The Indigo Podcast

Organizations must prepare for low-probability events like having an active shooter because the stakes are so high. In this episode, we draw upon our own military experience, guidance from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, and some of Ben's research to help people and leaders everywhere with regard to this sobering topic. In particular, we explore:

- What is an active shooter and what you should do in an active-shooter situation

- Roles for leaders and managers

- Considerations for HR departments and the rest of the organization

Links and Other Information

Active Shooter - How To Respond: Guidance from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security

Baran, B. E. (2016). High-reliability HR: Preparing the enterprise for catastrophes. People and Strategy, 39(1), 34-38. click here

Quick Reference Guide: A Study of Pre-Attack Behaviors of Active Shooters in the U.S. Between 2000 and 2013 click here

Active Shooter Incidents in the United States in 2019: click here

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We cut through the numbskullery and unpack what resilience really means, along with an associated characteristic: hardiness. These ideas are tremendously important for all of us. Specifically, we discuss:

- What resilience and hardiness are and why they matter

- Individual and environmental factors that influence resilience and hardiness

- Implications for people, leaders, and organizations

Links and Other Information

The Navy Leader Development Framework 3.0: click here

Building Your Resilience: APA article

More about resilience from Psychology Today

How People Learn to Become Resilient: article in the New Yorker

Bartone, P. T. (1999). Hardiness protects against war-related stress in Army Reserve forces. Consulting Psychology Journal: Practice and Research, 51(2), 72. Click here

Bartone, P. T. (2006). Resilience under military operational stress: can leaders influence hardiness?. Military psychology, 18(sup1), S131-S148. Click here

The Encyclopedia of Industrial and Organizational Psychology: click here

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Everything is awesome! Except when it's not. Positivity, although generally valued, can have real downsides in our human relationships and in our organizations. We explore in this episode, specifically:

- What toxic positivity is and some different forms of it

- Why toxic positivity can be harmful

- Implications for all of us

Links and Other Information

There's a dark side to looking on the bright side. Here's a healthier antidote. Article by Laura Gallaher in Fast Company

What is Toxic Positivity? Article by Kendra Cherry

Ashkanasy, N. M., & Dorris, A. D. (2017). Emotions in the workplace. Annual Review of Organizational Psychology and Organizational Behavior, 4, 67-90. Click here

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Everywhere we turn, it seems, there are amazing solutions to all of our modern problems. But when things sound too good to be true, they often are. In this episode, we unpack the problem of seemingly novel ideas in management. Specifically, we discuss:

- What are management fads and how to spot them

- Novelty bias: what is it and how does it play out

- Better decision making for individuals, leaders, and organizations

Links and Other Information

Miller, D., & Hartwick, J. (2002). Spotting management fads. Harvard Business Review, 80(10), 26-7. Click here

Williams, R. (2004). Management fashions and fads. Management Decision. Click here

Cerruti, C., Tavoletti, E., & Grieco, C. (2019). Management consulting: a review of fifty years of scholarly research. Management Research Review. Click here

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Amid the chaos and many challenges we face in society, what can we do so that we don't fall apart? We explore in this episode, including:

- Why it might feel like the world is falling apart

- What institutions are and why they matter

- How we can strengthen human institutions and move forward with hope

Links and Other Information

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• Institutional strengthening: Guidance from Catholic Relief Services
• What can you do about the Trumpites next door? Column in the LA Times (which we view as having a highly problematic perspective): click here
• Ben's blog about William Blake's idea of "mind-forged manacles"

Lists of trends abound. Yet this list--the Top 10 Work Trends for 2021--come from the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology, so it reflects the views of workplace experts from that field. In this episode, we provide:

- An intro to the top 10 work trends for 2021 as reported by the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology

- A discussion of the actual trends

- Implications and further considerations regarding the state of the world of work in 2021

Links and Other Information

The list of 2021 top trends from the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology

Ben's white paper on agility, one of the trends

www.endingracismatwork.org

The COVID pandemic continues on, yet it will end someday. And it's a good idea for leaders everywhere to be thoughtful about preparing for the future--starting TODAY. In this episode, we discuss what the post-pandemic environment might look like for leaders and organizations, specifically:

- What practices might stay in place

- What might change

- What leaders can do now

Links and Other Information

Yuan, Z., Ye, Z., & Zhong, M. (2021). Plug back into work, safely: Job reattachment, leader safety commitment, and job engagement in the COVID-19 pandemic. Journal of Applied Psychology, 106(1), 62-70. click here

SHRM article: 9 Trends That Will Shape Work in 2021 and Beyond

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Conspiracy theories hijack the minds of people from all walks of life. They affect families, friends, coworkers, and leaders. Dealing with conspiracy theories can feel helpless, but there's hope--and there are evidence-based approaches that we can use to make society better and win back those lost to falsehoods.

In this episode, we talk about conspiracy theories; in particular:

- What is a conspiracy theory?

- Why do conspiracy theories matter and why should we care as leaders in our communities and organizations?

- What can we do about conspiracy theories?

Links and Other Information

Sunstein, C. R., & Vermeule, A. (2009). Conspiracy theories: Causes and cures. Journal of Political Philosophy, 17(2), 202-227. click here

Article in The Atlantic about QAnon

MIT Technology Review article on how to talk to conspiracy theorists

Shadowland: A special project exploring conspiracy thinking in America, from The Atlantic

Guidelines about conspiracy theories from the European Union

Perspectives on conspiracy theories from The Economist

More about Sandy Hook conspiracy theories from NPR and This American Life

Outrage sells. Division is rampant. And sometimes it might feel like our world is falling apart. But there's hope, and we all can make a big difference. We explore in this episode, discussing in particular:

• Finding your purpose
• What we all can do right now
• How we can all have a broader influence

Links and Other Information

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Scott Tannenbaum is the co-author of Teams That Work: The Seven Drivers of Team Effectiveness, which we discuss in this episode. Tannenbaum, who wrote Teams That Work with Eduardo Salas, has spent more than 25 years working with, providing evidence-based advice to, and conducting highly cited research on teams across a vast array of settings and challenges. As the President of the Group for Organizational Effectiveness, he has advised hundreds of organizations globally, including more than 75 Fortune and Global 1000 companies across every major business sector. He's also supported teams that work on oil rigs, parachute into fires, perform surgery, dive undersea, engage in combat, treat cancer, play rugby, and prepare for future space missions. He was named a Fellow of the Association for Psychological Science and of the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology who honored him with their Distinguished Professional Contributions Award.

Links and Other Information

• Scott Tannenbaum's consulting firm
• More about Scott Tannenbaum's co-author and fellow expert on teams, Eduardo Salas
• Check out Teams That Work on Amazon
• More about the book is on this website
• Forbes interview with both Scott Tannenbaum and Eduardo Salas about the book
• Scott Tannenbaum on Twitter