine. She now uses her decades of media experience as the founder of the IRTH app, which is specifically designed to help mothers of color rate their doctors for optimal health. She discusses the need for apps like IRTH, and how the tragedies that gave rise to the BLM movement last year impact the communities she serves. This episode is an important reminder of the realities that people of color face in both personal and professional environments.

Some of the topics discussed include…

In this episode, Brooke speaks with Rachel Kiddell-Monroe - Founder and Executive Director at SeeChange Initiative, and board member at Médecins Sans Frontières. In their discussion, they examine the impact of COVID-19 on marginalized communities, as well as the lack of empathy exhibited by first world nations towards less developed countries. Rachel raises the question of whether the models and systems on which our societies are built actually serve the interests of all. From our colonial roots to our current education and healthcare systems, this episode examines many factors that shape our view of struggling communities.

Some of the items discussed include:

As humans, we frequently think in absolute terms, which lead us to believe that extreme amounts of corporate profit - allowed in a capitalist economic system - also cause extreme damage. While this notion often holds, there are exceptions and caveats. On today’s episode of The Decision Corner, our host Dr. Brooke Struck sits down with Phillip Haid, CEO and founder of social impact marketing agency Public Inc.

At Public Inc., Haid and his colleagues help major corporations make positive global impacts. Nowadays, consumers are more and more interested in buying from socially- and environmentally-conscious companies. In turn, major corporations are gaining intrinsic motivation to make positive impacts, since advertising them attracts consumers. For companies, then, profit and purpose seem to go hand in hand.

In this episode, Brooke and his guest discuss:

In this episode of the Decision Corner, Brooke speaks with Daniel Kaniewski, former Deputy Administrator for Resilience at FEMA and currently Managing Director, Public Sector at Marsh McLennan. Daniel has been involved in managing some of the worst disasters in American history, through various roles at the White House, with FEMA, and in the private sector. He draws from his experience to provide us with fascinating insights about government and individual decision-making in times of crisis. Surprisingly, human behavior is one of the more predictable elements of disaster management, so if you’re keen to learn more about how governments handle emergencies and mobilize their citizens to react appropriately, this episode is for you!

Some of the things discussed include…

In this episode of the Decision Corner, Brooke speaks with Troy Campbell, Chief Scientist at On Your Feet -  an innovative consultancy that offers strategic guidance and behaviorally-informed training to some of the world’s most successful companies. Troy holds a PhD in behavioral science from Duke University and was previously a marketing professor at the University of Oregon. In their discussion, Brooke and Troy discuss how our shift to a mostly virtual work environment has disrupted the world of corporate knowledge acquisition and application. Troy gives an optimistic view of the many opportunities presented by virtual tools, and offers some practical advice to help improve our virtual interactions, as well as a compelling case for greater knowledge sharing within and between organisations. Some of the topics covered include;

In this episode of The Decision Corner, Brooke is joined by Kelley Keehn, financial literacy advocate and best-selling author. Kelley has written over 10 books on topics related to personal finance, behavioural economics and financial empowerment. In their discussion, Brooke and Kelley explore why the lessons our parents taught us might not be so relevant today, the influence of the COVID-19 pandemic on our financial trajectories, and how behavioural insights can be used to help overcome the crippling debt crisis faced by so many Canadians. Some of the topics discussed include;

Since the beginning of 2020, COVID-19 has changed virtually everything about our lives, from how we work to how we care for one another, and even how we spend our time and money. Behavioral science is keeping up. In this episode of The Decision Corner, we sit down with British psychologist and behavioral science advisor Susan Michie to tear apart some of the most complex causes and effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Michie shows us how increased public engagement in behavioral science and health research can help us imagine a post-COVID world that is more equitable, environmental, and convenient than the one we left behind. Read more about her research, including the development of the behavior change wheel, here.

Some topics discussed include:

From the proliferation of social comparisons to growing political extremism, we have come face to face with the rippling negative effects technology that technology has on our societal fabric. But can we create a future that looks different? One in which technology has our backs, and best interest at heart?

On this episode of The Decision Corner, our host Brooke Struck is joined by Bob Suh, founder and CEO of OnCorps. OnCorps is an American company dedicated to elevating workplace performance outcomes through the use of artificial intelligence. By applying predictable algorithms to a variety of decisions and tasks, OnCorps reduces work, errors, and risk within the financial service industry. The organization provides cutting-edge solutions to an array of companies, with advisors from Yale, Harvard, and Oxford. Their innovative algorithms earned them the 2019 NOVA Award by NICSA and the 2019 Fintech Breakthrough Award for best banking infrastructure software.

Bob Suh has also written for the Harvard Business Review about how efficient use of AI can lead to better decision making and forecasting. Find his work here.

In this episode, Brooke and Bob discuss:

In this episode of The Decision Corner podcast, Brooke is lucky to be joined by Olivier Sibony. Olivier is a thoroughly experienced strategic consultant and a learned researcher on applied behavioral science at the most senior level. He has 25 years of experience at McKinsey and Co. that inform his investigation into successful practices and common pitfalls of organizational behaviour. This conversation brings Olivier’s insights to bear on the issue of decision-making in the C-suite. He draws out some essential guidelines, both from anecdotes and focused research, which culminate in applicable strategies to make any group better able to accomplish its goals. Some of the topics we discuss include: