Episode 11: Wisdom at Work (with Barry Schwartz)

Can we design our workplaces to generate wiser behaviour? Why do we work anyway, and would we still work if we didn’t get paid? Do employers even want their employees to develop wisdom? Barry Schwartz joins Igor and Charles to discuss how Aristotle’s Practical Wisdom applies in the 21st Century, the reasons why we work, idea technology, the unintended consequences of rules-based systems, and the moral dangers and limits of incentives. Igor proposes the idea of algorithm-based wise machines, Barry suggests companies hire for character rather than skill, and Charles learns why, in wiser work places, the cost of free-riders may well be a price worth paying. Welcome to Episode 11.

Special Guest: Barry Schwartz.

Links:

• Our Loss of Wisdom - Barry Schwartz (TED talk)
• Using Our Practical Wisdom - Barry Schwartz (TED talk)
• The Paradox of Choice - Barry Schwartz (TED Talk)
• Practical Wisdom (Book) - Barry Schwartz & Kenneth Sharpe
• Why We Work - Barry Schwartz (Book)
• The Paradox of Choice - Barry Schwartz (Book)
• Rethinking Work - Barry Schwartz (New York Times)