The Decision Corner

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

In this episode of the podcast, Brooke speaks with John List, Professor in Economics at the University of Chicago and Chief Economist at Lyft. John talks us through some of the key takeaways from his recent book ‘The Voltage Effect’, which offers guidance around how to identify the ideas that will be successful when scaled, and how to avoid those that won't. Drawing from his career as an experimental economist and sharing stories from his own personal and professional life, John sheds light on the economic and psychological forces that influence the scalability of ideas, products and policies. Some of the things discussed include: - The challenge of scaling great ideas, from the Petri-dish to the real world. - What is the Voltage Effect and how does it impact scalability? - 5 vital signs for scalable ideas. - Diseconomies of scale and why bigger isn’t always better. - Knowing when to pursue an idea and knowing when to quit.

Brooke speaks to Emily Bailard and Steven Masnajak from Everyday Labs, an organization that applies behavioral science to improve student outcomes. They discuss the growing issue of chronic absenteeism in schools across the United States and how nudges and other behavioral interventions can be used to keep kids in school and engage with their families. Some of the things covered include: - What leads to chronic absenteeism and the barriers to effective school participation. - Its impact on student success, grade levels, and the likelihood of progression to college. - How COVID exacerbated some of the underlying factors that lead to chronic absenteeism. - The role of nudges in engaging family members and communicating the importance of school participation. - Practical steps that teachers and education officials can take to make their student engagement policies more behaviorally informed and ultimately, more effective.

In this episode of the Decision Corner, Brooke speaks with Yoel Inbar - professor of psychology at the University of Toronto and expert in how the feeling of disgust influences human judgment and decision-making. Together they define what it really means to feel a sense of disgust and its evolutionary purpose as a means of preventing risk or harm (like stopping us from eating rotten food!). On the flip-side, we hear about the negative consequences of disgust and why it can lead to biased or flawed judgements. Some of the things discussed include: - What is disgust and what purpose does it serve from a biological or evolutionary perspective? - Why justifying our disgust with moral reasoning, i.e. “It disgusts me so it must be wrong!” can be troublesome. - Descriptive versus normative beliefs, and how disgust affects both in different ways. - Does disgust affect people differently, and do some people get more ‘grossed out’ by things than others? - Strategies to acknowledge our disgust, and allow us to question whether it’s serving us effectively or not.

In this week’s episode, Brooke speaks to Ruth Schmidt, Associate Professor at the Illinois Institute of Technology’s Institute of Design, and expert in all things related to behavioral design and its application to organizational strategy. Their conversation looks at the evolution of choice architecture to a deeply human-centered evaluation of organizational systems and processes, and how it’s impacting behavioral change strategies, and ultimately, organizational success. Some of the things discussed include: - How insights from behavioral science and behavioral design can be used to complement each other in addressing organizational challenges, despite their differences in approach. - Balancing evidence of something working in the past, with evidence that something else may work in the future. - How behavioral design can improve strategy - moving from choice architecture to choice infrastructure. - Behavioral design and innovation. Having a true understanding of why you’re trying to innovate and aligning your systems, culture, and incentives with that ambition. - The role of leadership, and why behavioral interventions need to be driven both from the top-down and the bottom-up.

In this episode of the Decision Corner, Brooke speaks with Antonio Damasio - David Dornsife Chair in Neuroscience at the University of Southern California and author of Feeling and Knowing: Making Minds Conscious. Some of the topics discussed include: - Why feelings are integral to our understanding of consciousness. - The evolutionary origins of our nervous systems and eventually, our ability to have and regulate our feelings. - How feelings have been overlooked in scientific explanations of consciousness, and why a paradigm shift is important. - Challenges and opportunities around A.I. - how can we make robots have feelings? - The importance of understanding the unique way human consciousness developed, and what it can teach us about our future selves, as well as our technological developments.

In this episode of the podcast, Brooke speaks to Sonia Kang, Associate Professor at the University of Toronto, Chief Scientist at the Behavioural Economics in Action Research Center at Rotman School of Management, and Canada Research Chair in Identity, Diversity, and Inclusion. Their conversation addresses some of the major diversity and inclusion pain points that job candidates, employees, and employers encounter throughout the HR cycle, from recruitment to onboarding and training. Sonia shares fascinating insights from her research, and offers practical advice for organizations seeking to improve the processes they use to attract talent, and ensure their employees feel as though they belong and are valued in their workplace. Some of the things discussed include: Recruitment barriers, from gender stereotypes to biased application systems. Zooming out to the wider picture when searching for the right candidates, and how hiring in sets can help identify the best people for your existing teams. Making employees feel like they belong through onboarding co-creation. The use of defaults to encourage promotion competition. Practical steps organizations can immediately take to address gaps in their inclusion and diversity strategies.

In this episode of the Decision Corner, Brooke speaks with Dilip Soman, Canada Research Chair in Behavioural Science & Economics, University of Toronto Professor and Director of the Behavioural Economics in Action Research (BEAR) Centre at Rotman School of Management. Together they explore the translation of behavioral science theory into practice, common intervention pitfalls, and the types of strategies organizations and individuals can implement to make their interventions more robust and ultimately, more successful. Some of the topics discussed include: - Why ‘shopping at the nudge store’ doesn’t always lead to the best outcomes, and how practitioners should consider the unique ‘seemingly irrelevant factors’ that exist in their particular context. - The ladder of evidence - adopting a variety of approaches to intervention testing, that isn’t just another randomized controlled trial. - Moving beyond statistical averages and considering the larger picture. - Why a house listed for $1 will likely get a much higher sale price than the predetermined asking price. - Organizational and psychological barriers to intervention testing and experimentation. - How individuals can catalyse change in their organizations, and overcome some of the human biases that impede on the ‘discipline of testing’.

Remi Desa, CEO and Co-Founder of Pantonium, sits down with Brooke to discuss his company’s innovative proposal to improve public transit: on-demand buses. Remi believes in a future where public buses can respond in real time to their users instead of following a set schedule. His concept has already been implemented in several cities in North America, demonstrating huge increases in bus ridership, and decreases in mileage and operating costs. Remi’s combined background in engineering and entrepreneurship has led him on a fruitful journey to change how we experience public transportation.  In this episode, Brooke and Remi discuss: - The huge increase in digital communication and data that has made his vision a reality - The North American tendency to treat public transportation as a last-resort, instead of a viable, efficient option - The necessary spectrum between on-demand models and set schedule models - Maintaining public transport accessibility - Cities’ risk aversion to changing their transportation systems

In this episode of The Decision Corner, Brooke speaks with Jean-Nicolas Reyt, Assistant Professor of Organizational Behaviour at McGill University in the Desautels Faculty of Management. Jean-Nicolas’ research focuses on the meaning employees attach to their work and workplaces. In their discussion, Brooke and Jean-Nicolas discuss the rationale for a shift from Scientific Method approaches to management, in the context of increased remote working driven by the pandemic, as well as a greater demand for work flexibility from high-value employees. Some of the topics discussed include: - Organizations’ reliance on management models developed for factory, conveyor-belt workers, and why these don’t serve advanced Western economies. - The need for more accurate measures of performance, based on output rather than impression management. - Strategies that managers can implement to build trust and confidence in their teams.  - The role of leadership in establishing a common sense of meaning and purpose. - How organisational culture helps bridge the physical and motivational gap between individuals and the collective.

In this episode of The Decision Corner Podcast, Brooke is joined by Talya Miron-Shatz: researcher, consultant, and author of her upcoming book, Your Life Depends On It: What You Can Do To Make Better Choices About Your Health. Miron-Shatz’s expertise lies within the realm of medical decision-making, particularly around improving patient decision-making outcomes. This conversation details how the shift in access to medical information has changed the physician-patient relationship, along with practical solutions that can be implemented into our everyday lives to improve our health decision-making. Some of the topics discussed include: - How the physician-patient relationship is changing  - The confirmation bias and how it affects our health choices - The importance of considering alternatives in decision-making - The impact of mental resource depletion on decision-making - The impact of decisions on both doctors and patients - Practical solutions that we can implement to improve our health decision-making