The Decision Corner

In this episode of The Decision Corner, Brooke discusses disagreement with Julia Minson, an Associate Professor of Public Policy at the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University and former lecturer at the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania. Her research explores the psychology behind disagreement and collaboration — why we often suck at turning the former into the latter, and how we can be better. Brooke and Julia dissect the thought processes that often fuel our discussions, how discussions turn into arguments (particularly, unproductive ones), and the reasons we can’t seem to figure out why. Julia gives us practical interventions, applicable on a personal level, that can help us avoid the feared Thanksgiving dinner screaming match and other conversations like it. Specific topics include: Advocacy v.s. Inquiry mindset Why being a know-it-all is a problematic blindspot How to effectively signal open-mindedness Active listening: body language and verbal acknowledgement Cognitive misconceptions about our counterpart’s open-mindedness Scopes, baselines, and defaults The role of asking questions, and how to ask them with genuine curiosity Conversational receptiveness, intentional vocabulary, and the HEAR technique

In this episode of The Decision Corner, Brooke is joined by Grace Lordan, an associate professor of Behavioral Science at LSE and author of Think Big, Take Small Steps and Build the Future You Want. Together they discuss the importance of narratives in the workplace, and how the stories that we tell can improve opportunities, diversity, and well-being within organizations. This podcast covers a variety of topics, including: How marginalized communities can wield behavioral science to shatter glass ceilings Why having a growth mindset often falls short - and how talking to three people can fix it A numerical strategy to prevent likeability from biasing your hiring decisions The paradox of cronyism in the workplace How to defeat the “cascade effect” that causes toxic meeting environments

In this episode of the podcast, Brooke chats with Britt Wray - author of Generation Dread and a Human and Planetary Health Fellow at Stanford University and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. Britt talks about her work around eco-anxiety, the reasons and extent to which different people feel it, and the tools people can deploy to harness it and achieve positive, climate-friendly outcomes. Some of the topics discussed include: The drivers of eco-anxiety, media hysteria, and the evolutionary experience of an existential threat. Why do some communities experience higher levels of eco-anxiety than others? The role of time perception and present bias in eco-anxiety, and why it can be compared to Pre-Traumatic Stress Disorder. Why climate change is a unique ever-evolving challenge for us to contend with psychologically. Tools to help us acknowledge and accept eco-anxiety as being real and valid, and move beyond a state of anxiety-induced paralysis.

In this episode of the podcast, Brooke chats with Julia Galef - co-founder of the Center for Applied Rationality and host of the podcast 'Rationally Speaking'. They discuss the topic or Julia's book, 'The Scout Mindset' which looks at the underlying motivations that guide our beliefs and behaviors. Some of the things covered include… - Scout versus soldier mindset - how they differ and why we rely on both, depending on the situation. - The downsides of soldier mindset and why our tendency to defend our beliefs no matter what can get us into trouble. - The benefits of adopting an evidence-based mindset and being open to things that challenge our beliefs, aka 'drawing the map in pencil'. - Practical ways we can embrace a scout mindset in our personal and professional lives.

In this episode of the podcast, Brooke speaks with Clare Flynn Levy - CEO and Founder of Essentia Analytics, a company that uses behavioral data analytics to help professional investors make more skilled investment decisions. Drawing from her own experience as a fund manager, Clare shares her insights into the types of biases that influence investment decision making and the evolution of behavioural interventions that seek to address them. Some of the things discussed include: - How investors can identify patterns in their decision-making and understand where things might be going wrong. - Exit-timing and the role of loss aversion. - The endowment effect, fear of missing out and other common behavioural patterns. - How Clare and her team work to automate the questions investors should be asking themselves before each important decision. - Strategies that investors can adopt to overcome the behavioural biases that might be hindering their performance - starting tomorrow

In this episode of The Decision Corner, Brooke is joined for the second time by Roger Martin, one the the world’s leading business minds, the former dean of the Rotman School of Business, and the author of the newly released book A New Way to Think: Your Guide to Superior Management Effectiveness. This time around, the two discuss how mental models guide business decisions, and how we can restructure failing mental models to improve ourselves, our teams, and our organizations. Topics discussed include: - When you should give up on your mental models - and when to keep pushing at it - Why writing down your decision making process is vital - and the dangerous behaviors that occur if you don’t - The simple, but powerful “if-then” model - How socializing strategy can help us scale over decision-making hurdles - Why you should make the most skeptical person in the room in charge of test design - How to overcome disappointing decisions - and why they are so important to make

In this episode, Brooke speaks with Elizabeth Linos, Michelle Schwartz Assistant Professor of Public Policy at the Goldman School at UC Berkeley. Drawing from her many years’ experience at the intersection of behavioral science and public policy, Elizabeth shares her insights around how the field has developed and what the future holds for behavioral researchers and policymakers interested in changing human behavior for social purposes. Some of the things discussed include: - How low-cost or light-touch nudges sparked an interest in behavioral science amongst policymakers in the early days, and why we need to think further down the funnel to achieve the exact outcomes we desire. - Instances where behavioral science can make a real impact, as well as times we need to be ‘real’ about how much it can really affect policy outcomes. - Why the real challenge for behavioral scientists and practitioners is in persuading policymakers to adopt a holistic, experimentation approach to behavioral challenges, as opposed to ‘quick-win’ solutions. - The case for a people-centered approach to behavioral policy design and why it’s important that researchers pay special attention to the experiences of frontline workers and not just the raw data. - Immediate steps that policymakers and behavioral scientists can take in pursuing meaningful projects that address public policy challenges.

In this episode, Brooke is joined by Neil Lewis Jr., behavioral scientist and assistant professor of communication and social behavior at Cornell University. Drawing from his research, as well as his vast experience advising organizations, Neil offers fascinating insights into how employees and managers can drive more equitable outcomes in their organizations, and why it makes good business sense to do so. Some of the things discussed include… - The persistence of so-called ‘invisible segregation’ in society and steps we can take to recognise it. - The ways organizations typically go about debiasing, and how they can be more effective. - The importance of employee buy-in, incentive alignment and the structure of organizational processes to support the pursuit of equitable outcomes. - Common challenges in diversity strategies and ways to overcome them. - How to address inequality in your organization and why it makes good commercial sense to do so.

In this episode of The Decision Corner, Brooke is joined by David Moscrop, political theorist and writer for the Washington Post and Maclean’s Magazine. Moscrop’s expertise lies in political decision-making and democratic deliberation. This conversation details important points from his first book, Too Dumb for Democracy? Why We Make Bad Political Decisions and How We Can Make Better Ones. Some of the topics discussed include: - The issues with democracy in the 21st century - How politicians have become increasingly shameless - How shaming can be used as a tool to restore power to the people - The soft and hard guardrails that should direct behavior  - What happens when voters feel left behind by elites

In this episode, Brooke is joined by Katie Rice, the Lead Knowledge Analyst at BCG. Together, they discuss how behavioral science can be applied to change management. In a time of serious global and organizational change, effective behavioral interventions can help prepare a company’s culture for this changing world, as well as manifest leadership's visions more efficiently. What are these interventions and how do they work? Topics discussed include: - Why most organizations are “swimming against the current” when it comes to behavioral change - Why we should “budget” behavioral change within our organizations… and the dangerous results if we don’t - The strengths and limitations of communication techniques when translating your message into action - Simple PowerPoint nudges that increase behavioral transformation by 11% - How a technique from Weight Watchers is being used to improve industry leaders’ behaviors - Is behavioral science just strategy in disguise? Or vice-versa? - The hidden connections between an organization's purpose and creating behavioral change