In this episode, I talk with Dr. Fred Spier, a retired senior lecturer in big history at the University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands. We discuss his recent book,  How the Biosphere Works (2022). Fred was previously on the podcast back in episode 113 , titled The Future of Humanity. Listeners may also recall that the … Continue reading 132 – The organization of the biosphere →

In this episode, I am joined by Lindsey Agness, CEO of The Change Corporation (UK). We discuss her book, Change Your Business with NLP. Connect with Lindsey at TheChangeCorporation.com Email: [email protected] Charles G. Chandler, Ph.D. — Host of The Age of Organizational Effectiveness podcast Reference: Agness, Lindsey. Change Your Business with NLP: Tools to improve … Continue reading 131 — Change your organization →

In this episode, I discuss a way to think about effectiveness in development projects & programs that could allow international development to deliver on its original promises of development effectiveness.  I discuss Albert Hirschman’s ‘hiding hand’ that veils difficulties as well as the creativity available to solve problems as planners engage in the design process. … Continue reading 130 – Project effectiveness in international development →

In this episode, I welcome Jeff McManus to the podcast, who is the Director of Landscape Services for the University of Mississippi (Ole Miss). We discuss his 2017 book, Growing Weeders into Leaders: Leadership Lessons from the Ground Level, and we explore what it takes to create and maintain a pleasing environment on a college … Continue reading 129 – Landscape leaders →

Gary Hamel (formerly of the London Business School) has characterized management as the technology of human accomplishment. Management came into its own in the late 1800s and early 1900s, as the USA entered the new century. Among the traditional long-standing factors of production (land, labor, and capital) in the British tradition, management became the fourth, … Continue reading 128 – Validity in management →

You may have heard the term ‘Big History’. It comes from historian David Christian, at Macquarie University in Sydney, Australia. He has a TED talk describing what his team has been up to with Big History, a project that has received some funding from the Gates Foundation. Big History is the story of how life … Continue reading 127 – Organizations in ‘Big History’ →

Given the significant pressures on firms in the real world, what do we know about the traits, characteristics, or management approaches that help ensure that a firm can and will survive within its environment? Some might think this is a difficult, if not an impossible task, given all of the variables at play. Nonetheless, we … Continue reading 126 – Predicting firm survival →

In this episode, I interview Isaac Tolpin, who is a serial entrepreneur and the CEO of ConveYour.com, a micro-learning platform. We cover several topics related to the role of training in organizations. Isaac is a knowledgeable observer in the sector and provides an interesting perspective on several training issues. [Note: This content first appeared as episode … Continue reading 125 – The evolution of training →

In this episode, I am joined by Dr. Barry Borgerson, who is the author of The 2Selfs Revolution (2019). Barry is an executive coach who has written extensively on cognition at the executive level. We discuss his latest book and his approach to saving the world. You can connect with Barry on his website. Reference: … Continue reading 124 – Executive cognition →

If you are a manager of an organization, whether business, government, or non-profit, you currently have a hand in managing capitalism. In a very real sense, you are the visible hand of managerial capitalism. Free market capitalism is long gone. Adam Smith’s invisible hand of market forces is largely absent today, except where commodities are … Continue reading 123 – Managing capitalism, one organization at a time →

In this episode, I am joined by Glenda Eoyang, who along with her coauthor (Royce Holladay), wrote the book, Adaptive Action: Leveraging uncertainty in your organization. Glenda is the founding director of the Human Systems Dynamics Institute. We discuss her book and her approach to organizational uncertainty. You can connect with Glenda at the HSDI … Continue reading 122 – Adaptive action →

In this episode, I am joined by Deborah Westphal, author of the book: Convergence: Technology, Business, and the Human-Centric Future. Deborah has been helping major companies craft their approach to a human-centered future for 30 years. She is a passionate humanist, operating in a technology-connected world. You can connect with Deborah at her website: www.deborahwestphal.com/ … Continue reading 121 – Convergence →

In this episode, I talk with Storm Cunningham, author of the book, Reconomics: The path to resilient prosperity. Storm is the Executive Director of the RECONOMICS Institute in Washington, D.C. (The Society of Revitalization & Resilience Professionals) and editor of REVITALIZATION (The Journal of Economic & Environmental Resilience). He has authored a total of three books (listed … Continue reading 120 – Reconomics →

Today I talk with Sam Yankelevitch, author of the book, Walking the Invisible GEMBA: Discover the hidden link between communication and quality. The GEMBA is a Japanese word for the real place where the action happens — or the place where the crime is committed. Sam is an expert in finding and removing sources of … Continue reading 119 – The invisible GEMBA →

Anthropologists tell us that anatomically modern humans (i.e., Homo Sapiens) emerged about 300 thousand years ago during the Pleistocene era on the African savannas. For over 95% of their history (until the present day), modern humans have been exclusively hunter/gathers, that is, they explored the bounty of nature in small bands, adapting their behavior as … Continue reading 118 – Out of the African Pleistocene →

In this episode, I offer three stories that illustrate the power of storytelling. Stories can be used to knit threads together, shape how we see things, and derive power from the outcomes that they describe. If you are going to change the world, it helps to first illustrate how to change a small part of … Continue reading 117- The power in storytelling →

Today we are at Episode 116 and I am calling it “The management technology your organization needs” [as a footnote, much of today’s content was originally released in May 2017 as Episode 65]. At the end of today’s episode, I will reflect on the fact that this is the 5th anniversary of the start of … Continue reading 116 – The management technology your organization needs →

In this episode, I am joined by Adam Braus — an author, consultant, and university professor who lives in San Francisco, California. He focuses on change, innovation, and new forms of leadership. We talk about his recent book, Leading Change at Work, which offers a unique approach to bringing about change (nemawashi). You can find … Continue reading 115 – Anyone can lead change →

In this episode, I interview David Childs, Ph.D., who is the author of The Organization Whisperer: The 12 Core Actions that Ripple Excellence through your Organization. Join us as we explore key areas of focus for any organization. The twelve core actions described in the book are: Communication; Worth; Purpose; Family; Decisions; Plan; Do; Measure; Processes; … Continue reading 114 – Whispering your organization to health →

In this episode, I am joined by Fred Spier, a retired senior lecturer in big history at the University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands. We discuss his most recent book, Big History and the Future of Humanity. Fred describes how complexity multiplied during the expansion of the universe, beginning with the Big Bang and leading to … Continue reading 113 – The Future of Humanity →

In this episode, I welcome Dr. Linda Holbeche to the podcast. Linda is the author of several books, but today we discuss her 2017 book, Organizational Effectiveness: A Critical Take on the HR Contribution. The book offers a historical narrative on the changing landscape of work since the 1980s and considers how definitions of organizational … Continue reading 112 – Does HR contribute to organizational effectiveness? →

Today I am joined by author Lisa Earle McLeod who has written two books in the last few years on ‘noble purpose.’ Much of her early career was spent in the sales department of a large firm, but in 2001 Lisa started her own company, McLeod & More. In this episode, we discuss the key … Continue reading 111 – Noble purpose →

In this episode, I interview Professor Luca Solari of the University of Milan (Italy) who has written a book, Freedom Management: How leaders can stay afloat in a sea of social connections. The book focuses on how organizations can give their employees more freedom at work in order to engage their knowledge and creativity. Reference:Solari, Luca. … Continue reading 110 – Freedom management (encore) →

Today I am joined by a philosopher. Jean-Philippe Deranty is a Professor of Philosophy at Macquarie University in Sydney, Australia. His research focuses mainly on social issues, particularly those related to work and employment. In this episode, we discuss philosophy in the context of organizations and their management. One of Jean-Philippe’s papers (“The Organization of … Continue reading 109 – A philosophy of organizations →