The Practitioner-Scholar: The PennCLO Podcast

In this episode of The Practitioner Scholar, host Dr. Jess Jones welcomes Dr. Megan Yoo Schneider, a strategy and transformation leader, executive coach, and University of Pennsylvania Chief Learning Officer doctoral graduate, to explore an often-overlooked dimension of leadership development: the experiences that shape us outside the workplace.Organizations invest significantly in developing leaders through formal training, assessments, and professional experiences. Yet some of our most formative experiences happen outside the workplace, influencing how we see ourselves, navigate complexity, make decisions, and lead others.Drawing on over two decades of experience in strategy, organizational transformation, and leadership development, Megan introduces the concept of the hidden curriculum of leadership—the significant life experiences that shape leader identity, perspective, and adult development. She shares insights from her doctoral research, including how leaders often draw upon non-work experiences to inform their leadership, even when they may not initially recognize their influence.Megan also reflects on how her research became deeply personal when she received an unexpected ovarian cancer diagnosis and subsequently underwent major spinal surgery. These experiences deepened her appreciation for a central insight from her work: experience alone does not necessarily lead to development. Intentional reflection and meaning-making can help us learn, grow, and evolve through what we've lived.Through her Learn, Create, Share framework, developed through reflection following her doctoral research, Megan offers a practical approach to translating lived experiences into greater self-awareness, intentional leadership, and meaningful impact. She and Jess also explore the growing importance of empathy, contextual judgment, and adaptive leadership as artificial intelligence continues to reshape how we work and lead.Ultimately, this conversation invites us to consider how integrating our lived experiences into leadership development can help cultivate more thoughtful, adaptable leaders and strengthen the organizations and communities they serve.Key TopicsThe hidden curriculum of leadership: How experiences beyond the workplace contribute to leader identity and development.Insights from doctoral research: Exploring the relationship between significant life experiences, leadership perspectives, and decision-making.From experience to development: The role of intentional reflection, meaning-making, and adaptability in navigating change and uncertainty.The Learn, Create, Share framework: A practical approach to integrating lived experiences into personal growth and leadership practice.Authenticity and human-centered leadership: Bringing greater self-awareness and empathy into leadership while maintaining thoughtful professional boundaries.Leadership in the age of AI: The importance of empathy, contextual judgment, and values-based decision-making as technology transforms organizations.

In this episode of The Practitioner Scholar: The Penn CLO Podcast,  Dr. Sharon Ravitch explores the practicalities of remote team leadership with Dr. Karen Bicking, Head of Talent Management at CompoSecure and Penn CLO graduate. Grounded in her research chapter in Leaders as Architects of Change: Designing Organizations for Connection and Resilience in Times of Uncertainty (co-edited by Dr. Ravitch and Dr. Raghu Krishnamoorthy), Dr. Bicking offers actionable guidance for managers navigating hybrid and virtual team friction.Highlighting her chapter, "The Emotionally Intelligent Organization: Trust, Conflict, and Connection in Virtual Teams," Dr. Bicking walks listeners through real-world examples of how virtual teams navigate non-verbal cue deficits, sarcastic chat misunderstandings, and time-zone delays. From establishing transparent group chat protocols to implementing lighthearted team accountability mechanisms (like "swear jars" or coffee bets), Dr. Bicking demonstrates how small, daily micro-interactions build lasting trust and prevent team burnout.Key Topics:Dr. Bicking’s Real-World Research: What sets high-performing virtual teams apart from struggling, low-trust groups.Decoding Digital Silence: How Dr. Bicking advises leaders to step in when virtual meetings turn silent or sidebar conversations take over.Micro-Moments of Connection: Utilizing quick check-ins, personal milestone celebrations, and informal touchpoints to strengthen relationships.Practical Accountability: Creative, lighthearted methods Dr. Bicking has seen teams use to enforce agreed-upon communication norms.Mid-Year Resets: How leaders can facilitate quick "stop, start, continue" sessions to continuously fine-tune virtual team dynamics.

Dr. Sharon Ravitch is joined by HR executive and scholar-practitioner Dr. TJ Lintz. Reflecting on his doctoral research at the University of Pennsylvania, Dr. Lintz explores how leaders transform moments of extreme disruption into catalysts for long-term organizational evolution.This episode explores the intersection of crisis management, artificial intelligence, and human-centered leadership. Dr. Lintz explains why artificial intelligence will never replace the human touch required for emotional support, but emphasizes how AI can serve as a vital sparring partner during risk assessment. He leaves listeners with actionable frameworks for creating safe conditions where employees at all levels can contribute transformative ideas. As a contributing author to the book Leaders as Architects of Change, co-edited by Dr. Ravitch and Dr. Raghu Krishnamoorthy, Dr. Lintz draws on his chapter to explore these ideas.Key topics:How effective leaders act as a stabilizing presence during high-anxiety organizational stormsThe role of artificial intelligence as a strategic sparring partner for strategic scenario planningWhy psychological stability forms the foundation for cross-functional collaboration and rapid decision-makingTransforming talent management frameworks to evaluate resilience before crises occurPractical steps for executive leaders to encourage intelligent risk-taking and "failing forward"Redefining executive leadership in a brittle, anxious, non-linear, and incomprehensible (BANI) environmentHow concise, frequent communication builds emotional infrastructure and reduces organizational anxiety

In this episode of the PennCLO podcast, Dr. Sharon Ravitch is joined by Dr. Marikay Forst, a distinguished leadership expert and author of the groundbreaking chapter, Architecting Dissent by Design: Psychological Safety, Diverse Thinking, and Brave Cultures, featured in the new book Leaders as Architects of Change.Dr. Forst’s work tackles a critical paradigm shift in modern organizational design: transforming how leaders perceive, encourage, and process constructive disagreement. Moving past traditional views that equate critique with disloyalty, she shares qualitative research proving that inviting dissenting voices is a leadership team's best defense against catastrophic errors. Through a collection of organizational practices and tools, this conversation provides a practical roadmap for top executives to build strategic, psychologically safe environments where multiple viewpoints are intentionally surfaced and acted upon.Alongside the technical strategies, Dr. Forst explores the human dynamics behind corporate decision-making—including the intersection of Carol Dweck’s growth mindset, the invisible costs of ignoring feedback, and the value of maintaining procedural discipline when facing intense time and budget constraints.Key topics:Why dissent is a strategic mechanism for risk prevention and corporate innovationThe blueprint for aligning stated organizational core values with actions.Managing power dynamics and neutralizing the unconscious consequences of speaking upPractical tools for leaders: Designing effective pre-mortems and structured brainstorming sessionsCultivating a growth mindset to enhance constructive critique

In this episode of The Practitioner Scholar, Dr. Sharon Ravitch sits down with Dr. Bridie Fanning, Managing Director at Accenture and former Chief HR Officer, to discuss her critical contributing chapter to the ground-breaking new book, Leaders as Architects of Change (edited by Dr. Sharon Ravitch and Dr. Raghu Krishnamoorthy). While modern headlines focus heavily on what artificial intelligence can automate, Dr. Bridie Fanning argues that the future of work will not be dictated by technology, but by leadership choices. This conversation dives deep into her chapter's core ethos: that AI is fundamentally a human learning story, that leaders must build psychological safety for continuous experimentation, and that traditional, linear change management models must be entirely rewritten to align with the framework of the book.Key Takeaways:Amara’s Law in Action: Why we are currently overestimating AI's short-term hype while drastically underestimating its massive, long-term societal and operational impact.The Death of Traditional Change Management: Moving away from traditional "Point A to Point B" transition models and adopting dynamic, continuous, and iterative organizational capabilities.The "Inverted" Problem-Solving Approach: Why leaders must stop asking "What can AI do?" and instead start with their biggest organizational pain points, working backward to find technical solutions.

Great collaboration doesn't happen. It's designed. So why do so many leadership teams still treat it as something that should just emerge naturally?In this episode of the PennCLO Podcast, The Practitioner Scholar, Dr. Sharon M. Ravitch speaks with PennCLO mentor and lecturer Dr. Phillip Ellis about designing organizations for collaboration, resilience, and adaptive leadership.Based on Phillip’s chapter in Leaders as Architects of Change: Designing Organizations for Connection and Resilience in Times of Uncertainty, this conversation explores why many teams struggle to collaborate in a world of uncertainty,and how leaders can create the conditions for deeper trust, innovation, and collective problem-solving.Together, they unpack:Why collaboration is a leadership design challengeHow “systems of knowing” shape teams and organizationsWhy traditional leadership models struggle in uncertain environmentsHow leaders can foster more adaptive and resilient culturesLeaders who treat collaboration as a soft skill keep getting stuck results. This conversation makes the case for designing it instead.In the book, The Seeing Gap, co-written by Dr. Phillips and Dr. Ravitch, they turn the lens on AI. Phillip and Sharon are writing it in the open on Substack, inviting readers to help shape it as it takes form. When he’s not writing or teaching, he’s on stages and in rooms with leadership teams, designing communities and immersive workshops that help organizations stop talking about adaptability and start practicing it.

What if uncertainty isn’t the problem—but the point?In this episode of the PennCLO Podcast, Dr. Jennifer Neumaier sits down with Penn CLO doctoral alum Dr. Lucrecia Grandolini about her chapter on leading through uncertainty from the book Leaders as Architects: Designing Organizations for Connection and Resilience, co-edited by Dr. Sharon Ravitch (University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education) and Dr. Ragu Krishnamoorthy, Director of the Penn CLO program. Drawing on her global experience across financial services, consulting, and clinical psychology, Lucrecia challenges the traditional “plan–predict–control” model of leadership—and offers a compelling alternative.Together, they unpack:Why uncertainty is both deeply human—and deeply misunderstoodThe hidden cost of control: how it erodes trust and psychological safetyThe “living iceberg” metaphor—and what leaders miss beneath the surfaceWhat uncertainty-friendly organizations actually look like in practiceFour essential leadership practices for thriving in complexityThis conversation is a powerful invitation to stop trying to eliminate uncertainty—and start designing for it.Dr. Lucrecia Grandolini is also a co-author of several books on human skills, leadership and organizational change.Leaders as Architects of Change: Designing Organizations for Connection and Resilience in Times of Uncertainty, 2026, RoutledgeLeading with Human Skills: Thriving in the Age of AI, 2026, Lulu The Best Version of Me: Boosting Your Wellbeing, 2024, Lulu

Dr. Sharon Ravitch (University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education) interviews Penn CLO doctoral alum Oscar Arias about his chapter, “Leading in Flux,” from the book Leaders as Architects: Designing Organizations for Connection and Resilience, co-edited by Ravitch and Dr. Ragu Krishnamoorthy. Arias explains “flux” as leading when conditions constantly shift, and describes a move from VUCA to a BANI world where systems are brittle, anxiety rises, and change is non-linear and hard to comprehend. He argues many organizations are still built for stability, while disruptions like AI, low barriers to entry, and shifting customer behaviors erode old “moats.” Warning signs of brittleness include slow sharing of bad news, coverups, and inability to detect signals. Arias emphasizes trust, recovery, cultural intelligence, and leaders as architects who design rituals, structures, and decision rules for adaptability. He contrasts resilience (returning to baseline) with anti-fragility (getting stronger), highlighting learning agility through reflection, feedback seeking, experimentation, and diverse dissenting networks.

What if one of the most powerful leadership development experiences doesn’t happen in the workplace at all?In this episode of The Practitioner Scholar: The Penn CLO Podcast, Gwen Mdinaradze, CEO of Edbridge, sits down with Dr. Becca Clanton, Ed.D., Americas Learning & Talent Development Leader at WSAudiology.Dr. Clanton shares findings from her research her own personal and professional stories about how motherhood grows leadership and strengthens other work-related skills. From navigating competing priorities to building deeper empathy and resilience, the experience of parenting can cultivate capabilities that organizations deeply need in their leaders.Together, Gwen and Dr. Clanton unpack the hidden value that working parents bring to organizations—and why recognizing this “invisible leadership training” can transform how companies think about leadership development.In this episode:How motherhood strengthens key leadership capabilitiesThe hidden ROI organizations gain from supporting working parentsLessons from the intersection of scholarship and real-world leadershipHow companies can better support parents in the workplace

In this special episode of the Practitioner Scholar podcast from the Penn Chief Learning Officer Doctoral program, Dr. Ragu Krishnamoorthy and Dr. Sharon Ravitch introduce their new book, 'Leaders as Architects of Change.' The discussion covers how modern leadership demands adaptability, resilience, and innovative thinking to navigate a world defined by rapid, unpredictable change. They explore the book’s two main parts: laying the foundation for understanding the current complexities and designing systems for sustainable growth. The episode delves into key insights from chapters on topics like adaptability, artificial intelligence, resilience, emotional intelligence in virtual teams, and designing for dissent. Each chapter is authored by practitioner scholars who share their unique perspectives and research. The hosts conclude by urging leaders to rethink their approaches, embed new logics, and foster environments where inquiry and collaboration thrive.