The Bias Disruption Podcast

Well friends- we have appreciated you all as loyal listeners for these last years! The podcast has been an amazing project for us, but we need to wrap it up to pursue doing sociology in other ways. This episode is our farewell message and a THANK YOU!

In this episode, we go back to the Sociology canon, talking about rituals, share the merit of Girl Scout Cookies and Josh once again tries to help Megan understand sportsball terms. However, this one makes a lot of sense and should get you thinking about what you're bringing to the workplace. Additional info: Feminist Cookieshttps://nypost.com/2020/01/07/new-girl-scout-cookie-flavor-comes-with-a-surprise-feminist-message/Value Above Replacement (VAR)https://hbr.org/2020/01/are-you-pushing-yourself-too-hard-at-work

In this jam-packed episode, we talk about how the workplace, not the employee, is responsible for burnout. We also discuss the differences between streaks and habits and why you should tend toward one over the other (hint- habits are social). But before we get to all of that, Megan reveals that electrocution is something she thinks about, though it is NOT a fear, Josh... and we help Oscar Meyer recruit for what looks like the best job ever. PLUS, we share what we're reading right now. Additional Info:Hotdoggershttps://www.thedrive.com/news/31751/oscar-mayer-is-looking-for-full-time-hotdoggers-to-drive-the-weinermobile-cross-country Burnouthttps://hbr.org/2019/12/burnout-is-about-your-workplace-not-your-people?utm_source=linkedin&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=hbr Streaks and Habitshttps://www.thecut.com/2019/04/why-breaking-a-streak-feels-so-awful.html?utm_source=Habit+Weekly&utm_campaign=28a81df317-HABIT_WEEKLY_8_3_2019_15_12_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_ab93d31fb5-28a81df317-110851071

In this episode, we join Jess Pettitt, Inclusion Extraordinaire, and the third member of our Outstanding Org Change band. We talk about hidden strengths in your organization that often masquerade as trouble areas, and we allude to our process for making important changes to create inclusive cultures. Plus- Jess tries to define what kind of "Change Crushers" we all are...

Welcome to 2020!!!!We make predictions for the THIRD time in a row...sometimes we were right. Voiceover Guy didn't believe we could make it annual. We did. So we win! We also spend most of the episode walking through the scientifically informed Six Elements of Culture that we use to help organizations change for the better. Culture can be an amorphous and empty concept. We hope that this episode helps to make it seem more tangible.  

Is anyone surprised at this point that soft skills are on employers' wish lists? People are afraid of automation, but relationships can't be automated. We share tips for getting your team on to do what it says it's going to do, and talk about trust. Josh has a business idea!   Soft Skills are in demandhttps://www.hrdive.com/news/soft-skills-top-employer-wish-lists-despite-automations-rise/546255/   Barriers to team performancehttps://hbr.org/2014/05/get-your-team-to-do-what-it-says-its-going-to-do   Trust is about relationshipshttps://www.entrepreneur.com/article/321705

This episode originally aired on 9/24/18 We share a story about how character matters when hiring, and how quality character should pay more. Many companies say that they feel like their organization is a “family”, but we believe that may not be an asset.

This episode originally aired on 8/5/19 Some people just love to push the limits of any policy, and sometimes it has humorous results- we share how Texas does it. Job success has historically been measured by performance, but we know that there's more to the story. Also, you can't eliminate the likelihood that someone doesn't pull their weight in a team, but we have advise about that and more!   Additional Info:   Leash your petshttps://dailycaller.com/2019/03/21/petco-steer-houston/   Performance is not the only measure of successhttps://www.fastcompany.com/90335145/most-people-are-focused-on-the-wrong-measure-of-success   You can't eliminate social loafinghttps://blog.trello.com/avoid-social-loafing   Contact Theoryhttps://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/1368430217712052?casa_token=yGIuYiGMb14AAAAA:iq2KSgPp5JqRJ2-oKEkSOUTiFYMw0SBci6uGM7aKHvXLDjCdnF6OcSsOM8oriOn0Jwbmz7TxoJ5sNQ

This episode originally aired on 11/19/18 Social innovation can be disgusting, but meaningful... we share how. Megan confesses one of her biases, and we share the secret thing about entrepreneurship that no one really thinks about. Also, we give you a bottom-line reason to always consider diversity.   Additional Info:   Maggot Meals- https://money.cnn.com/2018/09/20/smallbusiness/agriprotein-fly-farming/index.html   Reduce Action Bias- https://theascent.pub/the-most-ignored-and-important-leadership-advice-take-guilt-out-of-the-equation-c56b85c8b7 https://medium.com/personal-growth/the-mother-of-all-biases-the-action-bias-and-the-power-of-restraint-e3ae31b25247   Contact us for a copy of the academic article

You've very likely heard about this, but we discuss the general hysteria over the success of a trial 4-day work week and how we should be letting people who are challenged by change efforts duke it out instead of silencing them. Much to Megan's chagrin, we talk about the up-side of personality tests and she does concede that there are some...and then Josh has another surprise for her. Additional Info 4-day work weekhttps://news.google.com/articles/CAIiEE5-0n-L7kEV1jDfC_ofYEoqFwgEKg4IACoGCAow3O8nMMqOBjCP1egF?hl=en-US&gl=US&ceid=US%3Aen Let them fighthttps://www.chronicle.com/article/The-Management-Corner-Stop/246188?cid=RCPACKAGE Up-side of personality testshttps://www.linkedin.com/feed/news/the-positive-on-personality-tests-4464747/ and  https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20191030-the-helpful-upside-of-office-personality-tests 2-minute personality test! https://psychcentral.com/quizzes/personality-test/  

We don't want you to feel badly about yourself, but you might not be as good at that one thing as you think you are. Most people aren't, but they're better at some things than they give themselves credit for. Now that you're sufficiently confused, we'll discuss how over-rationalizing roles can undo your talent and give you a key action item to help with your culture by sharing the "Peak-End" rule. We also share what we're reading right now. Update: After this episode was recorded, Megan read the same book...we HIGHLY recommend it, business people. Additional Info: You're not that goodhttps://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/06/opinion/sunday/overconfidence-men-women.html?utm_source=Habit+Weekly&utm_campaign=37247ffe37-HABIT_WEEKLY_8_3_2019_15_12_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_ab93d31fb5-37247ffe37-110929751 Over-rational Roleshttps://search-proquest-com.unco.idm.oclc.org/docview/216294231/fulltext/12EBC273AD4D43D5PQ/1?accountid=12832 Peak-End Rulehttps://kenthendricks.com/peak-end-rule/

Happy Thanksgiving! In this episode, we give you the best tips on how to appear smart in meetings, discuss how innovation done with the wrong intention can demolish trust and talk about the value of attention. We talk about the sociology of leadership, which has many practical applications-some of which we even share out loud. Additional InfoAppear Smarthttps://medium.com/conquering-corporate-america/10-tricks-to-appear-smart-during-meetings-27b489a39d1a Trust trumps (SMALL T) innovationhttps://hbr.org/2019/07/when-innovation-and-trust-are-at-odds Sociology of leadershiphttps://workinprogress.oowsection.org/2015/10/27/is-there-such-a-thing-as-a-sociology-of-leadership/

In this episode, we talk about how unemployment is low and people are working, but wages are low too. We also discuss how you SHOULD argue with success because of this bias and how diversity isn't happening because we're not building the right things to keep people around. Additional Info: Jobs, Yes! Wages, No!https://www.linkedin.com/feed/news/as-job-demand-grows-wages-decline-4719780/ Outcome biashttps://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20191001-the-bias-behind-the-worlds-greatest-catastropheshttps://hbr.org/2011/04/how-to-avoid-catastrophe Diversity in Tech...or Nothttps://www.wired.com/story/five-years-tech-diversity-reports-little-progress/

In this episode, we discuss the merits of remote working and how the changing face of the workplace has led to uncertainty about boundaries. While it's obvious that we're not "trust your gut" sort of people, we talk about when it may be ok to do just that. Additional Info: Remote Workers are Happiesthttps://www.linkedin.com/feed/news/remote-workers-are-happier-4717060/ Workplace boundarieshttps://www.theladders.com/career-advice/65-of-workers-believe-that-this-is-extremely-inappropriate-for-the-office When NOT to trust your gut OR Why Understanding Biases Mattershttps://www.forbes.com/sites/theyec/2019/09/26/three-cognitive-biases-undermining-executives-strategic-decision-making-ability/?utm_source=Habit%2BWeekly&utm_campaign=5bb55c4edf-HABIT_WEEKLY_8_3_2019_15_12_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_ab93d31fb5-5bb55c4edf-110851071#666002497626

It's our 100th Episode!!!!!! We made it! And we still love it. Voiceover Guy and our live audience join us for a special episode about "Dumb Things." We share a fun option for your Tesla which Megan thinks is great...until she realized that car noises are mandatory now. Other dumb things include stupid rules that over-regulate even the trustworthy employees to the point of anger and how business speak makes you dumb. OH yeah, and there's a surprise for Megan. Additional Info:Car Noiseshttps://www.theverge.com/2019/10/7/20902506/tesla-cars-elon-musk-fart-bleat-safety-horn-movement-sounds Stupid rules feed distrusthttps://medium.com/s/story/autonomy-is-the-biggest-reward-your-team-can-get-248676be71c1 Business Speak makes you stupidhttps://www.inc.com/geoffrey-james/listening-to-corporate-speak-makes-you-stupid-according-to-science.html

In this episode, we discuss how misconstrued data correlations can lead to problematic conclusions...(in English, Megan!) In other words, when people think two things are connected that are not, it can lead to lies. Lies. We share how innovation is just a performance without a culture and supports to see it through and let all those tricksy behavioral scientists out there know that we're hip to their nudge. Additional Info: Oh Spuriousnesshttps://www.inc.com/chris-matyszczyk/of-all-happiness-studies-in-world-this-one-may-affect-you-most.html Performing Innovationhttps://hbr.org/2019/10/why-companies-do-innovation-theater-instead-of-actual-innovation?utm_medium=email&utm_source=newsletter_weekly&utm_campaign=insider_activesubs&utm_content=signinnudge&referral=03551&deliveryName=DM52272 Hip to the Nudgehttps://behavioralscientist.org/consumers-are-becoming-wise-to-your-nudge/

In this episode of The Bias Disruption, we talk about the social structuring that makes an odd business concept work, argue a little bit about the notion of social scoring (we do NOT debate the evils or make it political) and share our thoughts about how some companies are making money on our willing, free labor. That all sounds like it could be slightly depressing (it's not), so we share what we're reading right now! Additional Info:Cuddle Partyhttp://www.cuddleparty.com/Social Scoringhttps://www.wired.com/story/china-social-credit-score-system/Monetizing isolation: Build a sense of homehttps://www.fastcompany.com/90376773/how-spotify-and-other-popular-apps-trick-you-into-doing-free-labor

In this episode of The Bias Disruption, we talk about the changing face of work and how our world is not yet built to support that. We also discuss how social media giants like Facebook have intentionally killed the thing it created in order to make an effort to "remedy" the social ramifications of the thing it caused with the thing it created. Don't worry-it sounds less nuts when we say it out loud. Probably. We also talk about the differences between indentured servitude and Walmart's employee loans program. Additional Info: Walmart Loanshttps://www.linkedin.com/feed/news/check-out-this-paycheck-perk-4427091/ Work is not long termhttps://hbr.org/2016/10/what-happens-when-careers-last-20-years-longerFacebook is killing "likes"https://www.businessinsider.com/facebook-instagram-youtube-killing-like-subscribers-2019-9?r=US&IR=T AND https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Donghee_Wohn/publication/308203438_How_Affective_Is_a_Like_The_Effect_of_Paralinguistic_Digital_Affordances_on_Perceived_Social_Support/links/581ea91d08ae12715af5e848/How-Affective-Is-a-Like-The-Effect-of-Paralinguistic-Digital-Affordances-on-Perceived-Social-Support.pdf

In this episode, we talk about how the promise of incentives can feel like a lead-on if there's not any appropriate follow-through and talk about how hiring has become unnecessarily complicated. We also share an academic article about network centrality as well as a real-world application. Also-did you know that there is an entire industry that monetizes rage? Sometimes, dear listeners, it would appear as though one or both of us has some low-level rage about dumb things, but neither of us would pay to smash things. Well...one of us might. Additional Info: Rage Culturehttps://www.rageindustry.com Breadcrumbinghttps://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20190723-how-to-tell-if-youre-being-breadcrumbed-at-workHire Boringhttps://behavioralscientist.org/hiring-isnt-rocket-science-why-the-most-boring-strategy-is-best/

In this episode, we talk about a business idea that proves how desperate people are to avoid making social mistakes (and Megan thinks is ridiculous). We also discuss how to create the culture you want by focusing on belonging and to establish engagement, focus on trust. Additional Information Wedding Hashtagshttps://www.thecut.com/2016/11/this-business-will-make-you-a-custom-wedding-hashtag.html Belonging, not fithttps://www.forbes.com/sites/pragyaagarwaleurope/2019/08/26/belonging-in-the-workplace-a-new-approach-to-diversity-and-inclusivity/#722f90737a66 For engagement, build trusthttps://medium.com/googleplaydev/putting-back-users-to-the-forefront-sustainable-engagement-tips-from-behavioral-science-b9557af3da3e

This week, Josh interviews Zarak Khan, Behavioral Innovation Director for Maritz. His primary responsibility is to ensure that Maritz' business solutions are designed to leverage a deep understanding of human behavior and market trends. Also, don't worry-Megan's not on this interview, but you'll still hear her laugh.

Would you rent out a tiny house in your backyard? What if you didn't own that tiny house and the business that puts it on your property goes under? That could be a waste of a tiny house...We also talk about useful things like how to treat your teams like small businesses. Investing resources and time into your teams like a business provides you with a return that benefits the whole company. Incentive structures are broken-and many organizations are stuck repeating the same patterns. Change it up! Josh has suggestions. To cap it all off, we share a business idea. Additional InfoRent the backyardhttps://www.fastcompany.com/90386799/this-startup-wants-to-put-a-free-tiny-house-in-your-backyard Treat your teams like a small businesshttps://www.urban.org/urban-wire/how-can-we-overcome-inequities-who-owns-small-businesses Your incentive structure is brokenhttps://coffeeandjunk.substack.com/p/campbells-law-and-goodharts-law-when AND https://coffeeandjunk.substack.com/p/why-compensation-systems-likely-fail?utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&utm_source=copy    

Sometimes unexpected results of a system turn out to be incredibly positive and create community. What would happen if we built systems to do that on purpose? We talk about how puppies and mindfulness, while well-intended, are not the answer to a meaningful workplace. We know you were waiting to hear the explanation behind that alluring episode title-Josh will talk about how church without God didn't fail because of a lack of interest, but rather because of a lack of anything sacred at all. Additional Info: Anti-bro Startuphttps://techcrunch.com/2019/08/06/squad-the-anti-bro-startup/ Enough with the puppies and mindfulnesshttps://www.wired.co.uk/article/city-design-architecture-happiness-wellbeing Church without Godhttps://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2019/07/secular-churches-rethink-their-sales-pitch/594109/?utm_medium=offsite&utm_source=google&utm_campaign=newsstand-ideas

You do not want to miss the beginning of this episode (and the rest of it, too, let's be real...). We talk about robots. Kind of. We also discuss how hiring for culture fit can be an easy vehicle for bias and how the research about attention spans leads to some great myths. I mean, who is really watching goldfish pay attention to anything? And how do we know they're paying attention? This and many questions will be asked (and laughed at) in addition to a conversation about a very old, but highly relevant academic article about resistance to innovation. Additional Information: The robothttps://gizmodo.com/a-wearable-robotic-tail-turns-anyone-into-a-furry-with-1836974428Culture fit leads to biashttps://www.fastcompany.com/90282111/is-hiring-for-culture-fit-another-form-of-unconscious-biasAttention Spans are a mythhttps://www.bbc.com/news/health-38896790 Resistance to Innovationhttps://www-jstor-org.unco.idm.oclc.org/stable/2771607?seq=1#metadata_info_tab_contents

I'm not going to ruin the surprise that led to the title of this episode. In addition to smiling our way to happiness (sorry...spoilers are inevitable in life), we discuss the sociology of psychological safety and how Google figured out that the formula for the perfect team is not about the individuals. We also discuss how nudging and norming are connected, and how they can both be used to change culture and encourage engagement. As an extra added bonus, we've included the National Day Calendar to appeal to your enjoyment of random facts. Additional Information: National Day Calendarhttps://nationaldaycalendar.com/august-monthly-observations/ Smile your way to happinesshttps://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2019/07/01/735822187/the-science-of-smiles-real-and-fake Sociology of psychological safetyhttps://www.nytimes.com/2016/02/28/magazine/what-google-learned-from-its-quest-to-build-the-perfect-team.htmlandhttps://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/a4eb/b43d2056534e75e64ce5c6fe221ced2115ca.pdf Nudging and Norminghttp://www.ideas42.org/blog/social-norms-social-good-three-insights-apply/

Josh is on sabbatical! We spent too much time being excited about this. In many workplaces, people need permission to learn, despite loads of evidence that learning is the key to an agile organization. What's more, people need to be learning TOGETHER. Team learning environments are key to cohesive knowledge and improved team dynamics in an organization. However, teams can evolve into cliques that then become damaging to an organization's culture. Listen to our tips about managing this phenomenon. We also answer listener mail, sharing that can't control the world, but you can respond to the things directly in front of you. Additional Information: Grounded traffic lightshttps://qz.com/942104/people-wont-stop-staring-at-their-phones-so-this-dutch-town-put-traffic-lights-on-the-ground/ Team learning environmentshttps://velvetchainsaw.com/2019/05/22/leveraging-team-learning-at-conferences/ Work cliqueshttp://review.chicagobooth.edu/behavioral-science/2017/article/work-cliques-can-blind-you-future

People matter, so job positions are often built around and evolve to suit the person inhabiting them. However, the evolution of a position should not be tied to an individual for a number of reasons. We share some science behind the need for role clarity. Busy is a buzzword, and we argue that in some cases it is a bad word. There is value in stillness, and when appropriate, in doing nothing. For two people who do nothing very badly, we seem pretty convicted about this. Maybe we'll take our own advice. Additional Information: Behavioral science ethicshttps://medium.com/behavior-design-hub/how-uber-could-trick-us-using-behavioral-science-unless-we-act-fast-d8aa43534b53 Roles vs. Job descriptionshttps://www.mckinsey.com/~/media/McKinsey/Business%20Functions/Organization/Our%20Insights/Matching%20talent%20to%20value/Matching-talent-to-value.ashx Stop being so busyhttps://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/29/smarter-living/the-case-for-doing-nothing.html

Season 3! In this first episode of season 3, we discuss home cubicles (WHY!??JUST WHY!?!?). Megan shares an academic article from way back that helps clarify why we can't narrow leadership into individual characteristics. Leadership is a social exchange-it is given by the relationships with others. Josh talks about hyperbolic discounting, the cognitive bias that leads people to choose smaller immediate gain. He argues that attention is more valuable, and that's why we decide quickly. Links to the articles: Cubicles in our homeshttps://www.fastcompany.com/90354514/working-from-home-is-now-more-prison-like-than-ever Merton-Leadership is a social exchangehttps://www-jstor-org.unco.idm.oclc.org/stable/pdf/3421106.pdf?refreqid=excelsior%3Abb6cf152645b61cecb2d2cc9a546ee38Hyperbolic discountinghttps://www.nirandfar.com/hyperbolic-discounting-why-you-make-terrible-life-choices/

Original release date: 6/11/2018 VoiceOver Guy reaches new levels of delusion with his own structuring of time. We share how care in on-boarding saves your company resources, and talk about a movement that is disrupting institutions like retirement.

Original release date: 10/29/2018 Voiceover Guy is a proponent for physical harm that could cause healing? We don't really know... California has some controversial news legislation that could be a game changer. We talk about ways to recognize and work out of biases that permeate your whole organization, and discuss whether the gig economy is a race to the bottom or an entry point. Additional Info: Females required in CAhttps://www.npr.org/2018/10/01/653318005/california-becomes-1st-state-to-require-women-on-corporate-boards Debiasinghttps://www.mckinsey.com/business-functions/risk/our-insights/the-business-logic-in-debiasing?cid=other-eml-alt-mip-mck-oth-1810&hlkid=bebb455dd2eb4719b3e5fe79e017c672&hctky=11150682&hdpid=a3e88bfe-939d-4120-b4b9-20322a66d1eb Gig economy race to the bottomhttps://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2018/08/fiverr-online-gig-economy/569083/

Original release date: 2/25/2019 We have an announcement about Valentine's Day! We waited to tell you on purpose...ALSO- we totally predicted the future. Megan geeks out about the power of social ties and we share the many benefits of having an inclusive culture. Plus- we answer a listener's question. Prediction!https://www.theverge.com/2019/1/19/18189480/foxconn-wisconsin-plant-possible-hiring-slowdown-jobs Weak Tieshttps://techcrunch.com/2016/04/26/weak-ties-matter/ Power of Diversityhttps://www.entrepreneur.com/article/324984

Original release date: 11/12/18 If you need a brilliant business idea, think about your enemies and the people you're mad at- then capitalize on your anger. Someone actually did that, and we talk about it. We also discuss reducing organizational drag and how the different types of leadership can be impactful in different ways. We also have a business idea that doesn't involve hate and anger. Additional Info: (SO SAD IT'S GONE!!!!) Dirty Rotten Flowers- https://www.businessnewsdaily.com/8755-strange-businesses.html Reduce Organizational Drag- https://medium.com/swlh/focus-on-productivity-not-efficiency-4ed4fe9a454f and https://hbr.org/ideacast/2017/03/globalization-myth-and-reality-2

Original release date: 9/10/18 The Packard Group went to Africa (most of them- Megan Bissell was there in spirit), and we chat about the experience! After chatting with Megan Packard, we talk about making your company a talent factory in order to design creative innovation within your organization.  

Rebecca leads change in one of the largest organizations in our area, and one of the most complex: Banner Health. We really enjoyed talking to her about how she masterfully does what she does in a large, difficult to steer "ship." Thanks to Rebecca for agreeing to join us! Enjoy!

We talk about stress and argue about how some hiring practices are like hazing. We also read a great letter to change managers that helps show how people respond to change. We play Name that Bias! Again...Megan loses...again. Additional Info Stress at workhttps://www.linkedin.com/pulse/stress-work-report-who-feeling-most-how-combat-paul-petrone/ Hiring is not hazinghttps://www.fastcompany.com/90335711/these-two-trendy-interview-practices-need-to-stop?utm_source=postup&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Fast%20Company%20Daily&position=5&partner=newsletter&campaign_date=04262019 Rationality of Changehttps://peoplescience.maritz.com/Articles/2019/I-Am-Your-Change-Target

There's a "right" way to help people work through problems, and it involves a solid open line. Megan uses a sports analogy to talk about silos and networking-it's not as awkward as you're imagining. Josh talks about collective effervescence-which is a fancy way of explaining the feeling you get at a Taylor Swift concert. Additional Info: Opening Lineshttps://www.entrepreneur.com/article/332938 Sportsball and Siloshttps://www.mckinsey.com/business-functions/organization/our-insights/how-the-houston-astros-are-winning-through-advanced-analytics Collective Effervescence at Workhttps://www.reuters.com/article/us-world-work-remoteworkers-idUSKCN1RO13J

It's possible that people are ruining Slack...and we tell you why. Leaders blame employees for slow change adoption because they believe they aren't adaptable-they're wrong-we have data. You don't need to manage your time better, you need to manage your attention. It's a shift, but it'll be worth it. Additional Info: Slack at Workhttps://www.vox.com/recode/2019/5/1/18511575/productivity-slack-google-microsoft-facebook Adaptable workforce-leaders don't buy ithttps://hbr.org/2019/05/your-workforce-is-more-adaptable-than-you-think Attention management, not time managementhttps://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/28/smarter-living/productivity-isnt-about-time-management-its-about-attention-management.html

Some people just love to push the limits of any policy, and sometimes it has humorous results- we share how Texas does it. Job success has historically been measured by performance, but we know that there's more to the story. Also, you can't eliminate the likelihood that someone doesn't pull their weight in a team, but we have advise about that and more! Additional Info: Leash your petshttps://dailycaller.com/2019/03/21/petco-steer-houston/ Performance is not the only measure of successhttps://www.fastcompany.com/90335145/most-people-are-focused-on-the-wrong-measure-of-success You can't eliminate social loafinghttps://blog.trello.com/avoid-social-loafing Contact Theoryhttps://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/1368430217712052?casa_token=yGIuYiGMb14AAAAA:iq2KSgPp5JqRJ2-oKEkSOUTiFYMw0SBci6uGM7aKHvXLDjCdnF6OcSsOM8oriOn0Jwbmz7TxoJ5sNQ

We talked about how Payless tried to be fancy and it didn't work. Now we're going to talk about how Gucci is trying to play it down, and we don't think that works either. We share realistic blocks to seeing innovation all the way through to the end, and how brainstorming is terrible. Additional Information: Guccihttps://slate.com/human-interest/2019/03/gucci-screener-dirty-sneakers-who-would-buy-them.html Blocks to Innovationhttps://hbr.org/2019/03/the-innovation-equation How Might Wehttp://www.journalcbi.com/from-design-challenges-to-business-innovation.htmlhttps://hbr.org/2015/03/why-group-brainstorming-is-a-waste-of-time  

Hand writing your notes is actually proven to be better for your brain- you throw your computer away! (NO DON'T REALLY!) We discuss meaningful ways to work with diverse teams and the short-sightedness of a major Christian bookstore chain. Megan has a game for Josh to play! Additional Information: Write your noteshttps://www.npr.org/2016/04/17/474525392/attention-students-put-your-laptops-away Work with diverse teamshttps://www.business.com/articles/from-conflict-to-cooperation-building-stronger-cross-cultural-teams/ Lifewayhttps://www.christianitytoday.com/news/2019/march/lifeway-to-close-all-170-christian-stores.html

This episode has everything: Cologne, Dogs, Gigs and Sweden! Most of those things have to do with business, but we talk about pawternity leave because it's fun to say. We discuss how businesses should embrace the gig economy and how entrepreneurship is encouraged in a fascinating way. Additional Information: Pawternity Leavehttps://m.huffpost.com/us/entry/us_58a6de90e4b07602ad539975/amp Embrace the gigshttps://clutch.co/hr/resources/how-gig-economy-affects-workplace-2018 Sweden Workershttps://www.npr.org/2019/02/18/695755987/sweden-has-come-up-with-an-unusual-way-to-encourage-entrepreneurship

Oh, K-cups... why? Does the world really need this? We also talk about how the systems that run your company are your story, and how your story matters to the world. We get to discuss how the entrepreneur's journey is not really as mystical as the business world would have us believe. Additional Information: K-cupshttps://www.wsj.com/articles/white-russian-in-a-pod-budweiser-maker-pushes-k-cup-machine-for-cocktails-11552968015 Story changes systemshttps://ssir.org/articles/entry/using_story_to_change_systems The entrepreneur journeyhttps://www.forbes.com/sites/danielpriestley/2019/03/04/the-entrepreneur-journey-is-more-predictable-than-most-people-think/#1c0644e61c6d

Josh is giddy that he gets to break some news to Megan...that means she was wrong. We discuss how organizations are being held accountable to making meaning for their employees, and share two different major types of innovation. Additional Information: Closings!https://www.huffpost.com/entry/payless-shoesource-to-shutter-all-of-its-remaining-us-stores_n_5c68365de4b01757c36c0fd5 Purpose-driven culturehttps://www.inc.com/tim-leberecht/purpose-washing-hustle-culture-automation-business-at-a-crossroads.html Disruptive and Radical Innovationhttps://hbr.org/2018/04/what-40-years-of-research-reveals-about-the-difference-between-disruptive-and-radical-innovation  

Jess Pettitt visited us in Greeley... and it was a lovely time. We chatted about Inclusive Solutions, our "trojan horse" approach to diversity initiatives, and we answer a listener question.

Did you know that the largest consumer fraud in 2018 has to do with LOVE?!?! We discuss this, diversity and do exactly nothing to dispell the myth that a team has to be a certain number of people to be effective. Well, we make a little headway in clearing up the controversy, at least. Additional Info:Diversityhttps://www.bcg.com/en-us/publications/2019/fixing-the-flawed-approach-to-diversity.aspx https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/F4E00875C9C81512E928195E6B7D6A0D/S1754942616000912a.pdf/subtle_discrimination_in_the_workplace_a_vicious_cycle.pdf Small Teams, Big Teamshttps://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/02/190213132304.htm

It's no surprise that there is a virtual treasure-trove of content for us to ridicule in the comments of basically any online post, but this time we share how some comments are demonstrative of a larger social issue. We also discuss a fun little concept called organizational uniqueness bias and the merits of the science of understanding, rather than control. Additional Info: Organizational uniqueness bias https://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/20/opinion/sunday/the-one-question-you-should-ask-about-every-new-job.html United Airlines new app; Science of Understanding, rather than control https://www.businessinsider.com/united-airlines-app-cool-feature-2019-1

There are some tech features that seem luxurious and extraneous, and others that are just...brilliant. We chat about one of those and also discuss why it's important to consider the social ramifications of hiring and firing. Annnndddd....It's time for a new game! Additional Info:Hiring and Firinghttps://hbr.org/2016/01/what-to-do-before-you-fire-a-pivotal-employee Dog Modehttps://jalopnik.com/teslas-new-dog-mode-will-keep-your-pup-cool-while-youre-1832617344

Happy St. Patrick's Day to those of you who think that's a thing to celebrate! We discuss how friends of ours stare down the patriarchy in a small but meaningful way...in Texas! We also talk about how comparing neighbors to each other is an effective strategy to make change and talk about brain science.   Additional Info: Social Proofhttps://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2009/07/greening-with-envy/307498/ Breakthroughs in the science of learninghttps://www.brainscape.com/blog/2012/10/breakthroughs-science-of-learning-2/

We share some (not so surprising) results from a study we're doing with a client because it's been really impactful, and we talk about the impact of workplace culture on society. As we prepare for a project, we thought we'd share some adult learning theory.  Culture and Societyhttps://www.breathehr.com/blog/what-impact-does-negative-workplace-culture-have-on-wider-society Adult Learning Theoryhttps://online.rutgers.edu/blog/principles-of-adult-learning-theory/

Is anyone surprised at this point that soft skills are on employers' wish lists? People are afraid of automation, but relationships can't be automated. We share tips for getting your team on to do what it says it's going to do, and talk about trust. Josh has a business idea! Soft Skills are in demandhttps://www.hrdive.com/news/soft-skills-top-employer-wish-lists-despite-automations-rise/546255/ Barriers to team performancehttps://hbr.org/2014/05/get-your-team-to-do-what-it-says-its-going-to-do Trust is about relationshipshttps://www.entrepreneur.com/article/321705

We have an announcement about Valentine's Day! We waited to tell you on purpose...ALSO- we totally predicted the future. Megan geeks out about the power of social ties and we share the many benefits of having an inclusive culture. Plus- we answer a listener's question. Prediction!https://www.theverge.com/2019/1/19/18189480/foxconn-wisconsin-plant-possible-hiring-slowdown-jobs Weak Tieshttps://techcrunch.com/2016/04/26/weak-ties-matter/ Power of Diversityhttps://www.entrepreneur.com/article/324984