Season Five - Dialogues

Will humans be replaced by robots in the near future? Is AI something that ought to be thought of as a colleague? These are some of the questions for my guest today as we discuss the Future of Work!I talk to Professor Tiziana C. Callari from the University of Turin who pursues these themes in her research. In an effort to separate hype from reality, we discuss what the Future of Work actually looks like based on her years of research and insights. Our conversation covers themes like: Industry 5.0, human-robot integration, meaningful work, re-skilling, craftsmanship, and so much more!Share this episode and follow this podcast for future conversations with scholars who study various aspects of work. Find my work > Professional Development Designs

In season five, I'll talk to scholars and experts who study the world of work. Tune in to hear what evidence-based recommendations they have on topics like resilience, leadership, wellbeing, ageism, AI, dignity, and much much more!

Thank you for listening to this season of But I'm a Professional! I'm pleased to have researched, written, recorded, edited, and produced each and every episode.I'm currently working on two other projects:1. A new podcast called The Problem With Work, with my creative partner Benedetta Castrioto. 2. My personal website Professional Development Designs. There you can find my blog, upcoming group learning sessions, and the option for individual coaching. Good luck out there, Professionals! See you again soon.

In this episode, I attempt to cut through the AI hype and focus instead on practical workplace applications. I explore how professionals can actively incorporate AI into their workflow to reduce hindrance stressors rather than create new ones. Neither 'doomerist' nor overly optimistic, this episode examines the concept of "Human-AI Task Fit" through an Organisational & Occupational Psychology lens. Learn a three-step approach for evaluating where AI can enhance your work: Tools Assessment Task AssessmentCollaborative Effort I'll discuss the research behind successful AI implementation, common pitfalls including bias, errors, and allure - and how to ensure these technologies serve as resources rather than demands in your work. Join me to discover how mindful AI integration can free you up for what makes work meaningful: autonomy, collaboration, and demonstrating your uniquely human competence. Good luck, Professionals! Works Cited:Bondanini, G., Giorgi, G., Ariza-Montes, A., Vega-Muñoz, A., & Andreucci-Annunziata, P. (2020).Mollick, E. (n.d.). 15 Times to Use AI - and 5 Not To. One Useful Thing.Raisch, S., & Krakowski, S. (2021)Scholze, L., & Hecker, S. (2024).Wang, Y., & Siau, K. (2019).

What EDI initiative will produce meaningful change in your organisation? Good question. "Of the hundreds of studies we examine, a small fraction speak convincingly to the questions of whether, why, and under what conditions a given type of intervention works," (Paluck and Green, 2009, p.339). That was a review published 15 years ago. Surely, things are different now!"The past decade has seen rapid growth in research that evaluates methods for reducing prejudice," (Paluck et al., 2021, p. 533).Yay!"However, 76% of all studies evaluate light touch interventions, the long-term impact of which remains unclear," (ibid. p. 533). Oh. So, what does work? For practical (middle-manager layer) applications of a recent meta-analysis by Costa (2024), listen to this episode.ReferencesCosta, E. (2024). Examining the effectiveness of interventions to reduce discriminatory behavior at work: An attitude dimension consistency perspective. Journal of Applied Psychology. https://doi.org/10.1037/apl0001215Guillaume, Y. R., Dawson, J. F., Otaye‐Ebede, L., Woods, S. A., & West, M. A. (2015). Harnessing demographic differences in organizations: What moderates the effects of workplace diversity? Journal of Organizational Behavior, 38(2), 276–303. https://doi.org/10.1002/job.2040Shea, C.M., Malone, M.F.F.T., Young, J.R. and Graham, K.J. (2019), "Interactive theater: an effective tool to reduce gender bias in faculty searches", Equality, Diversity and Inclusion, Vol. 38 No. 2, pp. 178-187.  https://doi.org/10.1108/EDI-09-2017-0187

Normally stress is something we try to avoid at work. In fairness, some days it feels everlasting. However, are all stressors made alike? Is there any use in some? Does it ever help in our work function? In this episode, I highlight some of the research on something called 'hindrance stressors' and 'challenge stressors'. I give you examples of both, and discuss how challenge can be helpful in our professional development. As always, I highlight some practical actions that may put those challenge stressors to good use - for managers and for individuals. References in this episode include: Laying the Foundation for the Challenge-Hindrance Stressor Framework 2.0Oliver Burkeman's Inconvenient TruthBob Sutton, Huggy Rao - The Friction ProjectProf Arnold B. Bakker - various publications Differences among a satisfied, a meaningful, and a psychologically rich working life Dispositional effects on job and life satisfaction: The role of core evaluationsBad is Stronger Than GoodEvaluation of the “rethink stress” mindset intervention: A metacognitive approach to changing mindsetsRethinking Stress Toolkit Good luck, Professionals!

Dear Manager, how can you notice performance gains, increase learning, engagement, information sharing, and improve commitment? I'll give you a hint... the answer does not involve shouts, rants, rages, screams, humiliation, nor punishment. It happens in spaces where a team feels safe enough to share problems, mistakes, and concerns - and rely on interpersonal exchanges to overcome them. Tune in to define Psychological Safety beyond the buzzword (buzzphrase?) and back to the brainstorming session, where it belongs. References in this episode include:Personal and Organizational Change Through Group Methods: The Laboratory Approach (Schein & Bennis, 1965).Psychological Conditions of Personal Engagement and Disengagement at Work (Kahn, 1990)The Fearless Organization (Edmondson, 2018)Psychological Safety survey Good luck, Professionals!

Contemporary careers come with a lot of change. Sometimes we seek out the change ourselves when, for example, we pursue promotion and are successful. Sometimes change happens to us - we're made redundant or the organisation shifts direction and is no longer a good fit. Changes, shifts, and transitions in a career are challenging. So how do we cope? How do we remain that captain of our ship even in stormy weather? In this episode I'll take you through three areas of focus:Career mappingNetwork craftingResilience buildingCited work in this episode include:- Protean Careers at Work: Self-Direction and Values Orientation in Psychological Success (Hall, Yip & Doiron, 2018)- Online identities in and around organizations: A critical exploration and way forward (Barros, Alcadipani, Coupland & Brown, 2022)- Crafting networks: A self-training intervention (Wang, Demerouti, Rispens & van Gool, 2024) - Enhancing job seeker self-efficacy, use, and benefits: Effects of an online training program (Wanberg, Van Hooft, Liu & Csillag, 2020)- Cultivate Self-Efficacy for Personal and Organizational Effectiveness (Bandura, in "Principles of Organizational Behavior: The Handbook of Evidence‐Based Management 3rd Ed., 2023)- Building Relationships and Improving Opportunities (BRIO) online course- Goal setting frameworks- Developing Career Resilience Open Uni courseGood luck, Professionals!

According to a recently published report in McKinsey on Women in the Workplace (2024), men continue to significantly outnumber women at the manager level, making it difficult for companies to support sustained progress at more senior levels like the C-Suite. In a bizarre twist, research tells us that Organisations with women in leadership positions are more likely to be innovative and to have improved firm performance (Joecks et al., 2023; Sieweke et al., 2023).How do we make changes to shift away from this illogical incongruity in order to bask in fulfilling our potential?What are some practices we can put into place to evolve our future and current space for Women in Leadership?This episode features references to: - "Which organisational context factors help women to obtain and retain leadership positions in the 21st century?" (Gierke, Schlamp & Gerpott, 2024)- "Validation and Measurement Invariance of the German and Spanish Gender Bias Scale for Women Leaders" (Algner, Fay & Lorenz, 2024)- Gender Bias Scale for Women Leaders by Amy Diehl, PhD- World Economic Forum - Global Gender Gap Report 2022- "How Women Manage the Gendered Norms of Leadership" (Zheng, Kark & Meister, 2018)- Guardian article on Eindhoven University of Technology- A meta-analysis on gender and leadership with findings on agentic traits (Bandura et al., 2018)- The Authenticity Paradox (Ibarra, 2015)Don't worry, there is no management guru snake oil here. This is a broad topic with many facets. It also turns out it's a topic rife with paradox. Not a great surprise, I will say. I imagine this is not the final episode I shall create on Women in Leadership. Good luck out there, Professionals! p.s. 1943 Guide to Hiring Women

Employees working later into life (and as a result, teams becoming more age-diverse) may be something you're seeing more of in your Organisation. If you haven't yet, you will before too long. So, how do we create environments and improve teamwork to benefit the best from this diversity? In this episode, I'll take you through some practical ways you can help an inter-generational team thrive. Some of the following are referenced:- A Multimethod Examination of the Benefits and Detriments of Intragroup Conflict (Jehn, 1995) - Fostering intergenerational harmony: Can good quality contact between older and younger employees reduce workplace conflict? (Drury & Fasbender, 2024)- Knowledge Sharing in Times of a Pandemic: An intergenerational learning approach (Singh, Thomas & Numbudiri, 2021)- Age Diversity Training Good luck, Professionals!