Management as a Liberal Art: Recent Episodes
Karen Linkletter
An ongoing exploration of Peter Drucker's vision of a functioning society based on human dignity in life, work, and community. In these episodes, we will aim to expand the knowledge and practice of Drucker's concepts through ongoing dialog with leading thought leaders.
In this episode of the Management as a Liberal Art podcast, Dr. Byron Ramirez speaks with Dr. Kyungchan Park to explore the evolving intersection of artificial intelligence, decision science, and human-centered decision making. Dr. Park discusses the state of AI, the importance of ethical and human-centered technology, and why leaders must balance technical expertise with critical thinking, creativity, and human judgment in an increasingly data-driven world.
In this episode of the Management as a Liberal Art podcast, Dr. Byron Ramirez speaks with Dr. Maria Akopian about her career and journey through music, television, healthcare, marketing, and academia. Dr. Akopian shares insight about creative expression, storytelling, leadership, and managing a diverse career with purpose and resilience.
This episode explores why manager engagement is a critical yet often overlooked driver of organizational success, as the host speaks with Christina Watt about her research on post-COVID practices across leading U.S. companies. Drawing on interviews with Fortune 100 and 500 organizations, they discuss how managers shape the majority of the employee experience, the growing pressures they face in hybrid work environments, and the gaps many organizations have in supporting them effectively. The conversation highlights key findings such as unclear ownership of manager programs, competing demands on managers’ time, and inconsistent development and communication systems, while also offering practical recommendations including structured engagement programs, clearer expectations, and better alignment between leadership behaviors and performance systems.
In this podcast, listeners are introduced to Peter Drucker’s early effort to explain why industrial society broke down and why so many people were drawn to totalitarian movements. It highlights his argument that the appeal of Nazism and Fascism stemmed not just from coercion but from the meaning and status they offered amid widespread social despair. The episode then shows how Drucker used this diagnosis to develop a broader theory of what makes a society function, emphasizing legitimacy, freedom, and the vital role of institutions.
In this episode, we sit down with Dr. Sheryl Thiessen, author of “Change Readiness of Laboratory Leaders in the System-Level Organization,” to explore how trust, communication, and engagement shape the success of transformational change in healthcare systems. Drawing on her action research with British Columbia’s Provincial Laboratory Medicine Services, Dr. Thiessen shares what it takes for leaders to move from skepticism to commitment, why trust is the foundation of organizational agility, and how collective identity can be cultivated during large-scale system reform. Listeners will gain actionable insights on fostering readiness for change, building transparent communication channels, and leading teams through uncertainty with authenticity and purpose.
This podcast includes a discussion of how organizations can maximize the possibilities for effective collaboration and create teams that work well together. It includes a consideration of collaborative use of AI technology, and the importance of respectful human relations.
Rick Johnson discusses his article on "Quiet Quitting," noting that while the 2022 phenomenon was treated as a fad, it was, in fact, not particularly new. Dr. Johnson looks at "quiet quitting" from the perspective of new economic theory, research on "good" and "bad" bosses, and Gallup's reports on the "State of the American Workplace" to show how leaders can solve the underlying sources of the phenomenon.
James Dorsett discusses his research on Employee Stock Ownership plans and how they model Drucker's principles. Dr. Dorsett shares his own personal experience with participating in an ESOP and how such plans can contribute to productivity and performance as well as employee satisfaction.
Join members of Management as a Liberal Art Research Institute as they discuss these terms of business, management, and leadership.
Continued discussion with Mike Cortrite, focusing on leadership issues within law enforcement. How does training in leadership impact things like the response to the Uvalde shooting? What challenges does law enforcement face today with respect to the changing needs of leadership?
Mike Cortrite served 30 years on the Santa Monica Police force, managing the field training program and developing training in ethics and cultural diversity. Mike shares his thoughts on why the response to the Uvalde school shooting was so ineffective.
A discussion with Dr. Bradley Gilbert, former Director of the California Department of Health Care Services who helped lead the state through its initial response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Dr. Gilbert also headed the Inland Empire Health Plan, one of the top ten largest Medicaid Managed Care plans in the nation. We discuss challenges of making decisions with limited to no data or information, creating a successful team culture amid organizational change and growth, and ideas for managing public health and other large-scale social problems.
An interview with Byron Ramirez, Researcher with Management as a Liberal Art Research Institute. Byron discusses his piece on managing for results while involving your people. How can organizations cope with rapid change in today's environment and retain, lead, and inspire people to perform?
A discussion of the leadership qualities provided by training in or exposure to the visual and performing arts. The link between the arts and leadership is a clear illustration of Management as a Liberal Art in action.
Interview with Dr. William Cohen. In this episode, Dr. Cohen speaks about MLA and in particular the idea of Applied MLA (AMLA) and how AMLA can be used as a framework for leaders in all lines of work.
What leadership lessons can we learn from horses? There are surprising parallels between Drucker's concepts of MLA and the horse world.
Interview with Gene Coughlin, Founder/CEO at the Resilience-Building Leader Program (RBLP). Gene talks about his background and his work with RBLP and how it relates to MLA. He also speaks on how RBLP partners with colleges, universities, leadership coaches, training companies, and career schools to build a worldwide community of practice committed to the idea of building resilient teams.
Interview with Rick Wartzman, Head of the KH Moon Center for a Functioning Society at the Drucker Institute, Claremont Graduate University. Rick talks about his background and writing and how it relates to MLA. He also reflects on the future direction of work and how the application of MLA can make for a better world.
Interview with Francisco Suarez, CEO of AdeS for Latin America. Francisco discusses his background and his views of how MLA can be applied in large companies. He also reflects on his work with the World Environment Center and how sustainability relates to MLA.
Interview with Bruce Rosenstein, Managing Editor of Leader to Leader, a publication of the Frances Hesselbein Leadership Forum and author of Create Your Future the Peter Drucker Way (2013). Bruce shares his knowledge of MLA and why it is so crucial for today's leaders. We also discuss lessons leaders have learned from the pandemic, and some of the top concerns facing leaders now.
This episode explores the current shift in the job market known as the Great Resignation. We discuss how MLA can help us understand what is happening with this restructuring, and evaluate what are short-term and long-term trends. How does this event reflect Drucker's idea of the balance between the needs of the individual and the organization? What is happening with "knowledge work" and its transportability? How can we work effectively in teams in our new remote world? This episode is devoted to putting MLA in action with respect to human resources and how we work in this new post-pandemic environment.
This episode explores the concept of freedom and how Americans have defined it in different ways. How do people's different interpretations present problems for organizations and leaders? We discuss Peter Drucker's definition of freedom and how that definition might be helpful for navigating contemporary discussions within organizations and society.
This inaugural episode introduces the idea of Management as a Liberal Art. We discuss the origins and history of Peter Drucker's theory of a Functioning Society of Institutions, and how MLA came about from that theory. The episode provides a brief example of MLA using one of Drucker's writings from the 1950s. Finally, this episode previews topics for future episodes, and gives listeners some ideas for how they might begin to think about applying MLA to their own work or organizations.