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Do you feel compelled to work? Is your work difficult to stop thinking about? Are you upset if you have to miss a day of work? Do you tend to work beyond the actual requirements of your job? If so, you might be a workaholic–and so are almost half of U.S workers. Our guest today is Malissa Clark, author of Never Not Working: Why the Always-On Culture is Bad for Business–and How to Fix it. Malissa is an associate professor of industrial and organizational psychology at the University of Georgia, where she has been on faculty since 2013, and she joined us for a deep conversation all about workaholism–what it is, why it matters, and what we can do about it. If you care at all about your work and your life, this is simply an episode you can’t miss.

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Malissa's book, Never Not Working: https://www.amazon.com/Never-Not-Working-Always-Business/dp/1647825091

Malissa Clark’s website: https://www.malissaclark.com/

Malissa Clark on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/malissa-clark-0387991a/

All episodes plus MUCH more: Elevating What Works

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Love them or hate them, meetings are everywhere. But we really do need good meetings for teams and organizations to work. Steven Rogelberg is the world’s top evidence-based expert on meetings. He’s the author of the 2019 hit book The Surprising Science of Meetings and more recently, he wrote and published a new book, Glad We Met: The Art and Science of 1:1 Meetings. It’s a fascinating and useful look at how we can truly use intentional, thoughtful one-on-one meetings to create stronger relationships, better workplaces, and maybe even a better world. Tune in for this wonderful, jam-packed conversation with the one and only Steven Rogelberg.

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Glad We Met: The Art and Science of 1:1 Meetings - https://www.amazon.com/Glad-We-Met-Science-Meetings/dp/0197641873

The Surprising Science of Meetings - https://www.amazon.com/Surprising-Science-Meetings-Lead-Performance/dp/0190689218

Steven Rogelberg’s website - https://www.stevenrogelberg.com/

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The Surprising Science of Meetings: How You Can Lead Your Team to Peak Performance

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This episode is about loneliness--but it's also about so much more. The bigger issue has to do with building connections with each other and within a society that so often feels fragmented. So we do tackle loneliness in this episode, but building connections is the big theme of what we discuss. It’s a topic that we see as absolutely critical for the flourishing of everyone both as individuals and as a society. Tune in for a thought-provoking and at-times rather passionate discussion of loneliness and building connections for a better life.

As always, please subscribe, share this episode with a friend or on social media, and give us a great rating or review wherever you listen if you think we deserve it.

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This Deadly Condition Affects One in Four People (article by Ben about loneliness): https://benbaran.substack.com/p/this-deadly-condition-affects-one

How One Man Convinced 200 Ku Klux Klan Members To Give Up Their Robes: https://www.npr.org/2017/08/20/544861933/how-one-man-convinced-200-ku-klux-klan-members-to-give-up-their-robes

All episodes plus MUCH more: https://elevatingwhatworks.substack.com

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Suzanne Lucas is the "Evil HR Lady." After a decade in corporate HR, she embarked on a new mission to enhance the world of work for all. She coaches and trains HR departments, speaks around the world, and is the mastermind behind the Evil HR Lady group on Facebook, which has become a community of more than 31,000 HR professionals. In this episode, we talked about the state of HR, the dangers of the idea and practice of “bringing your whole self to work,” and the value of improv comedy for developing leadership skills. Stay tuned to hear Chris and I try a bit of improv in this thought-provoking and fun episode with Suzanne Lucas.

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Popular culture blog posts:

What Should Matthew Be Doing? A Job Analysis for being a Raven
Hidden Figures, Hidden Talent
Building Wakanda for Team #SIOP
Job Analysis of an SNL Host
Parks and Recreation: A Workplace Sitcom for your IO, OB, or HR class
May the Fourth of Networking Be With you

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Few ideas in business are as commonly discussed as leadership. Just think about all of the business books and articles and videos and bits of advice–all dealing with this topic. And sometimes with common ideas we forget what exactly we’re talking about. We’re going back to the basics and talking about what is leadership, actually? In this episode, we discuss:

What are we talking about when we talk about leadership
What do we know about leadership and how it works
How we each make progress in our leader development journeys

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The Vincent William Baran Day of Service is named after Ben's son, who died in a tragic accident in November 2020. The mission of the Day of Service is to bring joy, passion, empathy, and love to the world through an annual day of in-person service. In this episode, Ben and Chris discuss how everyone can get involved in the 2nd Annual Vincent William Baran Day of Service, which is set for Saturday, Sept. 24, 2022, with additional opportunities on Sept. 23 and 25. The Vincent William Baran Day of Service will be an enduring, annual event, with the vision of it becoming one of the largest days of focused volunteer activity in the United States. For complete details and registration, visit https://www.mightyvincent.org Check out Mighty Vincent on Facebook and Instagram All episodes of The Indigo Podcast Like The Indigo Podcast on Facebook Follow The Indigo Podcast on Twitter

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When organizations hire managers they tend to look for experience in a similar role, or someone that might be able to take the team or organization to a higher level or a different strategic place. It’s rare to come across hiring teams that select managers on a “does not drive their team crazy basis.” And there are few management issues that people complain about as much as this one: micromanagement. We discuss:

What is micromanagement?

Why does it occur and what happens when it does?

How to deal with micromanagement from three perspectives: as a senior leader wanting to ensure it’s not happening, as a leader who wants to be a good leader, as a subordinate who is being micromanaged.

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Related episode: Bad Bosses–The Technical Expert Who Fails at Leadership

Tavanti, M. (2011). Managing toxic leaders: Dysfunctional patterns in organizational leadership and how to deal with them. Human Resource Management, 2011, 127-136. Click here

Alvesson, M., & Sveningsson, S. (2003). Good visions, bad micro-management and ugly ambiguity: Contradictions of (non-) leadership in a knowledge-intensive organization. Organization Studies, 24(6), 961-988. click here

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What would you do if you had everything you wanted? What if you didn't have to work and your life was perfect? What then? In this episode, we unpack our thoughts regarding:

What does it mean to have “made it” in life and society?
Why there’s more beyond the struggle of life and why that matters
How all of us might start or continue that journey and make the world better

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A lot of what people know about leadership and organizations is based only on their own thoughts, observations, and maybe some pop psychology books. In our experience, much of what we hear people saying about leadership is just wrong. In this episode, we discuss: - How learning about leadership through unthoughtful observation doesn’t work

How we might think about our leadership as a product that we need to iterate based on evidence based practice
Implications for leaders, individuals and organizations

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Human resources (HR) does important work and has the potential to be a powerful force for organizational capability. At the same time, HR is rife with examples of non-evidence-based thinking. Quite simply, there are some big topics–like hiring–in which many HR professionals don’t know what practices are supported by research and which ones aren’t. In this episode, we discuss: - The “research-practice gap” and why it matters

Measurement of this gap and how it shows up in HR
Implications for all of us

Links and Other Information

Fisher, P. A., Risavy, S. D., Robie, C., König, C. J., Christiansen, N. D., Tett, R. P., & Simonet, D. V. (2021). Selection myths: A conceptual replication of HR professionals’ beliefs about effective human resource practices in the US and Canada. Journal of Personnel Psychology, 20(2), 51–60. Click here

Rob Briner’s article, “The Basics of Evidence-Based Practice”

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Erik Helzer is an associate professor at the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, California, and he specializes in three facets of practical wisdom: ethical behavior and moral judgment, self-knowledge, and personal agency and adjustment. He joined us for a wonderful conversation, in which we discussed behavioral ethics and moral psychology, along with implications for all of us.

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Helzer, E. G., Cohen, T. R., & Kim, Y. (2022). The character lens: A person-centered perspective on moral recognition and ethical decision-making. Journal of Business Ethics, 1-18. Download

Why the Past 10 Years Have Been Uniquely Stupid: Article in The Atlantic by Jonathan Haidt

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We recently released an episode about Joe Rogan. Some people HATED it. To be fair, some people liked it too. Since releasing that episode, we’ve thought a great deal about what we said, and we thought it was important enough–for you, our listeners, and because of the importance of the topic itself–to revisit this conversation. In particular, we’d like to explore some of the strongest reactions we got to the episode. These included:

Why did you guys even do this episode given your focus on business and relationships and organizations?
Are you saying Rogan should be canceled?
You both must really hate anyone who listens to Joe Rogan!

We hope you stay tuned–especially if you hated our first episode on Joe Rogan–and let us discuss further.

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The Saga of Joe Rogan: podcast episode on The Daily

Happy belated Valentine’s Day! Check out our episode on workplace romance.

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Joe Rogan has almost 12 million subscribers on YouTube and a gigantic podcast audience. He’s also at the epicenter of an evolving controversy that has to do with his content, his platform, and his exclusive deal with Spotify. In this episode, we discuss Joe Rogan and his role in the media landscape. Links and Other Information Why is Joe Rogan so Popular? Article in The Atlantic

Spotify CEO Addresses Joe Rogan Controversy (CNN)

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It’s great that women are filling college courses … and at the same time, it points to a potential problem with men. Or does it? In this episode, we explore:

The decline of male college enrollment
Why we should care about this issue
Implications for parents, educators, and society

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The Male Enrollment Crisis: article

Male College Completion: article

Gender Gap in High School Graduation: article

Unnoticed Result of the Decline of Men in College: article

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There’s a lot of talk right now about the “great resignation” and the numbers of people leaving the workforce. Regardless of the nuances of that situation and whether or not it poses a problem for specific employers, the topic of keeping junior talent is one that seems particularly relevant right now. In this episode, we discuss:

Why do people stay in their jobs
What might be particularly important for junior talent
Implications for junior talent, their leaders, and their organizations

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Why people quit and how to keep them: Part 1

Why people quit and how to keep them: Part 2

Lee, T. W., Mitchell, T. R., Holtom, B. C., McDaneil, L. S., & Hill, J. W. (1999). The unfolding model of voluntary turnover: A replication and extension. Academy of Management Journal, 42(4), 450-462. Click here

Allen, D. G., Bryant, P. C., & Vardaman, J. M. (2010). Retaining talent: Replacing misconceptions with evidence-based strategies. Academy of management Perspectives, 24(2), 48-64. Click here

McKinsey article on attracting and retaining talent: click here

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For those of us living among other people–which is basically all of us unless you’re a total hermit–it’s natural to look around and notice other people. This is something called “social comparison.” But it has both negative and positive outcomes for us. In this episode, we discuss:

What social comparison is
How does social comparison work and what are its outcomes
Implications for people, leaders, and organizations

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The Stress of Social Comparison: article

New York Times article: You Won’t Find Your Self-Worth on Instagram

Hobza, C. L., Walker, K. E., Yakushko, O., & Peugh, J. L. (2007). What about men? Social comparison and the effects of media images on body and self-esteem. Psychology of Men & Masculinity, 8(3), 161. Click here

Hogue, J. V., & Mills, J. S. (2019). The effects of active social media engagement with peers on body image in young women. Body Image, 28, 1-5. Click here

Experience Magazine: Jealous of your Facebook friends? You’re not alone.

Vogel, E. A., Rose, J. P., Okdie, B. M., Eckles, K., & Franz, B. (2015). Who compares and despairs? The effect of social comparison orientation on social media use and its outcomes. Personality and Individual Differences, 86, 249-256. Click here

Gibbons, F. X., & Buunk, B. P. (1999). Individual differences in social comparison: development of a scale of social comparison orientation. Journal of personality and social psychology, 76(1), 129. Click here

Park, S. Y., & Baek, Y. M. (2018). Two faces of social comparison on Facebook: The interplay between social comparison orientation, emotions, and psychological well-being. Computers in Human Behavior, 79, 83-93. Click here

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Everyone is talking about hybrid work, but there are some missing aspects to many of those conversations. In this episode, we discuss:

The phenomenon of hybrid work and the unfolding conversation
What critical considerations seem to be missing from that conversation
Implications for people, leaders, and organizations

Links and Other Information

The effects of remote work on collaboration among information workers: September 2021 article in Nature Human Behavior

Making hybrid work human: research project

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Human resources or HR: Love it or hate it, it’s the business function that deals with all of the messy “people stuff.” HR people and HR as a function have tremendous potential for making businesses work better and helping people thrive. But there’s this thing, “HR theater,” that’s everywhere. And that’s not good. We discuss what HR theater is, why it exists, and what to do about it.

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Rob Briner on Evidence-Based Practice: podcast episode

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The magnitude of problems facing the world can be overwhelming. But we are not helpless. In this episode, we discuss the value of getting involved and volunteering your service for the betterment of society. Specifically, we discuss the inaugural Vincent William Baran Day of Service, which was held on Sept. 25, 2021, and how everyone can contribute to making the world a better place.

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The Vincent William Baran Day of Service: Mighty Vincent

The USS Cleveland Legacy Foundation: click here

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For the average employee, it probably comes as no surprise that top management teams are out of touch with reality within the organization. But for executives themselves, it likely comes as a surprise--because, well, they’re out of touch. We explore this phenomenon in today’s episode, including key ways in which executives are out of touch currently (and perhaps more broadly), why this is problematic, and what leaders should do about it.

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What is Work Really Like Today: report from Gartner

Prior episode: Creating a Feedback Culture

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What value is there in thinking deeply about life’s persistent questions? It’s tremendous, according to Matt Jordan--and we agree. Matt is the Jack, Joseph, and Morton Mandel Dean and Chair for the Humanities at Cuyahoga Community College in Cleveland, Ohio, and he joined us to discuss the purpose of higher education, and more specifically, about the value of the humanities. We talked about living the good life, being a thoughtful person, how the humanities can foster civil discourse, and so much more.

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Check out Matt and his co-hosts on the Three Questions, Three Drinks Podcast

Matt Jordan’s book chapter, “Inquiry as Occupation” - click here

The Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Humanities Center at Cuyahoga Community College - click here

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Most of us don’t want to be perceived as “creepy.” And many guys are certainly not creepy. But at the same time, guys frequently act in creepy ways at work, on the web, and in other social situations. That creepiness has a negative effect on flourishing, and so in this episode, we explore what creepiness is, what leaders and organizations might do about it, and we provide some advice for people who are directly targeted by creepy guys--as well as some advice for men in general on this topic.

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What Makes a Person Creepy? TED article by Julia Shaw

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The idea of strategy is one that many people get wrong. But Chuck Bamford gets it RIGHT. He’s an author, speaker, consultant, and scholar. In this illuminating and lively conversation with Chuck, we discuss common myths about strategy and much more, including:

What strategy is and the landscape of strategy formulation implementation
How strategy really works
How leaders can actually get their organizations to think about and do strategy the right way

Links and Other Information

More about Chuck Bamford: website

Chuck’s book The Strategy Mindset 2.0: Click here

All of Chuck’s books: Check them out!

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The Strategy Mindset 2.0: A Practical Guide To The Design and Implementation of Strategy

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No one likes to be tricked. But it still happens sometimes, and some of us have friends who are tricked all the time. What’s lacking here is a better way to make decisions and not get tricked. In this episode, we discuss:

The disinformation and misinformation landscape
Common practices that trick people
Implications for people, leaders and organizations

Links and Other Information

The “dirty dozen” -- article from NPR on the 12 people behind most vaccine hoaxes

Idea of “pre-bunking” as discussed by the BBC

The Cambridge Social Decision-Making Lab: website

Drummond, C., & Fischhoff, B. (2017). Development and validation of the scientific reasoning scale. Journal of Behavioral Decision Making, 30(1), 26-38. Click here

Anderson, C. A., Lepper, M. R., & Ross, L. (1980). Perseverance of social theories: The role of explanation in the persistence of discredited information. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 39(6), 1037. Click here

Controlling the spread of misinformation: article from APA Monitor

One basic way to think about risk

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Mo Gawdat is the former Chief Business Officer of Google [X] and the author of Scary Smart: The Future of Artificial Intelligence and How You Can Save Our World. In this episode, we had the chance to discuss artificial intelligence--or AI--with Mo, and we covered his view of how AI is rapidly evolving, the risks of AI, and ultimately how we can remain in control of our collective future through a thoughtful approach to our interactions with technology.

Links and Other Information

Scary Smart: Mo Gawdat’s latest book, available Sept. 30, 2021 - check it out on Amazon

Mo Gawdat’s website and Slo Mo: A Podcast with Mo Gawdat

Solve for Happy: Mo Gawdat’s 2017 book - check it out on Amazon

The “Dead-Internet Theory” - article in The Atlantic

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Solve for Happy: Engineer Your Path to Joy

Scary Smart: The Future of Artificial Intelligence and How You Can Save Our World

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If you’re in the fields of HR or training and development, it’s likely that you’ve heard some about the use of artificial intelligence and gamification in organizations. One of the top experts in this area is Richard Landers, who is a professor at the University of Minnesota. He joined us for a fascinating conversation, in which we discussed:

Why technology is cool but not magic
Gamification and artificial intelligence
Implications for leaders and organizations

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More about Richard Landers: website

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Learning how to negotiate is an important skill. And one of the more common types of negotiations that we all go through has to do with job offers. So in this episode, we’ll be talking about navigating job offers from the perspective of both the job candidate and from the perspective of the organization doing the hiring. Specifically, we discuss:

Basic approaches toward negotiation
Stages of the negotiation process
Additional guidance for people and hiring teams

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Harvard Business Review article on job offers

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While not all work can be done remotely, we’ve learned that many types of work can be done remotely or with some types of flexible arrangements. This realization isn’t going away, and leaders now need to face this challenge head on. In this episode, we discuss:

What’s actually going on right now
Unpacking the leadership challenge faced by many executives and managers
Implications for people, leaders, organizations

Links and Other Information

Top 10 Work Trends: list

Updates on the top work trend

White paper on telecommuting: download

Related episodes: Post-Pandemic Leadership, The Four Day Work Week

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Since early 2019, a group of 12 members of the U.S. House of Representatives--six Democrats and six Republicans--have been on a bold mission to fix Congress. They’re members of the Select Committee on the Modernization of Congress, chaired by U.S. Representative Derek Kilmer. He joined us to talk about their efforts, including:

The origins of the committee
Recommendations it has produced
And much more

Links and Other Information

The Select Committee on the Modernization of Congress: website

Recommendations from the committee: 117th Congress recommendations, 116th Congress recommendations

June 24, 2021 full committee hearing: ““Rethinking Congressional Culture: Lessons from the Fields of Organizational Psychology and Conflict Resolution” click here

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So many times in business and in life, people and teams mess the same things up, over and over again. But one specific way in which leaders and teams can drive continual learning is through what’s called the “after-action review,” which we explore in this episode.

What are after-action reviews and what problems might they help address
Important elements of after-action reviews
Best practices in using after-action reviews for team members, leaders, and organizations

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Work teams benefit from diverse perspectives. Yet that diversity can increase the probability of tension. In this episode, we discuss:

The relationships among diversity, conflict, and team performance
How we can think about and manage conflict within diverse teams
Implications for people, leaders, and organizations

Links and Other Information

Garcia‐Prieto, P., Bellard, E., & Schneider, S. C. (2003). Experiencing diversity, conflict, and emotions in teams. Applied Psychology, 52(3), 413-440. Click here

Curşeu, P. L., & Schruijer, S. G. (2010). Does conflict shatter trust or does trust obliterate conflict? Revisiting the relationships between team diversity, conflict, and trust. Group Dynamics: Theory, Research, and Practice, 14(1), 66. Click here

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If you care about workplace learning and training, this is the episode for you. Kurt Kraiger is one of the world’s top experts in that space, and he joined us for a tremendous conversation about the science of workplace instruction. In this episode, we discussed:

Kurt’s academic and professional journey
What is the science of workplace instruction and why do we need it
Implications for people, leaders, and organizations

Links and Other Information

The Science of Workplace Instruction: article by Kurt Kraiger and Kevin Ford

Kurt’s work on mentoring: check out this one and also this one

Kurt on LinkedIn

Tea and Consent: video

Other experts in this area: Milt Hakel, Ed Salas

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Being the new person can be really tough. And helping newcomers is an important part of how we make teams work and how we get along well in society. In this episode, we discuss:

What does it mean to feel welcomed
Why it matters in the workplace and in broader society
Tips for all of us

Links and Other Information

Siegel, A., Esqueda, M., Berkowitz, R., Sullivan, K., Astor, R. A., & Benbenishty, R. (2019). Welcoming parents to their child’s school: Practices supporting students with diverse needs and backgrounds. Education and Urban Society, 51(6), 756-784. Click here

Eisenkraft, N., & Elfenbein, H. A. (2010). The way you make me feel: Evidence for individual differences in affective presence. Psychological Science, 21(4), 505-510. Click here

Madrid, H. P., Totterdell, P., Niven, K., & Barros, E. (2016). Leader affective presence and innovation in teams. Journal of Applied Psychology, 101(5), 673-686. Click here

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Bosses can be bad for many reasons. One reason is that they were promoted based upon technical expertise yet lack leadership and interpersonal skills. In this episode, we discuss that situation. Specifically, we address:

How being a technical expert who fails at leadership is one of many ways in which a manager can be a bad boss
What we can learn from the research on abusive supervision
Dealing with this particular type of bad boss: Tips if you’re in this situation

Links and Other Information

Tepper, B. J., Simon, L., & Park, H. M. (2017). Abusive supervision. Annual Review of Organizational Psychology and Organizational Behavior, 4, 123-152. Click here

Harvey, P., Stoner, J., Hochwarter, W., & Kacmar, C. (2007). Coping with abusive supervision: The neutralizing effects of ingratiation and positive affect on negative employee outcomes. The Leadership Quarterly, 18(3), 264-280. Click here

Bad bosses: Dealing with Abusive Supervisors (article)

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Forrest Faison is a retired vice admiral in the United States Navy who served as its 38th Surgeon General. He is now the senior vice president for research and innovation and chief healthcare strategy officer at Cleveland State University. He joined us to talk about the future of health care and much more. We discussed:

Major trends in the future of health care
Managing health emergencies at a large scale
Lessons learned from being the 38th surgeon general of the U.S. Navy

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What would it look like if every time someone wronged us, we responded with our most basic instincts: avoidance or revenge? This is one of the most critical types of situations in which we find ourselves torn between what we want to do and what makes the world a better place. In this episode, we explore the science of forgiveness, including:

What is forgiveness and ways to think about it
How forgiveness develops and its links with well-being
Implications for all of us

Links and Other Information

McCullough, M. E., & Witvliet, C. V. (2002). The psychology of forgiveness. Handbook of Positive Psychology, 2, 446-455.

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Going off to college is an exciting time for both parents and students. It’s a time that marks the end of childhood in some ways and the launch into adulthood in other ways. It’s also a time that’s fraught with uncertainty and ambiguity. So in this episode, we explore how new college students can approach their first year, and how parents can support their child’s new foray into college.

Links and Other Information

Parent resources: Cleveland State University and University of Michigan
We’re No. 1 Article on higher education in the United States
John Kroger on Learning, the Military, Higher Education, and American Society: podcast episode
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Cheryl Gray studies unhelpful help, which refers to those times when a supervisor or coworker does something that others perceive as being intended as helpful but actually is unhelpful or even harmful. In this episode, Cheryl joined us to discuss unhelpful help, and we explore:

What is unhelpful help and why does it matter
Cutting-edge emerging research on unhelpful help
Implications for people, leaders, and organizations

Links and Other Information

Gray, C. E., Spector, P. E., Lacey, K. N., Young, B. G., Jacobsen, S. T., & Taylor, M. R. (2020). Helping may be Harming: Unintended negative consequences of providing social support. Work & Stress, 34(4), 359-385. Click here

Paul Spector’s blog post on unhelpful help

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In some workplaces, foul language seems to spew forth from people nonstop. In others, the slightest off-color remark would turn heads and raise eyebrows with astonishment. Given these differences, how should we think about swearing at work? And what research might help guide us? We discuss:

An introduction to ways to think about swearing at work
A survey of some of the research on swearing at work
Implications for people, leaders, and organizations

Links and Other Information

Baruch, Y., Prouska, R., Ollier-Malaterre, A., & Bunk, J. (2017). Swearing at work: the mixed outcomes of profanity. Journal of Managerial Psychology. Click here

Baruch, Y., & Jenkins, S. (2007). Swearing at work and permissive leadership culture: When anti‐social becomes social and incivility is acceptable. Leadership & Organization Development Journal. Click here

Johnson, D. I., & Lewis, N. (2010). Perceptions of swearing in the work setting: An expectancy violations theory perspective. Communication Reports, 23(2), 106-118. Click here

Pinker, Steven. The Stuff of Thought: Language As a Window into Human Nature. New York: Viking, 2007.

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If you ask a person to do something, why would he or she say yes and comply? It has to do with the power you hold and the influence you wield. This holds true regardless of whether you’re working with your boss, your direct reports, your coworkers, or even with friends or members of your family. We discuss:

What is power and what are the primary sources of power
What is influence and what are the primary different influence tactics
Implications for people, leaders, and organizations

Links and Other Information

Elias, S. (2008). Fifty years of influence in the workplace: The evolution of the French and Raven power taxonomy. Journal of Management History. Click here

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Dave Smith is a professor of sociology in the College of Leadership and Ethics at the U.S. Naval War College. Brad Johnson is a professor of psychology at the U.S. Naval Academy. Their most recent book--and the topic of this episode--is Good Guys: How Men can be Better Allies for Women in the Workplace. In particular, we discuss:

What does it mean to be an “ally” for women at work and why does it matter
Different types of allyship
Practical steps for leaders and the world of work

Links and Other Information

Books: Good Guys and Athena Rising

More about Dave, Brad, and their work: www.workplaceallies.com

More about Dave Smith: Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram

More about Brad Johnson: website, LinkedIn

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Good Guys: How Men Can Be Better Allies for Women in the Workplace

Athena Rising: How and Why Men Should Mentor Women

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The data are clear about the benefits of having a sense of purpose and meaning in life. And one big piece of that for many people is their work. But what makes work meaningful? How might we make our work more meaningful, and what might we do if that’s just not possible? In this episode, we discuss:

What is meaningful work and why does it matter
How to make work more meaningful or what to do if that’s unlikely
Implications for people, leaders, and organizations

Links and Other Information

Berg, J. M., Dutton, J. E., & Wrzesniewski, A. (2013). Job crafting and meaningful work. In B.J. Dik, Z. S. Byrne & M. F. Steger (Eds.), Purpose and meaning in the workplace (pp. 81-104). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association. Click here

Bunderson, J. S., & Thompson, J. A. (2009). The call of the wild: Zookeepers, callings, and the double-edged sword of deeply meaningful work. Administrative Science Quarterly, 54(1), 32-57. Click here

The Indigo Manifesto

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Imagine an “executive.” What do you picture in your mind? If you’re like most of us, some characteristics likely come to mind, and these characteristics are part of something called “executive presence.” It’s an important idea, but it’s also one that can get people and leaders into trouble. In this episode, we discuss.

What is the popular understanding of executive presence?
Research findings about executive presence and related concepts
Implications for people, leaders, and organizations

Links and Other Information

Dagley, G. R., & Gaskin, C. J. (2014). Understanding executive presence: Perspectives of business professionals. Consulting Psychology Journal: Practice and Research, 66(3), 197. Click here
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Rachel Wernicke is a clinical psychologist and leadership coach, currently serving as an associate dean and chief mental health officer at George Mason University. She’s also a U.S. Army veteran, and in today’s episode, we talk with her about self-talk--what it is, why it matters, and how it can be harmful or helpful. We discuss:

What is self-talk
Different types of self-talk and examples
Implications for people, leaders, and organizations

Links and Other Information

More about Rachel Wernicke: website and TEDx talk
Bunting, N. (2016). The Mindful Leader: 7 Practices for Transforming Your Leadership, Your Organisation, and Your Life. Melbourne, Australia: Wiley. Click here
Flaxman, P.E., Bond, F.W., & Livheim, F. (2013). The Mindful and Effective Employee: An Acceptance and Commitment Therapy Manual for Improving Well-Being and Performance. Oakland, CA: New Harbinger Publications. Click here
Rogelberg, S. G., Justice, L., Braddy, P. W., Paustian‐Underdahl, S. C., Heggestad, E., Shanock, L., Baran, B., Beck, T., Long, S., Andrew, A., Altman, D., and Fleenor, J. (2013). The executive mind: leader self‐talk, effectiveness and strain. Journal of Managerial Psychology. Click here
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Mindful and Effective Employee: An Acceptance & Commitment Therapy Training Manual for Improving Well-Being and Performance

The Mindful Leader: 7 Practices for Transforming Your Leadership, Your Organisation and Your Life

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What do you think about when you think about the word, “bureaucracy?” If you’re like most people, it’s probably not something positive. Truth be told, there is plenty about bureaucracy that’s not great. But might bureaucracy have some redeeming qualities? In this episode, we discuss:

What is bureaucracy and why does it have a negative connotation?
What might “good bureaucracy” look like
Implications for people, leaders, and organizations

Links and Other Information

Thompson, V. A. (1965). Bureaucracy and innovation. Administrative Science Quarterly, 1-20. click here
Sager, F., & Rosser, C. (2009). Weber, Wilson, and Hegel: Theories of modern bureaucracy. Public Administration Review, 69(6), 1136-1147. click here
Olsen, J. P. (2006). Maybe it is time to rediscover bureaucracy. Journal of Public Administration research and theory, 16(1), 1-24. click here
Grey, C., & Garsten, C. (2001). Trust, control and post-bureaucracy. Organization Studies, 22(2), 229-250. click here
Eisenstadt, S. N. (1959). Bureaucracy, bureaucratization, and debureaucratization. Administrative Science Quarterly, 302-320. click here
Downs, A. (1965). A theory of bureaucracy. The American Economic Review, 55(1/2), 439-446. click here
Andrews, R., Boyne, G., & Mostafa, A. M. S. (2017). When bureaucracy matters for organizational performance: Exploring the benefits of administrative intensity in big and complex organizations. Public Administration, 95(1), 115-139. click here
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Surveys have become very common, and it can be annoying. But are surveys worth doing? The short answer is yes, but it depends. It turns out there are a number of best practices that have to do with surveys and how to make them a useful tool for management, leadership, and overall organizational development. In this episode, we discuss:

Should you do a survey
Top items to keep in mind if you are going to do a survey
Implications for people, leaders, and organizations

Links and Other Information

Infographic about employee reactions to surveys: click here
Steven Rogelberg: survey expert and meetings researcher
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Among the scholars who study the world of work, Paul Spector is a giant. A 2012 Indiana University study and a 2019 Stanford University study listed Paul as one of the 10 most influential business management researchers worldwide. In this episode, we discuss:

The field of occupational health psychology and why it matters
Signs of healthy and unhealthy workplaces
How to create organizations that are better suited for the psychological and physical health of their members

Links and Other Information

Paul Spector’s blog: https://paulspector.com/

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Co-hosted by organizational psychologist Ben Baran and management consultant Chris Everett, The Indigo Podcast takes an evidence-based approach toward solving problems at work and in life in a way that's always thoughtful and spit-out-your-coffee funny. The Indigo Podcast is on all major platforms including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, and more.

Visit: https://www.indigotogether.com/indigopodcast

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Even with the best hiring and coaching, good organizations and leaders need to be ready to fire someone who isn’t working out. Letting poor performers linger doesn’t help anyone. But firing people isn’t an activity to be taken lightly. It’s full of emotions and lasting consequences. It’s one of those things you want to handle with care as a leader. We discuss:

Managing the termination process
Minimizing risk for you and the organization during the process
Navigating an actual firing conversation, for both the sacker and the being sacked

Links and Other Information

Resign or Be Fired: Article from SHRM
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When it comes to managing people, one of the toughest parts is hiring. But if you want a good organization, you have to get hiring right. The good news is that there’s a mountain of evidence about how to hire people. Listen in, and we’ll explore:

The challenge of selection
A process backed by 100 years of science
Implications for job candidates, hiring managers, and executives

Links and Other Information

Schmidt, F. L., & Hunter, J. E. (1998). The validity and utility of selection methods in personnel psychology: Practical and theoretical implications of 85 years of research findings. Psychological Bulletin, 124(2), 262. Click here
Free research on thousands of jobs: The O*Net
What NOT to ask in interviews: Guide from the Ohio Civil Rights Commission
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Leading people is hard. It’s especially hard when many of the people you’re trying to lead don’t like you. But you have to lead anyway. In this episode, we talk about what you can do, exploring:

Situations in which leading other people is challenging
The central nature of trust and leadership
Implications for people, leaders, and organizations

Links and Other Information

Burke, C. S., Sims, D. E., Lazzara, E. H., & Salas, E. (2007). Trust in leadership: A multi-level review and integration. The Leadership Quarterly, 18(6), 606-632. Click here

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In this episode, we discuss training at work. Specifically, we examine what’s widely known in the training industry as the 70:20:10 rule. One part of this idea is that most of the learning that occurs at work happens informally and not through more formal experiences like those in the classroom. But does this idea stand the test of science? We explore:

The 70:20:10 rule and a review of the evidence
Maximizing the value of on-the-job training
Implications for people, leaders, and organizations

Links and Other Information

Clardy, A. (2018). 70-20-10 and the dominance of informal learning: A fact in search of evidence. Human Resource Development Review, 17(2), 153-178. Click here

Johnson, S. J., Blackman, D. A., & Buick, F. (2018). The 70: 20: 10 framework and the transfer of learning. Human Resource Development Quarterly, 29(4), 383-402. Click here

Steven Rogelberg’s book, The Surprising Science of Meetings (Amazon)

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Microsoft released a report on March 22, 2021 that outlines seven urgent business trends and five ways forward with regard to the world of work. We discuss the report and provide our analysis and commentary. Specifically, we discuss:

An overview of Microsoft’s new report, “The Next Great Disruption is Hybrid Work -- Are we Ready?
Our evaluation of what we see as most (and least) valuable
Implications for people, leaders, and organizations

Links and Other Information

The Next Great Disruption Is Hybrid Work—Are We Ready? Report from Microsoft

Citi declares “Zoom-Free” Fridays: article from Yahoo!

Cort Rudolph on Debunking the Myths of Generational Differences: Episode on The Indigo Podcast

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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”

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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

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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

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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

Teams That Work: The Seven Drivers of Team Effectiveness

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This year has been such a challenge for you, us, and the rest of the world. But there is hope. We discuss in this episode, specifically:

How 2020 was tremendously challenging
Why we should have hope going into 2021
Ways in which we can position ourselves for flourishing this year

Happy New Year to you and yours! SUBSCRIBE TODAY.

Links and Other Information

COVID-19 data from Johns Hopkins University: click here
COVID vs the Flu: article
How Science Beat the Virus: article in The Atlantic

All episodes and more information is available at Indigo Together.

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We are taking a pause. Please listen as to why.

More about Vincent William Baran's life, including the eulogy that Ben delivered for him, is online at www.MightyVincent.org

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Do veterans make good civilian employees? How do veterans and civilians avoid talking past each other in corporate settings? We discuss this and more with Kristin Saboe who leads employee listening, research, and talent strategy at The Boeing Company. She is responsible for authoring and leading Boeing’s Enterprise Veterans and Military Spouses Strategy. She also sits on several national level advisory councils related to veteran employment. Prior to Boeing, Kristin served in the U.S. Army. We'll dive deep into:

Kristin's areas of focus and work with the military veteran community
The use of science for making policy
The current state and potential future of military veteran employment in the United States

Show Notes

https://www.siop.org/About-SIOP/Advocacy/SIOP-Military-and-Veterans-Initiative

https://www.militarypsych.org/

https://www.bushcenter.org/explore-our-work/issues/military-service-initiative.htm

lhttps://ivmf.syracuse.edu/about-ivmf/

https://www.hiringourheroes.org/

https://psycharmor.org/

https://www.easterseals.com/DCMDVA/

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John Kroger, a vice president at the Aspen Institute, previously served as the inaugural Chief Learning Officer of the United States Navy and Marine Corps, providing oversight for all education institutions and programs for more than 900,000 civilian and military personnel, with a budget of more than $1.7 billion. Before that, he served as the president of Reed College, the Attorney General of Oregon, Assistant US Attorney, and in several roles as a policy analyst and legislative assistant. He also served in uniform as a U.S. Marine, after which he earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in philosophy at Yale University and his law degree from Harvard University.

In this episode, we discussed:

The importance of learning and education for national security
The future of higher education, and
Supporting human thriving in society at large

Links and Other Information

John Kroger’s blog series, Leadership in Higher Education: click here
The Aspen Institute: website, Rodel Fellowships in Public Leadership program (link)
The U.S. Naval Community College: click here

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If you want to motivate people, you need to understand the nature of rewards in the workplace. Otherwise, you might be really missing the mark. You might actually be demotivating your employees. In this episode, we unpack the basics of rewarding employees, including the following:

Extrinsic versus intrinsic rewards
Fundamental ideas about employee motivation
Implications for people, leaders, and organizations

Links and Other Information

Related episodes: Cort Rudolph on Generational Differences (link), Designing Work that Doesn’t Stink (link), Make it RAIN! Money as a Motivator (link)
Ben’s terrible YouTube videos:
- Equity Theory,
- Expectancy Theory,
- Goal-Setting Theory,
- Social Exchange and Organizational Support Theory
Accepting an award: Tips from Toastmasters (click here)
The Four Intrinsic Rewards that Drive Employee Engagement: Article by Kenneth Thomas (click here)
Lincoln Electric’s pay system: Article in the NY Times
Russ Robert's essay, "The Story of My Life," in which he introduces the idea of thinking of yourself as part of an ensemble instead of as the main character: click here

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One way to tilt the odds in your favor is to use evidence when making decisions and choices. But our typical use of evidence isn’t optimal. We can do better. In this episode, we talk with one of the world’s leading voices regarding evidence-based practice, Rob Briner. He is a professor of organizational psychology at Queen Mary, University of London and the co-founder and scientific director of the Center for Evidence-Based Management. He has received several awards for his work in this area including the British Psychological Society Division of Occupational Psychology Academic Contribution to Practice Award in 2014 and topped HR Magazine’s Most Influential Thinker list in 2016. In our conversation we discuss the following (and more):

What is evidence-based practice and what is it not?
Why is it difficult and what are some of the barriers?
How to get started with evidence-based practice

Links and Other Information

Rob Briner: website, YouTube channel, Twitter, LinkedIn
The Basics of Evidence-Based Practice: article in People + Strategy
Center for Evidence-Based Management: website
Why Don’t We Need the Whole Truth? Click here
Banana guards: Click here

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What can managers do to make work more satisfying and more motivational? Does it matter if people find their jobs satisfying? Why or why not? We explore these and related topics in this episode, including:

What job satisfaction is and why it matters
Five different facets of job satisfaction
The job characteristics model and how managers can make work more satisfying and motivating

Links and Other Information

Man’s Search for Meaning: book
The Chimp Paradox: book
Judge, T. A., Thoresen, C. J., Bono, J. E., & Patton, G. K. (2001). The job satisfaction–job performance relationship: A qualitative and quantitative review. Psychological Bulletin, 127(3), 376. Click here
Fried, Y., & Ferris, G. R. (1987). The validity of the job characteristics model: A review and meta‐analysis. Personnel Psychology, 40(2), 287-322. Click here

The Chimp Paradox: The Mind Management Program to Help You Achieve Success, Confidence, and Happine ss

Man's Search for Meaning The Classic Tribute to Hope from the Holocaust

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In this eye-opening episode, Cort Rudolph of St. Louis University pulls back the curtain on generational differences at work. Simply put, they don’t exist. And it’s tough to even make the claim that generations themselves exist. We discuss these topics, drawing upon Cort’s recently published article on the topic in the Journal of Business and Psychology. Specifically, we explore:

What are generations, do they even exist, and do they matter?
Myths about generations and generational differences
Implications for people, leaders, and organizations

Links and Other Information

Rudolph, C. W., Rauvola, R. S., Costanza, D. P., & Zacher, H. (2020). Generations and generational differences: Debunking myths in organizational science and practice and paving new paths forward. Journal of Business and Psychology, 1-23. Click here
Cort Rudolph: website and Twitter

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First impressions, in some research studies, are measured in milliseconds. Let that sink in. In fractions of a second, we make judgments about each other. In fractions of a second, people make judgments about us. In this episode, we explore impression management. Specifically, we discuss:

What is impression management
How do we shape impressions and can we change them
Implications for people, leaders, organizations

We may or may not also discuss Greek yogurt.

Links and Other Information

Bar, M., Neta, M., & Linz, H. (2006). Very first impressions. Emotion, 6(2), 269. Click here
Bolino, M. C. (1999). Citizenship and impression management: Good soldiers or good actors?. Academy of Management Review, 24(1), 82-98. Click here
Leary, M. R., & Kowalski, R. M. (1990). Impression management: A literature review and two-component model. Psychological Bulletin, 107(1), 34. Click here
Mann, T. C., & Ferguson, M. J. (2015). Can we undo our first impressions? The role of reinterpretation in reversing implicit evaluations. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 108(6), 823. Click here
Wayne, S. J., & Liden, R. C. (1995). Effects of impression management on performance ratings: A longitudinal study. Academy of Management Journal, 38(1), 232-260. Click here
Willis, J., & Todorov, A. (2006). First impressions: Making up your mind after a 100-ms exposure to a face. Psychological Science, 17(7), 592-598. Click here

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Decisions are fascinating, and Neil Shortland is an expert on them. He’s an assistant professor of Criminology and Justice Studies and the director of the Center for Terrorism and Security Studies at the University of Massachusetts Lowell. In this episode, we explore decisions and decision-making, including details about:

Making hard decisions
Decision-making in policing and business
How the research on decision-making can apply to all of our lives

Links and Other Information

More about Neil Shortland: website, Twitter, and YouTube
Ground Truth: Communication, decision-making, leadership, and risk for law enforcement, emergency services, military, and security services. Click here
Neil’s book, Conflict: click here
Shortland, N., Alison, L., & Thompson, L. (In press). Military maximizers: Examining the effect of individual differences in maximization on military decision-making. Personality and Individual Differences. Click here
Shortland, N., Thompson, L., & Alison, L. (In press). Police Perfection: Examining the Effect of Trait Maximization on Police Decision-Making. Frontiers in Psychology. Click here
Cohen, M. S., & Lipshitz, R. (2011). Three roads to commitment: A trimodal theory of decision making. Click here
Shortland, N., Alison, L., & Barrett-Pink, C. (2018). Military (in) decision-making process: a psychological framework to examine decision inertia in military operations. Theoretical Issues in Ergonomics Science, 19(6), 752-772. Click here
Larsen, R. P. (2001). Decision making by military students under severe stress. Military Psychology, 13(2), 89-98. Click here
Klein, G. A. (2017). Sources of power: How people make decisions. MIT press. Click here

Conflict: How Soldiers Make Impossible Decisions

Sources of Power: How People Make Decisions

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Is the boss always watching you? With the proliferation of employee monitoring technologies, it’s becoming increasingly likely. But employee surveillance--electronic or otherwise--must be handled with care. In this episode, we discuss:

What is employee surveillance
Forms and negative reactions to employee surveillance
Implications for people, leaders and organizations

Links and Other Information

News about H&M and employee surveillance: BBC and NY Post
Yost, A. B., Behrend, T. S., Howardson, G., Darrow, J. B., & Jensen, J. M. (2019). Reactance to electronic surveillance: A test of antecedents and outcomes. Journal of Business and Psychology, 34(1), 71-86. Click here

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What is humor? Why does it matter with regard to the workplace? How can it help organizations and leaders? In this episode, we talk with comedian and speaker David Horning about the changing nature of work and how humor fits into it all. Specifically, we discuss:

The work landscape
Why humor helps
How to--how NOT to--incorporate humor into the workplace and leadership

Links and Other Information

David Horning’s website
David’s organization, Water Cooler Comedy
David's podcast, You Can't Laugh at That
David on Twitter
Avolio, B. J., Howell, J. M., & Sosik, J. J. (1999). A funny thing happened on the way to the bottom line: Humor as a moderator of leadership style effects. Academy of Management Journal, 42(2), 219-227. Click here
Pundt, A., & Venz, L. (2017). Personal need for structure as a boundary condition for humor in leadership. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 38(1), 87-107. Click here
Huo, Y., Lam, W., & Chen, Z. (2012). Am I the only one this supervisor is laughing at? Effects of aggressive humor on employee strain and addictive behaviors. Personnel Psychology, 65(4), 859-885. Click here

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Dealing with bad news is a fundamental part of being a leader or a manager. Focusing on how to deal with bad news within the organization, we discuss the research on delivering bad news and distill some actionable insights. Specifically, we explore:

How sharing bad news is hard and painful, but it’s necessary
Why and how fairness matters with regard to sharing bad news
Implications for people, leaders, and organizations

Links and Other Information

Bies, R. J. (2013). The delivery of bad news in organizations: A framework for analysis. Journal of Management, 39(1), 136-162. Click here
Lavelle, J. J., Folger, R., & Manegold, J. G. (2016). Delivering bad news: How procedural unfairness affects messengers’ distancing and refusals. Journal of Business Ethics, 136(1), 43-55. Click here
Firing via Zoom: At the scooter-sharing startup Bird and at WW International Inc.

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What is talent management, anyway? And what does it have to do with how the workplace is changing? We explore these questions and more in this phenomenal episode with Marisa Carson, Ph.D. Specifically, we discuss:

How an organizational psychologist ended up working in talent management
How the workplace is changing amid COVID and other social shifts
Implications for talent management in the future

Links and Other Information

Related episode: Enrica Ruggs on Race, Organizations, and the Role of Leaders

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Training at work is often terrible--but it doesn’t have to be. In this episode, we unpack some of the basic--yet essential--ideas behind creating training that has a real and sustained impact. Specifically, we address:

What is training and why does it matter
Ways to design training so that it helps people learn
Key takeaways for people, leaders, organizations

Links and Other Information

Association for Talent Development: website and state of the industry
The International Society for Performance Improvement: website
The Thiagi Group: games and other training-related resources
Aguinis, H., & Kraiger, K. (2009). Benefits of training and development for individuals and teams, organizations, and society. Annual Review of Psychology, 60, 451-474. Click here

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Being ostracized is painful, regardless of whether it occurs in our non-work or work lives. We explore workplace ostracism in this episode with Josh Cogswell, an assistant professor of management at Nicholls State University who recently published a meta-analysis on workplace ostracism in the Journal of Applied Psychology. Specifically, we discuss:

What is ostracism and why does it matter in the workplace
Outcomes of ostracism
What leads to ostracism and implications for people, leaders, and organizations

Links and Other Information

Josh Cogswell: LinkedIn or at the Nicholls State University College of Business Administration
Howard, M. C., Cogswell, J. E., & Smith, M. B. (2019). The antecedents and outcomes of workplace ostracism: A meta-analysis. Journal of Applied Psychology. Click here

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To develop as a leader, stretch assignments or “crucibles” are critical. We discuss in more detail, using Mormon missionary experiences and the Hells Angels motorcycle runs as examples. Specifically, we explore:

Why people need “crucibles” to grow and develop
What is a stretch assignment
Implications for people, leaders, and organizations

Links and Other Information

Thomas, R. J. (2008). Crucibles of leadership development. MIT Sloan Management Review, 49(3), 15. Click here
Fernández-Aráoz, C. 21st-Century Talent Spotting. Harvard Business Review.
Yost, P. R., & Plunkett, M. M. (2009). Real Time Leadership Development (Vol. 7). John Wiley & Sons. Click here

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Dave Schramm is a no-kidding family and relationships scholar--but he also does tremendous work bringing that research-based knowledge to the general public. He's an expert on what makes good relationships and good families, and he has great ideas on how those concepts can apply in the workplace. In this episode, we discuss:

Promoting happy and healthy relationships
The marriage and family help landscape and Dave's assessment of it
How families and organizations can benefit from this field of knowledge

Links and Other Information

Dave's website: https://www.drdavespeaks.com/
Dave on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DrDaveUSU/
The Gottman Institute: https://www.gottman.com/
VIA Character Strengths: free assessment
Related episode: Clayton Christensen--How Will You Measure Your Life

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Drawing upon decades of research, we describe what science suggests regarding how leaders actually develop. Specifically, we explore:

What is leader development and why does it matter
What do we know about leader development and how does it happen
Implications for people and organizations

Links and Other Information

McCall Jr, M. W. (2010). Recasting leadership development. Industrial and Organizational Psychology, 3(1), 3-19. Click here
Day, D. V., Fleenor, J. W., Atwater, L. E., Sturm, R. E., & McKee, R. A. (2014). Advances in leader and leadership development: A review of 25 years of research and theory. The Leadership Quarterly, 25(1), 63-82. Click here
Related episodes: Mentoring, Managers as Coaches, Creating a Feedback Culture

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Justin Trudeau, Jair Bolsonaro, Angela Merkel: three distinct leaders with three distinct approaches toward the COVID pandemic. We unpack their charismatic, ideological, and pragmatic approaches with Matt Crayne of the University at Albany and Kelsey Medeiros of the University of Nebraska Omaha. Specifically, we discuss:

Three ways to think about leadership
Profiles of three world leaders during COVID
Implications for people and organizations

Links and Other Information

Matt Crayne: website and Twitter
Kelsey Medeiros: website, ethics consulting firm, and Twitter
Crayne, M. P., & Medeiros, K. E. 2020. Making Sense of Crisis: Charismatic, Ideological, and Pragmatic Leadership in Response to COVID-19. The American Psychologist. Click here
Baran, B. E., & Scott, C. W. (2010). Organizing ambiguity: A grounded theory of leadership and sensemaking within dangerous contexts. Military Psychology. Click here
Leadership Lessons from Dancing Guy: video
Managing the Unexpected: book

Managing the Unexpected: Sustained Performance in a Complex World

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What is coaching and should managers be coaches? We explore this and related topics in this episode; specifically:

Coaching as a critical part of performance management
Coaches in the workplace--and managers as part of that
How organizations can promote coaching behavior

Links and More

Steelman, L. A., & Wolfeld, L. (2018). The manager as coach: The role of feedback orientation. Journal of Business and Psychology, 33(1), 41-53. Click here
Joo, B. K. B., Sushko, J. S., & McLean, G. N. (2012). Multiple faces of coaching: Manager-as-coach, executive coaching, and formal mentoring. Organization Development Journal, 30(1). Click here

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Learn about the five roles of everyday agile leaders and turning your conversation flow to cash flow with Mike Richardson, who specializes in the agility challenges of CEOs and executives running small to medium sized enterprises. He shares insights at the intersection of his agility experiences in three worlds. In the real-world, he started his career working as a Petroleum Engineer on offshore oil and gas drilling rigs with Shell International and now studies other everyday agile leaders in the real world: fighter pilots, Navy Seals, Fire Fighters and others. In the business world, via an MBA at London Business School, he went into the Aerospace industry and ended up running the Aerospace Division of a British public company, Spirent plc. In the advisory world, for nearly 20 years as an author, keynote speaker, facilitator, coach and board member, including 15 years as a CEO peer group chair and speaker with Vistage Worldwide.

Links
More about upcoming webinars with Mike: https://mikerichardson.live/webinars-1

Related episode--Flourishing in a VUCA World: Agile, Agility, and Why It Matters: https://indigopodcast.libsyn.com/flourishing-in-a-vuca-world

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Have you ever had to work in a group that had a member or two who just weren't pulling their weight? It happens--all the time. And it's terrible, for both people and organizations! These slackers in teams are doing what's called "social loafing," and in this episode we discuss:

What is social loafing
What we know about it and what does it do to groups and teams
How to prevent social loafing

Show Notes and Links

Karau, S. J., & Williams, K. D. (1993). Social loafing: A meta-analytic review and theoretical integration. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 65(4), 681. https://www1.psych.purdue.edu/~willia55/392F-%2706/KarauWilliamsMetaAnalysisJPSP.pdf
Simms A, Nichols T. Social loafing: A review of the literature. Journal of Management Policy and Practice. 2014;15(1):58-67.
Related podcast: Make it RAIN! Money as a Motivator: https://www.indigotogether.com/indigopodcast/make-it-rain-money-as-a-motivator

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In the realm of public service, the Honorable Mike Dovilla has done it all: elected official, congressional staffer, presidential appointee, military officer, and more. In this episode, we explore why public service is worth pursuing as a career, what shapes and forms public service might take, and advice for those of any age or state looking to get into public service. We also explore important aspects of history and context that shape U.S. government, society, and our involvement in it.

Show Notes

The Grindstone Institute: https://thegrindstoneinstitute.com/
Mike Dovilla on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaeldovilla
The USS Cleveland Legacy Foundation: https://www.usscleveland.org/
The Vanishing American Adult by Ben Sasse: https://www.amazon.com/Vanishing-American-Adult-Coming-Crisis/dp/1250114403
U.S. government jobs: https://www.usajobs.gov

The Vanishing American Adult: Our Coming-of-Age Crisis--and How to Rebuild a Culture of Self-Reliance

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Bill Gentry is the author of the best-selling book, Be the Boss Everyone Wants to Work For: A Guide for New Leaders. In this episode, our conversation covers getting to know Bill, his tips on career development, and information for first-time leaders.

Why should we listen to Bill? He is a leadership researcher, trainer, speaker, author, and industrial-organizational psychologist with a specialty of helping new and aspiring leaders. He’s currently the Assistant Vice President of Career and Professional Development at High Point University. Before that, he was a senior research scientist, trainer, and director at the Center for Creative Leadership, a top-ranked global provider of executive education and leadership development. Bill is an accomplished researcher with more than 50 peer-reviewed publications. He’s been featured in more than 50 internet and news outlets (such as Forbes.com, The Wall Street Journal, CNN.com, Harvard Business Review, Chief Learning Officer, and more).

Show Notes

Bill Gentry on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/williamagentryphd/

High Point University: http://www.highpoint.edu/

Be The Boss Everyone Wants To Work For:: https://www.amazon.com/Be-Boss-Everyone-Wants-Work/dp/1626566259

Bill Gentry’s website: https://williamgentryleads.com/

Be the Boss Everyone Wants to Work For: A Guide for New Leaders

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Today, we have guest, Todd Dewett, on the show.

Todd grew up in Memphis. He started a career as a consultant, but got an academic itch and earned his Ph.D. in Organizational Behavior at Texas A&M. He became a professor, quickly rose the ranks through tenure and promotion all the way to full professor, won all the teaching and research awards, and after 10 highly successful years in academia… he left. Fast forward to today, Todd is a professional speaker. He’s given more than 1,000 speeches, including TEDx, endless corporate events and conferences, military groups, religious organizations, and many nonprofits; he’s talked live in numerous countries to over 100,000 people, Inc. Magazine named him a Top 100 Leadership Speaker, and he was hired by the National Speakers Association to teach professional speakers how to deliver killer keynote speeches. Todd is the author of numerous articles and books, including Show Your Ink: Stories About Leadership and Life.

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We're thrilled to have Steven Rogelberg on our show. Steven has authored more than 100 publications addressing issues such as team effectiveness, leadership, engagement, health and employee well-being, meetings at work, and organizational research methods. He has been seen in the media via CBS, TEDx, The Washington Post, etc. He is also a professor and the Editor of The Journal of Business and Psychology.

Today, we will discuss what drives Steven, his evidence-based take on improving meetings, and his latest book, “The Surprising Science of Meetings: How You Can Lead Your Team to Peak Performance.”

Links to check out:

The Surprising Science of Meetings: https://www.amazon.com/Surprising-Science-Meetings-Lead-Performance/dp/0190689218/

The Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology: www.siop.org

www.stevenrogelberg.com

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In this episode we explore:

What the heck can anyone say anymore
How to be an effective social deviant
How to curate a healthy conversation and culture at work

Show Notes

Poll: 62% of Americans Say They Have Political Views They’re Afraid to Share: https://www.cato.org/publications/survey-reports/poll-62-americans-say-they-have-political-views-theyre-afraid-share
The Overton Window: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Overton_window
Morrison, E. W., & Milliken, F. J. (2000). Organizational silence: A barrier to change and development in a pluralistic world. Academy of Management Review, 25(4), 706-725. https://journals.aom.org/doi/abs/10.5465/amr.2000.3707697
Episode on difficult conversations:https://indigopodcast.libsyn.com/difficult
Episode on managing emotions: https://indigopodcast.libsyn.com/chimp-draft

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Today, we have the pleasure of interviewing Enrica Ruggs, Assistant Professor of Management and Director of the Center for Workplace Diversity and Inclusion in the Fogelman College of Business and Economics at the University of Memphis. We discuss the racism landscape, racism and organizations, and making progress and the role of leadership against racism.

If you want to know a little more about Enrica, her work focuses on the manifestation of subtle forms of discrimination and mistreatment toward employees with stigmatized identities, the outcomes of these behaviors, and strategies that individuals and organizations can engage in to combat and reduce discrimination. Her research has been published in premier academic outlets such as Journal of Applied Psychology and Journal of Management.

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Networking ... some people love it and some people don't.
Everyone says it's valuable. Today we discuss:

Networking defined and some forms that it takes
Research on networking and its outcomes
Practical steps for enhancing your career--and your current job
Final note about networking during COVID-19

Show Notes

Wolff, H. G., & Moser, K. (2009). Effects of networking on career success: A longitudinal study. Journal of Applied Psychology, 94(1), 196. https://psycnet.apa.org/buy/2009-00697-007

Hargadon, A., & Sutton, R. I. (1997). Technology brokering and innovation in a product development firm. Administrative Science Quarterly, 716-749. https://www.jstor.org/stable/2393655?seq=1

Ingram, P., & Morris, M. W. (2007). Do people mix at mixers? Structure, homophily, and the “life of the party”. Administrative Science Quarterly, 52(4), 558-585. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.2189/asqu.52.4.558

https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3157260

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Today we have the pleasure of learning from Kate Ball. Kate is the Director of Talent and Leadership Development at a large tech company and she’s been an officer in the U.S. Navy since 2002. Kate is going to share her story about finding what is possible in your life and career. We'll also discuss the circuitous nature of careers and navigating possibilities. And, chat about the importance of finding purpose and implications for all of us.

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This podcast is about human flourishing at work AND BEYOND. Work and non-work are often intertwined, but if we’re to flourish in life, we need to pay attention to the full spectrum of human flourishing. Today’s episode is probably a little more on the “beyond” side of the spectrum. We discuss:

What is your identity and why is it important?
Work identity and the benefits of a more complex identity.
Developing a balanced “you.”

Links & Show Notes

Like us on Facebook! https://www.facebook.com/TheIndigoPodcast/
Subscribe on YouTube! https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdek-k3uDlmX5FPuOAbqoAg
Cerulo, K. A. (1997). Identity construction: New issues, new directions. Annual Review of Sociology, 23(1), 385-409. https://www.annualreviews.org/doi/full/10.1146/annurev.soc.23.1.385
Caza, B. B., Vough, H., & Puranik, H. (2018). Identity work in organizations and occupations: Definitions, theories, and pathways forward. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 39(7), 889-910. https://doi.org/10.1002/job.2318
https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2014/12/the-real-roots-of-midlife-crisis/382235/
https://www.theatlantic.com/family/archive/2018/05/the-invention-of-the-midlife-crisis/561203/
https://www.amazon.com/Effortless-Mastery-Liberating-Master-Musician/dp/156224003X effortless mastery by kenny werner
https://www.amazon.com/Intimacy-Desire-Awaken-Passion-Relationship/dp/0825305675

Effortless Mastery: Liberating the Master Musician Within, Book & Includes Online Downloadable code

Intimacy & Desire: Awaken The Passion In Your Relationship

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Today's podcast is on the subject of virtual meetings.

Fun fact: Zoom has surpassed 300 million daily meeting participants as of April 2020.

To help us present the best evidence on how to run better meetings, we have guest, Lea Williams. We will discuss:

The proliferation of online meetings
Pitfalls and opportunities
Implications for people and organizations

Lea Williams, a proud caretaker of two greyhounds living in the Queen City (Charlotte, NC), is an organizational scientist with a passion for researching workplace meetings and helping nonprofit organizations. Her prior industry experience includes work at Duke Energy, TIAA, and Ingersoll Rand, and consulting with dozens of nonprofit organizations. Lea earned her Ph.D. in organizational science and master’s degree in industrial and organizational psychology from The University of North Carolina at Charlotte and her bachelor’s degree in psychology from Davidson College.

Links:

https://www.backstage.com/magazine/article/need-know-tips-acting-camera-4073/

https://www.theverge.com/2020/4/23/21232401/zoom-300-million-users-growth-coronavirus-pandemic-security-privacy-concerns-response

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/answering-9-questions-making-virtual-meetings-better-steven-rogelberg/

https://www.amazon.com/Surprising-Science-Meetings-Lead-Performance/dp/0190689218

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Today, we talk with Dr. Warren D. Everett and end up with a moral case for opening the economy in the wake of Covid-19. Dr. Everett has practiced medicine for over 40 years, is a retired medical school professor from the University of AL, and has specialties in Aerospace Medicine and Family Practice. He also has a B.S. in Economics from the United States Air Force Academy. Specifics we address:

How pandemics end: medically vs socially
Psychology of exhaustion and self-control
The role of organizations and leaders as we move forward

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Many of us have worked for someone we suspected might be a narcissist, or maybe have simply wondered, "What's wrong with this person?" Some of you may not be able to get enough of yourself. In this episode we talk about Narcissism and leadership.

What is narcissism?
What do narcissistic leaders do in organizations?
How to spot, avoid, and deal with narcissistic leaders around you.

"Narcissism and self-deception are survival mechanisms without which many of us might just jump off a bridge.” –Todd Solondz

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This episode is all about the mighty dollar's relationship with humans and work. We dive deep into:

Does money motivate people at work?
Your relationship with money and why that matters
Implications for organizations and for us as individual people

Show Notes

Pfeffer, J. (1998). Six dangerous myths about pay. Harvard Business Review, 76(3), 109-120. https://go.gale.com/ps/i.do?id=GALE%7CA20567116&sid=googleScholar&v=2.1⁢=r&linkaccess=abs&issn=00178012&p=AONE&sw=w

Dunn, E. W., Aknin, L. B., & Norton, M. I. (2008). Spending money on others promotes happiness. Science, 319(5870), 1687-1688. https://science.sciencemag.org/content/319/5870/1687.long?casa_token=03XvPmXw4IQAAAAA:_x-EIemt8mCnQKZGCxXszH3R4fkqdv1FHOE4jayec-o6udPIB-prtimDg_MpP7PoWUwpObVE_62N6A

Boyce, C. J., Brown, G. D., & Moore, S. C. (2010). Money and happiness: Rank of income, not income, affects life satisfaction. Psychological science, 21(4), 471-475. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/0956797610362671?casa_token=oef6k-m0a68AAAAA%3As-guoATHc76FfWzS6q4yrGZFdTzrZr65Nh5MCi9Z-GI6FPsMSWBog3wi1H7hEYK4-m7ezBbS9tpf

Quoidbach, J., Dunn, E. W., Petrides, K. V., & Mikolajczak, M. (2010). Money giveth, money taketh away: The dual effect of wealth on happiness. Psychological science, 21(6), 759-763.

https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/0956797610371963?casa_token=jbNlYjbnCssAAAAA%3ANAN5GsOaZLvkTFkY4i6l8Vrezb8LkwFM6pqDgxQnzw6_hQmo_iEIaozuqUNbzx4yhc-C-NTKWqo6

The Birth of the New American Aristocracy: 2018 article in The Atlantic: https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2018/06/the-birth-of-a-new-american-aristocracy/559130/

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Would you like to go back to high school? For many, the deciding factor in answering this question would be popularity. And, for those of us who perhaps despised high school, the "adult" world can be quite disappointing when we realize popularity contests don't go away. All potential cringing aside, in this episode we discuss:

What is popularity and how does it relate to the workplace?
How do people achieve popularity and what happens if you are popular?
What does popularity have to do with flourishing in life?

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We couldn't help it....we love Ice Cube. But alas, today's episode is about managing your emotions. Once you understand how your mind works you will be able to hack it. Others' behaviors will likely make more sense as well. So we dive deep into:

What is self leadership and how is managing one's emotions part of it?
How understanding how your mind works is the key to “hacking” your future
Using this understanding to improve your interactions with others

Show Notes

George, J. M. (2000). Emotions and leadership: The role of emotional intelligence. Human Relations, 53(8), 1027-1055. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0018726700538001

Difficult Conversations podcast: https://www.indigotogether.com/indigopodcast-1/difficult-conversations

Chimp Paradox book by Steve Peters: https://www.amazon.com/Chimp-Paradox-Management-Program-Confidence/dp/039916359X

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We're talking about working from home, and in
particular, how working from home has caused so many of us to have a collision between our personal and professional lives ... a “puncturing” of an illusion of perfection that many of us have
created. So we dive deep:
● What is a private vs. professional persona?
● How this is potentially helpful and potentially harmful in the workplace?
● Some tips for how to best navigate between private and professional personas.

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The big rift that can emerge between management and employees
Aligning the factions
Practical steps to head in the right direction

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We hope you laugh listening, as much as we did in prepping for this episode. Shout out to Jordan J. in Washington D.C. for submitting quite a few ideas on this fun topic. In a survey by CareerBuilder.com in 2009, 40% of respondents revealed that they have dated a coworker. Taboo?

We’re drawing upon a nice summary in the Encyclopedia of Industrial/Organizational Psychology written by Charles Pierce of the University of Memphis, also a good article in the MIT Sloan Management Review by John Pearce of Villanova University.

Different types of workplace romances and how they form
Impacts on the individual, team and broader organization
Implications--what should we do and not do...

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This is part two in our series on the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Crisis and Emergency Risk Communication Manual. Part one explored “Crisis Management Communication: Principles and Pitfalls,” check out that one too.

Today we’re going to talk about:

Four ways people process information during a crisis
Mental states in a crisis
Behaviors in a crisis
Addressing psychology in the crisis and emergency risk communication rhythm

#crisismanagementcommunication

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This is the first of what will likely be a handful of episodes on crises and related topics. We are drawing DIRECTLY from some amazing resources from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and we’ve included a link to all of these resources in the show notes. What we love about these resources is that it’s all evidence-based, drawing upon the relevant social science literature. And it doesn’t just have to do with public health emergencies.

The six principles of crisis and emergency risk communication
The phases of a crisis and the communication rhythm
Pitfalls to avoid and implications for everyone

Show Notes

CDC’s Crisis and Emergency Risk Communication (CERC) manual is based on psychological and communication sciences, studies in issues management, and practical lessons learned from emergency responses. The CERC manual is intended for public health response officials and communicators who have a basic knowledge of public health communication, working with the media and social media, and local and national response structures. Learn more and download it here: https://emergency.cdc.gov/cerc/manual/index.asp

The Tylenol Case: https://www.biznews.com/thought-leaders/2013/11/15/five-key-lessons-from-tylenol-crisis

https://www.nytimes.com/2002/03/23/your-money/IHT-tylenol-made-a-hero-of-johnson-johnson-the-recall-that-started.html

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What the heck is a covidtunist?
Need for differentiation and authenticity
Implications for vendors and organizations

Don't fall victim to the covidtunist.

Have examples of “covidtuning” or “covidtunists”? Share them with us on Twitter using the hashtag #covidtunist and tag us @PodcastIndigo

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COVID-19 is kind of like getting hit by a bus. This time is stressful, chaotic, and anxiety-provoking. How you respond is based on a number of factors. In this episode we dive deep into sensemaking and leadership in light of current events. What is sensemaking? It is the action or process of making sense of or giving meaning to something, especially new developments and experiences.

The collapse of sensemaking / a way in which organizations are fragile
How to lead the charge and how individuals and organizations can support
Emerging new tasks and roles for management due to COVID-19

Shout out to Cliff Scott who contributed greatly to our research and prep for this episode.

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While #covid-19 (#coronavirus) has us all on lockdown, we are finding that many of us are struggling with the isolation of #socialdistancing. Whether we live alone or with family, the isolation of having to stay in one's own home and deal with all the stress and changes this virus has brought us is a tall task. So in this episode we take an #evidencebased look at how to keep your sanity while isolated.

Humans are social
Experiences with Military Deployments and training scenarios
Guidance for behavior while in captivity--lessons from prisoners of war and the U.S. military

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Scholars often cite naval aircraft carriers as prototypical examples of “high-reliability” organizations. Such organizations, they suggest, are able to engage daily with risky technologies in a remarkably safe manner because of the ways in which people interact, communicate, and adhere to common principles. In this episode we explore:

What is a “high reliability organization?”
What can “normal” organizations learn from aircraft carriers?
Additional lessons from modern aircraft carriers that can be helpful.

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First let us say this episode will leave many unsatisfied -- we can empathize with the desire for definitive answers, but in the real world of leadership and management you have to get comfortable with incomplete information and ambiguity. We discuss:

What is science? How does it work? Misconceptions?
When it works, what kind of knowledge does it provide?
What is the nature of scientific explanation? How does the social organization of science contribute, if at all, to its success?

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If you are a veteran-- this episode is for you. If you are not a veteran, you may still find interest in this episode-- particularly if you are hiring veterans. What we cover:

Unrealistic transition preview
Geographic inflexibility
Sense of entitlement
Knowledge and skills gap
Additional tips and ideas for both transitioning veterans and employers who want to hire them

Additional info here.

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Everyone wants to work less with more productivity, right? Many companies have experimented with alternative work schedules, flex hours, and reduced hours. In the war for talent it is certainly tempting to offer a four hour work week, providing a way for employees to achieve work life balance. Does it work? In this episode we discuss:

History of the four day workweek and different types of work schedules
Industry, profitability, ethics
Implications for individuals, managers, execs and board members

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Today we’re trying something slightly different on the podcast. We’re going through some of the wonderful feedback we’ve received from you listeners, and we’re going to respond to some of the great questions you've thrown at us. Here are a few things we will cover:

Leadership styles and corresponding work environments that are conducive to those styles
Disentangling personal and professional boundaries in the workplace

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Today’s episode reflects on, Clayton Christensen, who was a Harvard Business School professor and consultant. He is probably best known because of his book, The Innovator’s Dilemma, which was published in 1997 and introduced his theory of “disruptive innovation.”

Christensen died on January 23, 2020, and it reminded us of one of our favorite works of his, a 2010 article in Harvard Business Review titled, "How Will You Measure Your Life?" So, in this episode we reflect on Clayton and explore the following:

What does it mean to create a strategy for your life?
Ethics and integrity matter because people remember.
Choosing your metrics for success.

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In this episode we discuss creating a feedback culture. We hear a lot about how important culture is and many companies are striving to win in the culture wars by offering everything from massages to gourmet free snacks. That’s all great on the surface, but let’s talk about:

What is a feedback culture and why does it matter?
What can an organization do to foster a feedback culture?
What can individual leaders do to foster a feedback culture?

Our last episode came in response to one of our listeners requests, and this one does too! So, thank you! If YOU want us to do an episode on something near and dear to your heart, or something related to a challenge you’re facing, let us know.

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Today’s episode comes from a recommendation from one of our many amazing listeners. So, this one’s for you, Kate! And the topic we’re addressing today is mentoring.

What is mentoring and its types
Mentoring programs contrasted with coaching and leadership development
Advice for those who seek mentoring

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We are drawing from the great book by Douglas Stone, Bruce Patton and Sheila Heen, Difficult Conversations: How to Discuss What Matters Most. If you ARE Douglas Stone, Bruce Patton, or Sheila Heen, let us know--we’d love to have you on!

In this episode we discuss:

what is a difficult conversation and when to have them
the three conversations
how to prepare for and conduct difficult conversations

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There is a lot we can say about why people quit and how you can retain them, hence a "part 2" to this discussion. We cover the following.

Turnover and retention--what the research says
Retention management--evidence based guidelines
Unfolding model of turnover
Organizational commitment and withdrawal

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Most managers know that retaining top talent is key to their success. As such, many companies are offering all sorts of "perks" to attract and keep the best employees. What does the research say? In this episode we cover:

Turnover and retention--what the research says
Retention management--evidence based guidelines
Unfolding model of turnover
Organizational commitment and withdrawal

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It's amazing how difficult it seems to get things done sometimes. In our consulting practice we have an entire curriculum around "Getting to Done" given how many organizations struggle in the area of execution. So in this episode we discuss:

Queuing theory (you need a damn backlog)
Sandbagging is bull****
Definition of done, managing nexus, and broader organizational implications

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A personal “moment” from Ben Baran.

"When I was about 11 years old, I injured my left pinkie finger while attempting to catch a football. It really hurt. When we arrived at the hospital’s emergency department, it felt like forever before they called me back for someone to see me. Finally, they called me back, took an X-ray of my finger, and injected it with some local anesthetic...."

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In todays episode we discuss:

New year resolutions--should you make them?
Goal-setting and what works
How to create new habits

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Today we’re going to explore a few great topics with Joe Allen, focusing in particular on a cool nexus of organizational psychology and the world of healthcare. Specifically, we will delve into:
● Joe's research on human behavior within healthcare and what we seem to know about how human behavior contributes to patient safety and other meaningful outcomes.
● How Joe's research also helps us understand more about communication and its importance in creating adaptive, resilient teams and organizations.
● What implications these areas of research have for leaders and those around them.

Joe Allen is a Professor of Industrial and Organizational Psychology at the University of Utah. He holds a Ph.D. in organizational science from The University of North Carolina at Charlotte, and he previously held faculty appointments at the University of Nebraska-Omaha and Creighton University. He is widely published, and his research primarily focuses on the study of workplace meetings, organizational community engagement, and occupational safety and health. He directs the Center for Meeting Effectiveness housed in the Rocky Mountain Center for Occupational and Environmental Health, and he has provided consulting to numerous nonprofit and for-profit organizations. His research has attracted internal and external grant funding of more than $4 million since 2010.

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Today we discuss …

Holiday parties and other office social events GONE WILD!
Office romance, fraternization, harassment and a better way forward
Mandatory fun and how to approach social events as an organization or leader

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A personal story from Ben Baran. In January 2003, three days before Super Bowl Sunday, Ben was asked to be a new Navy ship's public affairs officer and handle the CBS pre-game broadcast. Using this moment, Ben provides an example of what can happen when stretched beyond your comfort zone into the realm of leadership.

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This episode is all about employee and career burnout. We've all been there, or know someone who has ... but what can we do besides say, "Take this job and shove it?" Organizational researchers have evidence that offers us alternative solutions which may work out a bit better than having a Jerry Maguire moment. So today we discuss:

What is burnout?
How to recognize burnout in yourself and others.
What can be done about burnout at the individuals and organizational levels?

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Today we discuss:

Defining organizational culture
Why organizational culture matters
How organizational culture changes

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Today in the podcast, we discuss …performance reviews, also known as performance appraisals or annual reviews, along with the overall idea of managing performance for employees in organizations. Regarding the formal performance review, we’ll talk about why doing these is a GOOD idea. We’ll also talk about how they can be problematic along with some key implications and considerations for employees and managers.

Show Notes and Resources

FYI, when you search “performance review” on Google Scholar and limit the results to the last 5 years, there’s basically nothing. The first thing that pops up is about MR imaging…then there’s something from on storm water management LOL! I think it’s fascinating that something so popular as the performance review basically turns up crickets in the academic space. I get a few more relevant results when I search “performance appraisal,” but “performance review” is basically nada.

Aguinis, H., & Pierce, C. A. (2008). Enhancing the relevance of organizational behavior by embracing performance management research. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 29, 139-145.

This article is actually about why OB scholars should research the topic of performance appraisals, which is not super relevant…
- HOWEVER: this is an interesting introduction to the topic of the performance review because it specifically talks about the science-practice gap that is large for this particular topic (p. 139) which I think would be an interesting point for you guys to make
There’s also a helpful overview of performance appraisal vs. performance management in case you guys get into that distinction (p. 140)

DeNisi, A. S., & Murphy, K. R. (2017). Performance appraisal and performance management: 100 years of progress? Journal of Applied Psychology, 102, 421-433.

An overview/review article of the academic on performance appraisals
Reviews each of the following categories in case you guys are talking about any of them:
- Scale format: turns out that variations in scale formats had only modest
- effects on the quality of rating data
- Training: there is consensus that training raters what not to do is ineffective. There is also consensus that training raters to adopt consistent conceptions of what represents good versus poor performance/what behaviors and competencies constitute performance is beneficial.
- Reactions to appraisals: justice is important! If high justice isn’t perceived in the performance appraisal, then employees will have negative reactions
Rating source: obtaining information from different sources can be useful, but different sources differ systematically in the conclusions they suggest about overall performance levels, and that evaluations from others are likely to be less favorable than self-evaluations
Demographic effects: In some settings (especially laboratory studies), demographic variables can influence performance ratings. However, in the field, these variables do not have a large effect on performance ratings

Cappelli, P., & Tavis, A. (2016). The performance management revolution. Harvard Business Review, 58-67.

I know this isn’t an academic article, but it’s honestly the best I found in terms of content…just wanted to make sure you guys had read it...

By some estimates, more than one-third of U.S. companies have ditched traditional performance reviews
Biggest limitation of annual reviews: with their heavy emphasis on financial rewards and punishments and their end-of-year structure, they hold people accountable for past behavior at the expense of improving current performance and grooming talent for the future, both of which are critical for organizations’ long-term survival
Really interesting history of talent management timeline starting in the middle of the article (“How We Got Here” section)
3 reasons to drop appraisals: improves employee development, more frequent feedback is in line with agile methodology, fosters teamwork

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Ben and Chris discuss:

History of the HR function
What's wrong with how HR often functions given the changing nature of work
Why HR is essential for the success of organizations in the future and some ways it must change

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The Indigo Podcast's hosts, Ben and Chris, discuss what managerial derailment is and why it happens, practical ways in which people can reduce the probability of derailing themselves, and steps for organizations to avoid having their managers derail.

Podcast articles and links mentioned by Chris and Ben:

Shipper, F., & Dillard Jr, J. E. (2000). A study of impending derailment and recovery of middle managers across career stages. Human Resource Management, 39, 331-345. https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Herman_Aguinis/publication/227496278_Enhancing_the_relevance_of_organizational_behavior_by_embracing_performance_management_research/links/5c6aac7f299bf1e3a5af7079/Enhancing-the-relevance-of-organizational-behavior-by-embracing-performance-management-research.pdf
Carson, M. A., Shanock, L. R., Heggestad, E. D., Andrew, A. M., Pugh, S. D., & Walter, M. (2012). The relationship between dysfunctional interpersonal tendencies, derailment potential behavior, and turnover. Journal of Business and Psychology, 27, 291-304 https://www.cbs.dk/files/cbs.dk/denisietal_jap2017.pdf
Link to Be the Boss Everyone Wants to Work For https://www.amazon.com/Be-Boss-Everyone-Wants-Work/dp/1626566259/
The First 90 Days https://www.amazon.com/First-90-Days-Strategies-Expanded/dp/1422188612/

www.indigoanchor.com

www.indigotogether.com

The First 90 Days: Proven Strategies for Getting Up to Speed Faster and Smarter, Updated and Expanded

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The Indigo Podcast's hosts, Ben and Chris, explain the origins of VUCA and why it’s relevant. They define what “agile” and “agility” mean in the context of business and management. And, they provide practical examples of agility/agile and implications for employees and managers.

Podcast articles and links mentioned by Chris and Ben:

Ben’s agility white paper https://www.indigoanchor.com/s/Bens-SIOP-Paper.pdf
On origins of VUCA https://www.indigoanchor.com/blog/2019/10/31/on-the-origins-of-vuca-and-how-it-affects-decision-making
Developing strategic leadership: The US Army War College experience https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.1108/02621719210018208/full/html
Agile Manifesto: http://agilemanifesto.org/
Cynefin video: https://youtu.be/N7oz366X0-8
Spotify Engineering Culture: https://youtu.be/4GK1NDTWbkY

www.indigoanchor.com

www.indigotogether.com

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The Indigo Podcast's hosts, Ben and Chris, swap entertaining stories of being scandalized and surprised by incompetent management/leadership. They explore the question, "Why does incompetent management and leadership persist?" And, they offer advice on what people and organizations can do to thrive at the individual, management, and executive levels.

Podcast articles and links mentioned by Chris and Ben:

John Kotter What Leaders Really Do https://hbr.org/2001/12/what-leaders-really-do
Situational Leadership https://www.amazon.com/Situational-Leader-Dr-Paul-Hersey/dp/0446513423
Blanchard, K. H., Zigarmi, D., & Nelson, R. B. (1993). Situational Leadership® after 25 years: A retrospective. Journal of Leadership Studies, 1(1), 21-36.
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/107179199300100104
The Bowen Center for the Study of the Family https://thebowencenter.org/theory/eight-concepts/
Tarzan Approach https://sivers.org/tarzan
What is industrial/organizational psychology? https://www.siop.org/Research-Publications/SIOP-Brochures
Books we like https://www.amazon.com/Be-Boss-Everyone-Wants-Work/dp/1626566259
https://www.amazon.com/Chimp-Paradox-Management-Program-Confidence/dp/039916359X
https://www.amazon.com/Difficult-Conversations-Discuss-What-Matters/dp/0143118447/
Mentoring: https://psycnet.apa.org/record/1996-04951-007
https://psycnet.apa.org/fulltext/2004-10572-010.html
https://www.amazon.com/Blackwell-Handbook-Mentoring-Multiple-Perspectives/dp/144433543X
Jane McGonigal https://www.ted.com/talks/jane_mcgonigal_the_game_that_can_give_you_10_extra_years_of_life?utm_campaign=tedspread&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=tedcomshare
https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2012/feb/01/top-five-regrets-of-the-dying

www.indigoanchor.com

www.indigotogether.com

Difficult Conversations: How to Discuss What Matters Most

The Blackwell Handbook of Mentoring: A Multiple Perspectives Approach

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Ben and Chris introduce listeners to who they are, how they met, what they're doing now, why they started the podcast, and what drives them in the world of work...and beyond.

The Indigo Podcast: Recent Episodes

Ben Baran and Chris Everett