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, ho...
Oct 11, 2022•38 min•Season 3Ep. 70
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 gla...
Sep 06, 2022•41 min•Season 3Ep. 69
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 e...
Jul 25, 2022•42 min•Season 3Ep. 68
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 def...
Jun 27, 2022•40 min•Season 3Ep. 67
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 ca...
Jun 06, 2022•36 min•Season 3Ep. 66
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 i...
May 10, 2022•36 min•Season 3Ep. 65
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 lig...
Apr 25, 2022•38 min•Season 3Ep. 64
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 segregatio...
Apr 11, 2022•44 min•Season 3Ep. 63
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 hav...
Mar 21, 2022•43 min•Season 3Ep. 62
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 agains...
Feb 28, 2022•40 min•Season 3Ep. 61
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 t...
Feb 07, 2022•40 min•Season 3Ep. 60
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 stude...
Jan 17, 2022•33 min•Season 3Ep. 59
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 flaw...
Dec 13, 2021•27 min•Season 3Ep. 58
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 disc...
Nov 29, 2021•48 min•Season 3Ep. 57
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 c...
Nov 22, 2021•40 min•Season 3Ep. 56
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...
Nov 15, 2021•42 min•Season 3Ep. 55
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...
Oct 25, 2021•39 min•Season 3Ep. 54
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 entrepr...
Oct 18, 2021•26 min•Season 3Ep. 53
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 dema...
Oct 11, 2021•45 min•Season 3Ep. 52
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 pra...
Oct 04, 2021•42 min•Season 3Ep. 51
In this episode of The Decision Corner podcast, Brooke is joined by Eric Johnson, director of the Center for Decision Sciences at Columbia University and author of the upcoming release, The Elements of Choice. Johnson’s expertise lies in how we make decisions, but also how those decisions are influenced by how our choices are perceived. This conversation details important topics from the book, such as what choice architecture is, and how it relates to choice engines. It also dives into how, if w...
Sep 27, 2021•40 min•Season 3Ep. 50
In this episode of The Decision Corner, Brooke Struck sits down with Cathy O’Neil, CEO of ORCAA and author of the New York Times bestseller Weapons of Math Destruction . Having studied and worked at some of the most prestigious universities in the world, including Harvard, MIT, Barnard College, and Columbia, O’Neil has been outspoken about the social risks of algorithms. In this conversation, O’Neil dives into some of the “invisible” problems that algorithms pose for society, and how decision-ma...
Sep 20, 2021•29 min•Season 3Ep. 49
In this episode of The Decision Corner, Brooke is joined by Karl Moore, Oxford University Associate Fellow and McGill University Professor, and author of the upcoming book, OK Boomer: Working With Millennials and Generation Z . With 12 years of sales and marketing management experience, Karl has been named one of the top four business professors in Canada, and one of the world’s greatest business thinkers by Business Strategy Review. He has also interviewed hundreds of leaders for his research o...
Sep 13, 2021•35 min•Season 3Ep. 48
In this episode of The Decision Corner podcast, Brooke is joined by Ryan Stelzer, co-founder of Strategy of Mind and co-author of the upcoming book, Think, Talk, Create. Stelzer’s expertise lies in management consultancy and pulling in aspects of psychology, philosophy and cognitive science to optimize the workplace. This conversation details important topics from the book, such as the importance of humanizing the workplace again, psychological safety and the consequences of taking a numbers-onl...
Aug 23, 2021•36 min•Season 3Ep. 47
Kate Laffan, Marie Curie Fellow at University College Dublin, explains why we struggle to reach the goals we set for ourselves: the intention-behaviour gap. One of the ways this gap manifests is in our environmentally-conscious behaviour. We can work personally and collectively to better align our behaviours to our intentions, and make the world a little better off by doing so. This podcast delves deep into changes we can bring about on an individual and organizational level to benefit the envir...
Aug 16, 2021•29 min•Season 3Ep. 46
In this episode of the podcast, Brooke is joined by Dr. Onye Nnorom, president of the Black Physicians’ Association of Ontario and an experienced physician who helps people understand how factors of racism impact marginalized groups, especially in the context of health. Also known as “Dr. O” on her podcast “Race, Health, and Happiness,” the two discuss racialized communities’ experiences with the health system, vaccines, strategies to build trust, and optimism for the future. Supported with impo...
Aug 09, 2021•43 min•Season 3Ep. 45
UCL Professor of Behavioral Science Dr Lasana Harris joins Brooke for this episode of the podcast. In a fascinating discussion that questions the ‘unconscious’ nature of what most psychologists would refer to as unconscious bias, Dr Harris draws from research in the fields of neuroscience and social psychology to help explain why human beings experience bias, how it manifests in our behaviour, and what we can do to overcome it, beyond ‘box-checking’ debias training. Some of the things discussed ...
Aug 02, 2021•40 min•Season 3Ep. 44
In this episode of the podcast, Brooke is joined by David Rand, professor of Management Science and Brain and Cognitive Sciences at MIT. Together, the two explore David’s research on misinformation, trying to understand why people believe fake news, why it is spread in the first place, and what people can do about it. Brooke and David also discuss real life applications of strategies to prevent misinformation, especially as it pertains to social media platforms like Twitter, Facebook, and news o...
Jul 26, 2021•39 min•Season 3Ep. 43
In this episode of the podcast, Brooke is joined by Roger Martin, an experienced strategy advisor, former Dean of the Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto, and co-author of Creating Great Choices. Together, the two explore business models and how we can make great choices when faced with incongruity. Supported with real-world examples, the discussion addresses how we should move forward when we don’t get the outcomes we hoped for. Some specific topics include: Our disinclinat...
Jul 19, 2021•39 min•Season 3Ep. 42
André Picard, renowned Canadian health journalist, converses with Brooke about the value of clear public health communication and the importance of teasing out truthful information from the tangle of misinformation. Picard discusses the responsibilities of stakeholders in curbing the COVID infodemic, from publishers and writers to readers. Several thought-provoking ideas explored in this podcast: The COVID infodemic The influence of public health communication strategies How to prepare students ...
Jul 12, 2021•30 min•Season 3Ep. 41
