Leading Transformational Change with Tobias Sturesson (Heart Management)

To measure the ROI of culture is like measuring the ROI of air. Culture is not optional but a fundamental part of how we operate as a group. 

It influences every aspect of our organization - how we make decisions, think, communicate, collaborate, and perform. 

At the heart of culture are people and relationships. 

While many organizations will claim that they put people first, it’s easy to fall into cultural assumptions, drives, and beliefs that are harmful to our people and, ultimately, to the organization's mission. 

Some time ago, I read a fascinating article in Harvard Business Review about the dangers of a culture that glorifies busyness. 

The author, Adam Waytz, is an award-winning social psychologist and associate professor at Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management. He’s the author of The Power of Human: How Our Shared Humanity Can Help Us Create a Better World. 

On episode 076 of the Leading Transformational Change podcast, I interviewed Adam about:

• What leads to dehumanization in our organizations, and what we can do to counteract it.

• How AI implementation impacts how we measure the ethicality of an organization

• Why a culture of busyness is a problem, and what we should do about it.

I believe the conversation is relevant for anyone who wants more human workplaces and desires to build healthier cultures. 

Sesil Pir is an industrial/organizational psychologist who has worked in Global HR Management roles on four continents in multinational corporations like Novartis and Microsoft.  Sesil is currently acting as an HR functional thought leader, founder of SESIL PIR Consulting, a boutique management consultancy, focusing on changing the status quo of work; and of Whirling Chief, a global digital collaboration and learning platform, championing humanity into the workplace. She is a frequent Forbes contributor and has contributed to a number of HR management books.

In this episode of Leading Transformational Change, Sesil shares insights from a study she has developed together with Standford University Center for Compassion and Altruism, on the keys to flourishing organizations. Based on her extensive experience within Human Resources, Sesil paints a picture of organizations that develop resilience and adaptability, are driven by an authentic purpose, invest in their culture, and put humans at the center of the equation. 

Mary Shirley is a lawyer with 20 years of ethics and compliance experience, which includes implementing, evaluating and monitoring compliance programs for multinational corporations. Tune in as she discusses the critical role of ethical leadership, her stand against bribery and values-driven decision-making. We’ll also delve into innovative initiatives that encourage ethical behaviour and the significance of integrating integrity into daily operations.

In this episode, we explore:

• Creating a culture of integrity in healthcare

• The risks of merging legal and compliance roles

• Lead with heart, not just a checklist

• Encourage a culture where speaking up is celebrated

• … and the power of sharing compliance updates on LinkedIn

‘You Can Culture: Transformative Leadership Habits for a Thriving Workplace, Positive Impact and Lasting Success’ is now available here.

Rob is the former Chief Ethics Officer at Airbnb. A role he took on after nearly 4 years as Airbnb’s General Counsel. He is a graduate of Harvard Law School. Rob worked for 14 years with the U.S. Justice Department, including 10 years as an Assistant United States Attorney. He is the recipient of the Justice Department’s John Marshall Award for litigation, and the CIA’s Outstanding Service Medallion. In 1999, Rob moved to California to become eBay’s third attorney and was later promoted to Vice President of a newly created Trust and Safety department. He worked at several other companies in Silicon Valley before joining Airbnb in 2016. During his time at Airbnb he developed a popular interactive employee program, Integrity Belongs Here, to help drive ethics throughout the culture at the company. His highly relevant new book “Intentional Integrity: How Smart Companies Can Lead an Ethical Revolution” is available for purchase!

In this episode of Leading Transformational Change, Rob shares how a conversation with Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky, about the risks of ethical scandals, led to them to devise a strategy to build integrity into the culture of the company. Rob takes us through a six-part strategy for any organization, that wants to be intentional about integrity, and gives us lots of helpful examples along the way. He challenges every leader to put integrity on the agenda and decide what kind of company they want to become.

Join your host Tobias Sturesson and his guest, Uri Gneezy, on this insightful episode of the Leading Transformational Change podcast. In this conversation, Uri discusses his work on when and why incentives in an organization can backfire and when traditional economic theories fail to explain real human behavior.   Uri Gneezy is professor of economics and strategic management at the Rady School of Management, UC San Diego. As a researcher, Gneezy's focus is on putting behavioral economics to work in the real world, where theory can meet application. Topics include incentives-based interventions to increase good habits and decrease bad ones, Pay-What-You-Want pricing, and the detrimental effects of small and large incentives. In addition to the traditional laboratory and field studies, he is working with several firms, conducting experiments in which they are using basic findings from behavioral economics to help companies achieve their traditional goals in non-traditional ways. He is the co-author of the bestseller, The Why Axis. His forthcoming book, Mixed Signals releases on March 31 2023.  Duration: 52:51

Barbara Kellermani is a renowned expert in the fields of leadership and followership, having dedicated her lifelong work to the study and authoring of numerous books on these subjects. She is a Fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School’s Center for Public Leadership. She was the Founding Executive Director of the Center, and a member of the Kennedy School faculty for over twenty years.

In this episode, we explore:

• What is bad leadership – and how to stop it early
• Why good leaders are ethical
• The ‘Follower’s Rule’
• The cautionary tales from the Boeing and Volkswagen scandals
• How successful leaders create a truly open and empowering environment

Links Mentioned:

Cultureandleadership.org

Barbara Kellerman on LinkedIn

Leadership from Bad to Worse by Barbara Kellerman

The End of Leadership by Barbara Kellerman

Leadership by Barbara Kellerman

Bad Leadership by Barbara Kellerman

Barbara Kellerman’s Website

Join your host Tobias Sturesson and his guest, Stephen Shedletzky, on this honest and empowering episode of the Leading Transformational Change podcast. In this episode, your host Tobias Sturesson discusses the topic of speak-up culture with Stephen Shedletzky who has helped numerous organizations think better about their leadership, purpose, and culture. Stephen Shedletzky worked with Simon Sinek as the Head of Training & Development, inspired by the vision to improve people's work experience worldwide. He is the author of a forthcoming book: Speak-Up Culture: When Leaders Truly Listen, People Step Up, launching in October. His personal story of overcoming a stutter gives a unique perspective on finding our voice in our organizations.

Duration: 50:25

As we are now taking steps into a new post-pandemic normal in many parts of the world, it seems like many organizations are struggling with how to have trusting and constructive internal conversations about how and where they do their best work. As a result, internal trust in leadership seems to be shaken. An essential foundation for a healthy culture is an organization’s ability to have hard and important conversations that can move the organization forward.

Fred Dust, the author of "Making Conversation: Seven Essential Elements of Meaningful Communication", is passionate about designing creative conversations to solve big problems. In this engaging episode, your host Tobias and Fred discuss how our ability to have these types of conversations matters immensely.

Fred Dust is a former senior partner and global managing director at the international design firm IDEO. A leading voice and practitioner of human-centered design and networked innovation, he helps organizations in media, finance, retail, and health confront disruption stemming from shifts in consumer behavior, social trends, economic pressures, and new technology. Prior to IDEO, Dust trained as an architect and spent eight years working with independent artists and major art organizations. He chairs the board of Parsons School of Design and sits on the boards of the New School, NPR, and the Sundance Institute. He lives in New York City. Fred is the author of "Making Conversations: Seven Essential Elements of Meaningful Communication".

Duration - 1:01:18

Melissa Daimler is a culture expert with over 20 years of experience driving and shaping company cultures. She has worked for iconic companies like Adobe, Twitter, and WeWork, where she learned from healthy and unhealthy cultures. Melissa is part of Udemy, an EdTech company dedicated to building a positive and thriving culture.

Tune in as we discuss:

• How constructive debates contribute to learning and growth
• Why the hiring process needs to focus on behaviours and values
• Tips for promoting healthy constructive debate and diverse perspective
• How can global organisations ensure behaviours and values are universally understood?
• What role can CFOs and other non-traditional functions play in driving cultural change?

Links Mentioned:

Free guide: https://heartmanagement.org/en/guide/ 

‘ReCulturing’ by Melissa Daimler

Melissa Daimler on Instagram

Melissa Daimler on LinkedIn

Melissa Daimler's Website

"The tragedy is that so many managers get told that you mustn't show weakness, that you should always be in control - this is just nonsense in today's world, and yet we continue to teach it." 

Join your host, Tobias Sturesson, and his guests, Ed and Peter Schein, for this episode on The Leading Transformational Change podcast. During their engaging conversation, Ed and Peter share how we can build more healthy cultures and trusting relationships through humble leadership and humble inquiry. 

Be inspired by their insights into why we should stop talking about culture change, how we can build more human workplaces, and what really shapes culture. 

Ed Schein is Professor Emeritus at MIT School of Management and is the 2012 recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award from the International Leadership Association. Peter Schein is the co-founder and COO of the Organizational Culture and Leadership Institute in Menlo Park, CA.  Prior to that, Peter was a strategy and corporate development executive at large and small technology companies in Silicon Valley. Ed and Peter’s latest book, Humble Inquiry 2nd edition, is an international bestseller.  Duration: 49:30

As we are now taking steps into a new post-pandemic normal in many parts of the world, it seems like many organizations are struggling with how to have trusting and constructive internal conversations about how and where they do their best work. As a result, internal trust in leadership seems to be shaken. An essential foundation for a healthy culture is an organization’s ability to have hard and important conversations that can move the organization forward.

Fred Dust, the author of "Making Conversation: Seven Essential Elements of Meaningful Communication", is passionate about designing creative conversations to solve big problems. In this engaging episode, your host Tobias and Fred discuss how our ability to have these types of conversations matters immensely.

Giovanni Leoni is the Global Head of Algorithmic and AI Ethics at Inter IKEA Group. In addition, he is also an Advisory Board Member for the Ethical AI Governance Group in California, U.S.A. Giovanni's vision is a future where technology will be created and used with ethics in mind.

Duration: 52:37

Joan Lurie is a development psychologist and one of Australia’s leaders in systemic change & culture, known from her expert commentary in the media on organizational culture. With over 20 years of experience both as an internal change leader in organizations and as a consultant, she founded Orgonomix in 2008 with the mission to help leaders and organizations be free from the systemic patterns keeping them stuck. Joan has developed ‘Orgonomics’ – a proprietary systemic methodology, designed to help top-tier leaders fundamentally transform their businesses and thrive in the ‘gig economy’. She works with the CEOs of some of the country’s largest businesses.

In this episode of Leading Transformational Change, Joan helps us understand how a systems thinking lens can help us bring about organizational change easier and faster. To make it practical, we use a case study to explore how this would apply to an organization struggling with a lack of innovation and internal conflict. Joan shows that, as leaders, we can never see ourselves as outside the issue with the role of fixing the organization, we instead need to see ourselves as an integral part of the system. For the system to change we need to change our own mental maps and the way we frame our roles. 

In this episode, Tobias shares how having a strong culture with high employee engagement shouldn't be the sole focus of our culture efforts. How a too-narrow focus on engagement and strong culture can lead to internal corruption or hinder us from achieving our strategy. Tobias proposes that we need a combination of three different aspects - a healthy culture, a strong culture, and a culture that enables our purpose and strategy - in order to build a flourishing organization. 

 

The 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26) concluded in mid-November. It can be difficult to discern between quantifiable achievements and empty promises. Parul Sharma, a distinguished human rights lawyer, contends that many companies spend more resources on communication around their sustainability initiatives than on the initiatives themselves. In this comprehensive and informative episode, Parul discusses what we can learn from COP26, the interconnectedness of issues such as human rights, climate justice, and corruption, and how to avoid greenwashing.

Parul Sharma has many years of experience in the areas of sustainability, human rights, and anti-corruption in high-risk markets. Parul is the President of Amnesty Sweden, and the CEO of The Academy for Human Rights in Business. She has been the Vice President of Global Responsibility at Stora Enso, the Head of CSR Compliance at a leading law firm, the Chair of the Swedish Government’s Agenda 2030 delegation, and the executive director of Greenpeace Sweden. The author of three books on Agenda 30, Parul is one of the most influential sustainability experts in Sweden, and is regularly interviewed by media and news channels.

Duration: 57:58

A crisis offers us a gift. A gift of clarity. It reveals the state of our hearts and the health of our organizational culture.

In this episode, Tobias shares his insight from helping leaders navigate severe public crises. How the current corona pandemic crisis (COVID-19) can be an opportunity for you to strengthen your culture, build unity and trust within your organization if you are ready to see, reflect, act and learn.

"Think about how you can incorporate the things we do in our daily lives that we enjoy into your training programs - that is how you appeal to my emotional side and then you're more likely to get a change in behavior." Join your host, Tobias Sturesson, and his guest, Kelly Richmond Pope, for this episode on The Leading Transformational Change podcast.

In this candid and insightful conversation, Kelly Richmond Pope, a recognized expert in Forensic Accounting and the filmmaker who documented the largest municipal fraud in U.S. history, shares about why people often overlook "red flags" for too long, and how implicit trust in a leader might make us disregard the need for control and accountability systems. In addition, she explains why a compliance mentality doesn’t create an emotional connection to the values of an organization and why we need to tell stories that speak to people’s hearts.

Kelly Richmond Pope is an Associate Professor in the School of Accountancy and MIS at DePaul University in Chicago, IL. She received her doctorate in accounting from Virginia Tech and worked in the forensic practice at KPMG. Kelly is a recognized expert in the forensic accounting field and has conducted forensic accounting seminars around the world for universities, corporations and governmental entities. In addition to her academic career, Kelly is a published author and the documentary filmmaker of All the Queens Horses, which chronicles the largest municipal fraud in U.S. history.

Duration: 47:04

What constitutes a remarkably healthy culture and a workplace people love being a part of? What about your culture might instead make people frustrated and leave your organization? 

Two critical questions that every leader needs to ask. 

While we face an economic downturn, the job market is still competitive, especially for highly skilled talent. And we all want to be known for building great organizational cultures. 

So what can leaders do? 

Charlie and Don Sull, researchers at MIT and co-founders of Culture X, have conducted the largest systematic study of corporate culture ever, analyzing 1.4 million Glassdoor reviews from more than 500 of the largest employers in the United States. 

They found that toxic culture is the primary driver of resignations. And that even relatively healthy cultures can have toxic elements that must be addressed. They learned that culture can't be adequately measured using only quantitative measures - like employee engagement surveys. And that the most important elements of stand-out cultures are listening to employees and building psychological safety. 

On the first episode of Season 8 of the Leading Transformational Change Podcast, we bring you a conversation with Charlie Sull. 

Charlie's thought leadership has been featured in the Economist, Harvard Business Review, MIT Sloan Management Review, and more.

I hope you will find our conversation as insightful, inspiring, and thought-provoking as I did!

Join your host Tobias Sturesson and his guest, Frank Blake, on this exciting and motivating episode of the Leading Transformational Change podcast. In this conversation, Frank discusses how incentives matter and why senior leaders need to absorb complexity and deal with values dilemmas and conflicting goals. He also explains what it means to lead from an inverted triangle and how to put concepts like servant/humble leadership into practice.

Frank Blake served as Chairman and CEO of The Home Depot from January 2007 through November 2014, and then as chairman through January 2015. Frank joined The Home Depot in 2002 as executive vice president, business development and corporate operations. Frank previously served as deputy secretary of the U.S. Department of Energy. Prior to that, he served in a variety of executive roles at General Electric, including senior vice president, Corporate Business Development. Frank serves on numerous boards including Delta Air Lines (non-executive chairman), Macy’s, and Proctor & Gamble. He holds a bachelor’s degree from Harvard University and a jurisprudence degree from Columbia University School of Law.

Duration: 1:05:37

Join your host Tobias Sturesson and his guest, Maria Hemberg, on this informative and helpful episode of the Leading Transformational Change podcast. In this conversation, Maria shares what it means to live one's values, how Volvo Cars think about ethics, and how they are meeting the radical shifts in the car industry.

Maria Hemberg has more than 25 years of experience from practicing business law both in private practice and as in-house counsel. Before joining Volvo Car Group in 2012, Maria served as legal counsel at AB SKF with focus on M&A and was a member of the Automotive Divisions management team. Maria is heading Group Legal & Corporate Governance, a global function providing support and services to the Volvo Car Group covering the areas legal, intellectual property, compliance & ethics, as well as corporate governance.

Duration: 42:40

Join your host Tobias Sturesson and his guest, Dan Cable, on this inspiring episode of the Leading Transformational Change podcast. In this conversation, Dan shares profound insights into how you can bring more meaning to your organization. With a focus on experimentation and purpose, Dan unpacks a remarkable example of the power of servant leadership and how redesigning your rituals can contribute to a healthier culture.

Dan Cable is Professor of Organisational Behaviour at London Business School. His research and teaching focus on employee engagement, change, organisational culture, leadership mindset and the linkage between brands and employee behaviors. He is the author of Exceptional, Alive at Work, and Change to Strange. His most recent research was published in Harvard Business Review, Sloan Management Review, Academy of Management Journal and Administrative Science Quarterly. This research has been featured in The Economist, Financial Times, The Wall Street Journal, CNBC, The New York Times and Business Week. Dan's recent clients include Carlsberg, Coca Cola, Estée Lauder, EY, HSBC, IKEA, McDonalds, MS Amlin, Prudential, PwC, Rabobank, Roche, Sanofi, Siemens and Twitter.

Duration: 57:04

Building a healthy culture and fostering ethical decision-making requires an environment in which concerns are raised and dangerous blindness is avoided. However, creating such an environment seems to be one of the most challenging aspects of leadership. Best-selling author Kim Scott has thought long and hard about how organizations can facilitate the hard conversations that need to happen in order to build trust and transparency. In this engaging and insightful episode, your host Tobias and Kim discuss "radical candor" and how practically applying it helps all members of an organization to invite and give better feedback with compassionate honesty. 

Kim Scott is the author of Just Work: How to Root Out Bias, Prejudice, and Bullying to Build a Kick-ass Culture of Inclusivity, and Radical Candor: Be a Kick-Ass Boss Without Losing Your Humanity. She is the co-founder of the companies Just Work and Radical Candor. Kim was a CEO coach at Dropbox, Qualtrics, Twitter, and other tech companies. She was a member of the faculty at Apple University and before that led AdSense, YouTube, and DoubleClick teams at Google. She lives with her family in Silicon Valley.

Duration: 1hr 04min

What makes people prejudiced and what makes them fight in conflicts? While the "Us vs Them" mentality is a common organizational culture challenge experienced by HR professionals and leaders, there is in-depth research that reveals something more pervasive that needs greater attention: collective narcissism. Dr Agnieszka Golec de Zavala, a distinguished professor who heads up PrejudiceLab, defines this as “a belief that the exaggerated greatness of one’s group is not sufficiently recognized by others”, which leads to resentment, hindering respectful and productive conversations between groups. In this fascinating episode, Agnieszka explains how collective narcissism fuels the conflict we see in the world today - even within our own organizations.

Dr Agnieszka Golec de Zavala is a Reader at Goldsmiths, Univeristy of London and a Professor at University of Social Sciences and Humanities in Poznan, Poland. She has contributed to several diverse research areas, including psychological predictors of political conservatism, the role of motivated cognition in intergroup conflict, social identity, narcissism and collective narcissisms. The breadth of her work is not only seen in scientific contributions, but also in her engagement to use psychological science to address social problems such as social inequalities and prejudice. She is a recipient of several prestigious scholarships including Fulbright Scholarship and Marie Sklodowska-Curie Scholarship. Agnieszka frequently works as an independent expert evaluating proposals submitted to Research Executive Agency (REA) at the European Commission.

Duration: 30:53

As we celebrate our 100th episode, we've invited Richard Bistrong, CEO of Front-Line Anti-Bribery and Klaus Moosmayer, Chief Ethics, Risk and Compliance Officer at Novartis, to dive into the essential role of humility in leadership. Together with host Tobias Sturesson, they explore how acknowledging imperfections, owning mistakes, and repairing trust can lead to significant positive shifts in organizational cultures.

Tune in to this episode as we explore:

• The roots and virtues of humility

• Humility vs. corporate arrogance

• Balancing transparency and investor expectations

• Personal journeys to embracing humility

• Effective responses to corporate scandals

• The pitfalls of corporate forgetfulness

• Building a culture where ethics thrive

‘You Can Culture: Transformative Leadership Habits for a Thriving Workplace, Positive Impact and Lasting Success’ is now available here.

Office politics. It's a phrase to which many have some kind of gut reaction. Probably a highly negative one. Niven Postma makes the case that it's essentially impossible to avoid office politics. In every organization, there is a need to socialize and build momentum for ideas in ways that are outside of the formal process and hierarchy; it happens all the time. In this insightful episode, your host Tobias and Niven discuss aspects of office politics, how to build healthy organizational cultures, and key learnings regarding the hybrid work environment.  

Niven Postma is a strategy, leadership, and culture consultant partnering with clients in diverse industries around the world to (re)ignite the discretionary energy of people and teams, build an enabling culture, and develop meaningful strategies. Niven is the author of the best-selling book, "If you don't do politics, politics will do you - A guide to navigating office politics ethically and successfully" (published in 2020). Her articles and ideas can be found in various well respected media and podcasts. Niven is a Harvard Business Review contributor and a visiting lecturer at Henley Business School. 

Duration: 46:54

Join your host Tobias Sturesson and his guest, Sandra J. Sucher, on this fascinating and timely episode of the Leading Transformational Change podcast. In this conversation, Sandra discusses the foundation of a healthy organizational culture - trust, and how trust can be built, lost, and regained.

Sandra J. Sucher is a professor of management practice at Harvard Business School and an internationally recognized trust researcher. The Power of Trust: How Companies Earn It, Lose It, Regain It, is her third book. It is based on two decades of research on global companies’ best practices and in the gray areas of business—where responsibilities to investors, customers, employees, and society pull companies and their leaders in different directions. Sandra is on the Edelman Trust Institute advisory board and has collaborated with Deloitte on TrustIQ™, a proprietary tool that measures key elements of trust in major corporations and public sector organizations.

Duration: 59:52

Max Bazerman, Jesse Isidor Strauss Professor of Business Administration at the Harvard Business School, takes us through four key aspects of ethical leadership, based on his new book - Better, Not Perfect.

Max shares how research on decision making can help give better output on philanthropy, why we need to make wise trade-offs to decrease waste and how we can all be a part of disrupting corruption. The key is our moral obligation to notice and not close our eyes when we see signs of corruption in our organizations, industries or communities. 

Max drives the message home with stories from the pharmaceutical and auditing industries, as well as companies like Amazon, Theranos and Enron. 

  

Max is a frequent Harvard Business Review contributor and has authored a number of books including The Power of Experiments (with Michael Luca), The Power of Noticing, Judgment in Managerial Decision Making (with Don Moore), and Blind Spots (with Ann Tenbrunsel). 

His latest book, Better, Not Perfect: A Realist's Guide to Maximum Sustainable Goodness just came out.

Jason Lesandrini is the Assistant Vice President for Ethics, Advance Care Planning and Spiritual Health at Wellstar Health System in Georgia, where he leads the strategy and implementation of ethics initiatives. He holds faculty appointments at Mercer University and South College. Jason is a widely recognized expert in outcomes metrics for ethics programs and served as an ethics expert to numerous professional organizations. 

In this fascinating conversation, we delve into the complex landscape of ethics in healthcare and organizational settings. We also unpack the importance of having ethical guides within organizations and the impact of culture on ethical decision-making, the ‘Ethical Buddy System’, end-of-life care dilemmas, and much more. 

Links Mentioned:

Cultureandleadership.org

Jason on LinkedIn

In this episode of the Leading Transformational Change podcast, your host Tobias Sturesson brings back a conversation with Jennifer Chatman from December 2020. In this perceptive and relevant interview with this world-renowned researcher, teacher and consultant on leveraging organizational culture, they discuss what it takes to change and leverage culture, and her research on how narcissistic leadership impacts culture.

Jennifer Chatman is the Paul J. Cortese Distinguished Professor of Management and a faculty member in the Management of Organizations (MORS) Group at Berkeley Haas. In her research, teaching, and consulting work, she focuses on how organizations can leverage culture for strategic success and how diverse teams can optimize performance.

Duration: 51:32

The pandemic has greatly impacted how organizations gather. Not having been able to put all the focus on a few physical gatherings or corporate retreats, organizations have hopefully had an opportunity to think through what values and behaviors are actually promoted through their stories, rituals, and processes. INSEAD's Associate Professor, Mark Mortensen, has investigated the nature of conflict in distributed collaborations and its relationship to identity, context, and communication. In this engaging and helpful episode, your host Tobias and Mark discuss the benefits and challenges of hybrid and remote work, and how this impacts psychological safety in the workplace.

Mark Mortensen is the owner/principal consultant of Global Works Consulting and is an Associate Professor and the chair of Organisational Behaviour at INSEAD. Mark's research explores collaboration in today’s global work context, focusing on alternative structures of organizing: collaborations and teams that are global and virtual, matrixed, overlapping, and dynamically allocated. Mark is a regular contributor to management education journals such as the Harvard Business Review, MIT-Sloan Management Review, and IESE Insight. He has been featured as an expert in media outlets including the Financial Times, Economist, Boston Globe, and Globe and Mail.

Duration: 58:37

In this episode, our host, Tobias Sturesson, reads the introduction of his book You Can Culture, which delves into his personal experience of becoming complicit in a toxic culture. We hope it offers you a compelling and insightful introduction to the concept of the four transformative leadership habits the book explores.

You Can Culture: Transformative Leadership Habits for a Thriving Workplace, Positive Impact and Lasting Success, launches October 8, 2024.

Read more on youcanculture.com, pre-order it on Amazon or wherever you get your books.

How do we live out our corporate values with integrity? It’s something that is easy to say, but not as easy to do. Too often, corporate values become either a shield against justified criticism or merely some meaningless statements we articulate to seem more attractive.

Tobias Sturesson invites Jay Jakub to join him for this episode on The Leading Transformational Change Podcast. Their insightful conversation explores how the Mars Corporation, a 38-billion-dollar privately owned company, lives out its values in a world that often prefers self-interest over unity. Be inspired to put purpose back where it belongs so your business can truly experience unity and cohesiveness.  

Duration: 51:00

They were in a state of deep shock.

How could something so shocking happen in Germany’s largest corporation, and to one of its most iconic brands?

On episode 28 of the Leading Transformational Change podcast, I have the privilege of speaking with Hiltrud Werner about Volkswagen's journey from shock - to shame - to change, after the diesel emissions scandal.

Hiltrud is head of Integrity and Legal Affairs and a part of the Volkswagen Management Board.

We talk about:

- Why it was vital to make the whole organization take ownership and not merely blame a few bad apples.

- How Volkswagen is working to create a speak-up culture, and why they needed to rethink their hierarchical model to decrease the distance between employees and leadership.

- How to drive change in a global organization with more than 600.000 employees.

- How the self-image at the company had to change to be willing to listen, learn and change, and the importance of practicing courageous humility.

- How they developed an Integrity Index to assess change and success.

- Why compliance doesn't have a finish line.

Join your host Tobias Sturesson and his guest, Dr. Margaret Heffernen, on this profound and empowering episode of the Leading Transformational Change podcast. In this conversation, Margaret discusses how to reimagine the future and not fall into the trap of wilful blindness.
Dr. Margaret Heffernen is an entrepreneur, CEO, writer, and keynote speaker. The author of six books, Margaret’s third book, Willful Blindness: Why We Ignore the Obvious at our Peril was named one of the most important business books of the decade by the Financial Times. Her TED talks have been seen by over twelve million people and in 2015 TED published Beyond Measure: The Big Impact of Small Changes. Her most recent book, Uncharted: How to map the future was published in 2020.
She is a Professor of Practice at the University of Bath, Lead Faculty for the Forward Institute’s Responsible Leadership Programme and, through Merryck & Co., mentors CEOs and senior executives of major global organizations. She holds an honorary doctorate from the University of Bath and continues to write for the Financial Times and the Huffington Post.
Duration: 54:47

Happy New Year! Welcome to Season 7 of the Leading Transformational Change podcast. Your usual host, Tobias Sturesson, switches into the role of guest and is interviewed by his colleague, Andreas Almlöf. They discuss what stood out the most throughout the podcast episodes of 2022 and reflect on how to think about culture and values in a time of change and crisis. In addition, Tobias shares about his forthcoming book and why he decided to write it in the first place.

Duration: 36:16

Our host Tobias Sturesson greets us with some exciting updates on Season 4, launching August 19. We have a number of wonderful, insightful, inspiring, and challenging conversations lined up. Don't miss it!

“The best organizations encourage people to work together in teams and groups of people, promoting benefits that can be conferred on other parties – where the benefits are of considerable significance – to not just the customers and those organizations, but society and the natural world at large.

That is what we need to be seeking from the organizations that we are creating, throughout the economies and nation-states in which we're operating, to help us address the problems that we're facing.”

What does it take for an organization to deliver its purpose? How can we move from nice-sounding statements to putting our purpose into practice? In this fascinating conversation with Professor Colin Mayer, we explore what the best organizations are doing. We also discuss the role of trust and relationships in business, lessons from the financial crisis, how we can communicate trust – and Colin’s definitions of ‘Sin-integrity’ vs. ‘Saint-tegrity’.

Colin Peter Mayer is a Professor of Management Studies at the Saïd Business School at the University of Oxford, and is the author of ‘Prosperity’ and ‘Putting Purpose Into Practice’. He is also a Professorial Fellow of Wadham College, Oxford, and an Honorary Fellow of Oriel College and St Anne's College, Oxford. In 2017, he was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire for services to business education and the administration of justice in the economic sphere.

Duration: 55:13

Tobias Sturesson and Andreas Almlöf delve into values-driven leadership and its transformative power. They’re looking at why it's essential to align behaviors with organizational values and the risks of disregarding this alignment. They also unpack the Culture Leadership Program, which is crucial for developing the habits and practices that underpin sustainable change.

In this conversation, they challenge outdated notions related to habit formation and emphasize the philosophy of consistency over time to foster these new, crucial habits. Prepare for a thought-provoking session that encourages leaders to lead by example in their commitment to culture change.

Links Mentioned:

Cultureandleadership.org

In this episode, Tobias shares five practices that will empower you to build trust and strengthen culture as you lead through the current COVID-19 crisis. Through Creating Clarity, Building Unity, Ensuring Integrity, Practicing Courageous Humility and Developing Resiliency your organization will become stronger and healthier. 

Values that don’t cost us something aren’t worth anything. In the struggle between upholding the principles we say we believe in and a possible loss of prestige or financial gain, our values get tested and are often found lacking. Sweden's leading political scientist, Bo Rothstein, gave up a coveted professorship because he couldn’t teach political ethics with good conscience in a role funded by a financier who supported a cause Bo believed conflicted with the values that the role represented. In this insightful episode, your host Tobias and Bo discuss the role of trust in building strong institutions and healthy organizations.

Bo Rothstein held the August Röhss Chair in Political Science at the University of Gothenburg from December 1994 to June 2021. His long and illustrious career includes roles as visiting scholar and professor at distinguished universities including Harvard, Cornell, and Stanford. Bo is the author of "Just Institutions Matter: The Moral and Political Logic of the Universal Welfare" and "Social Traps and the Problem of Trust", both with Cambridge University Press. His latest book is "Making Sense of Corruption" (together with Aiysha Varraich) published by Cambridge University Press in 2017. 

Duration: 42:24

Anna & Michaela share their learnings, building up ethics, and compliance at the Telia company in the wake of a corruption scandal.  

Michaela Ahlberg is a lawyer with over thirty years of experience working with ethics & compliance programs at several multinational companies and is currently the Chief Ethics & Compliance Officer at Getinge. Anna Romberg is an anti-corruption, compliance, and corporate governance expert who has deployed ethics and compliance programs in global organizations. Anna and Michaela worked together to establish ethics and compliance in the Telia Company after a major corruption scandal, Michaela as the Chief Ethics & Compliance Officer and Anna as the Global Anti-Corruption Program Lead.  

Together they have authored The Grey Zone: A Practical Guide to Corporate Conduct, Compliance, and Business Ethics.

We often don't know what to do with regret. Organizations often have a culture that causes its employees to be solely future-focused, not dwelling on past failures. While there is certainly a need to move forward, the danger is that past regrets become taboo; people can feel like there is something wrong with them if they have regrets. However, best-selling author Daniel Pink believes that regret can become a positive driver resulting in powerful results. In this inspiring and encouraging episode, your host Tobias and Daniel discuss different types of regret, self-compassion, and how leaders and HR and Ethics professionals can deal with regret in a productive and restorative way.  

Daniel H. Pink is the author of five New York Times bestsellers, including his latest, The Power of Regret: How Looking Backward Moves Us Forward, published in February. His other books include the New York Times bestsellers When and A Whole New Mind — as well as the #1 New York Times bestsellers Drive and To Sell is Human. Dan’s books have won multiple awards, have been translated into 42 languages, and have sold millions of copies around the world. He lives in Washington, DC, with his family.  

Duration: 50:53

Wendy K. Smith is the Dana J. Johnson professor of management and faculty director of the Women’s Leadership Initiative at the Lerner College of Business and Economics, University of Delaware. As we navigate the complexities of sustainability and sustainable development goals, Wendy sheds light on the challenges that arise when making overarching commitments.

Tune in as we discuss:

• Integrating sustainability goals with profitability for businesses
• When is it necessary to prioritise profit versus ethical considerations?
• The concept of "tightrope walking" as a strategy
• Both/and thinking versus either/or thinking
• Embracing serendipity and being open to new experiences in decision-making

Links Mentioned:

Free guide: https://heartmanagement.org/en/guide/

Both/and Thinking

Ann Skeet is the Senior Director of Leadership Ethics at the Markkula Center for Applied Ethics at Santa Clara University. Ann teaches ethics literacy for boards in the Silicon Valley Executive Education Center in the Leavey School of Business. She is also a co-author of ‘Ethics in the Age of Disruptive Technologies: An Operational Roadmap’. 

Tune in as we discuss:

• The Six Ethical Lenses Framework

• How to incorporate ethical principles into your decision-making

• Why trust is a crucial currency for successful operations

• Some ethical challenges that arise with the implementation of AI

• How do you counter bias in decision-making?

Links Mentioned:

Free guide: https://heartmanagement.org/en/guide/ 

‘Ethics in the Age of Disruptive Technologies’ by José Flahaux, Brian Green and Ann Gregg Skeet

Leading Transformational Change episode with Sandra J. Sucher

Dr. Dan Siegel

Ann Skeet on LinkedIn

Ann Skeet on X

Markkula Center for Applied Ethics at Santa Clara University

The renowned culture strategist, Stan Slap, is on the show today for a conversation about redefining the way we think about the fabric of company culture. Stan is the president of the international consulting company SLAP and has also worked as a CEO with over 5,000 employees under his direction. He has mentored numerous companies, including Oracle and HSBC, and is the author of ‘Under The Hood’.

We delve into the significance of aligning professed company values with actual behaviours, the power of emotional commitment over financial incentives, and the deep impact of cultural health on organizational success. We also touch on cultural resistance to change and how to foster genuine alignment within the company.

Links Mentioned:

Cultureandleadership.org

Stan Slap on LinkedIn

‘Under The Hood’ by Stan Slap

SLAP

Today we hear a unique perspective on Ukraine's dedication to corporate governance and the fight against corruption. Our guest is Gleb Bakalov, the Executive Committee Chairman of the Ukrainian Network of Integrity and Compliance (UNIC). He has been serving as the Chief Compliance Officer of NPC UKRENERGO since 2018, and has experience in the compliance field since 2008, including financial, legal and investment companies in Ukraine and abroad.

Tune in as we explore the significant strides taken to strengthen transparency, attract foreign investment, and counteract the deeply ingrained culture of bribery. Amidst the harrowing backdrop of war, we discuss how Ukrainian organizations and individuals remain committed to ethics and integrity, facing the ethical dilemmas war presents while striving to uphold a culture of speaking up against injustices.

Links Mentioned:

Cultureandleadership.org

Gleb Bakalov on LinkedIn

It’s not enough with a great compelling vision to achieve transformation. You also have to pursue the needed organizational culture shift that can enable your organization to make the journey.

In this episode of Leading Transformational Change, Heart Management co-founders Tobias & Lena talk about how to make your vision come alive and lead to actual change.

We would love to hear Your thoughts and questions in the comments!

Subscribe, like and share to join the vision of a world in which organizations with a healthy heart become the norm and not the exception.

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Tobias Sturesson is the co-founder of Heart Management. He coaches leaders and organizations in change and crisis. Tobias has dedicated his professional life to helping leaders lead and build organizations that can attain and sustain a healthy heart—inner life—free from hidden agendas, inner corruption, and hypocrisy.

Tobias is convinced that the inner state of an organization greatly influences the lives of employees, customers, and society at large.

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Heart Management helps leaders build healthy businesses and organizations that can thrive, empowered by a flourishing culture and aligned around a shared purpose and vision.

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Website: https://heartmanagement.org

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tobiassturesson/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/heart.management/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/heartmanagement.org/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/sturessontobias

Tobias Sturesson invites Stan Slap to join him for this episode on The Leading Transformational Change Podcast. During this insightful conversation, Stan articulates the need to rethink culture and values, unpacks his concepts of "self-protective organisms" and "cultural obsessions", and outlines practical strategies and tactics for success. Be inspired by his passionate plea to leaders to care for the humanity of their organizations, especially as we continue to navigate a global pandemic and uncertainty.

Duration: 57:07

Klaus Moosmayer joined Novartis in 2018 as Chief Ethics, Risk and Compliance Officer and a member of the Executive Committee. He was previously chief compliance officer at Siemens AG, where he spent 18 years in roles of increasing seniority. He began his career as a lawyer in Germany, specializing in white-collar crime, business law and litigation.

In this episode we explore the reality of ethical dilemmas in the corporate world, the importance of building trust, especially in the pharmaceutical industry, and the value of creating an inviting atmosphere for discussions on ethics and compliance. Klaus also discusses the development of a new code of ethics at Novartis – likening it to the company's constitution.

Links Mentioned:

Cultureandleadership.org

‘Blind Spots’ by Ann Tenbrunsel and Max Bazerman

Klaus Moosmayer on LinkedIn

Bob Langert, former VP of Corporate Social Responsibility and Sustainability at McDonald's, and Jay Barney, author of ‘The Secret of Culture Change’, join Tobias Sturesson to explore the nuanced journey of leading transformational change within an organisation. Drawing from decades of experience, Bob shares how McDonald's navigated criticism to embrace a proactive approach to social responsibility, while Jay highlights the significance of actions over words in fostering a true cultural shift. 

Tune in to this episode as we explore:

• Navigating criticism and fostering partnerships

• Actions as the foundation for cultural change

• Embracing vulnerability to strengthen trust

• The journey from defensiveness to proactivity

• Trust and its impact on business success

• Inspiring change through leadership actions

• Building authentic stories from transformative practices

Links mentioned:

101. Embrace Vulnerability: Insights from Ann Tenbrunsel and Lenny Wong on Avoiding Blind Spots and Navigating Human Fallibility

‘The Secret of Culture Change’ by Jay Barney

‘You Can Culture: Transformative Leadership Habits for a Thriving Workplace, Positive Impact and Lasting Success’ is now available here.

A culture of speaking up and listening up does not happen by default. Leaders need to build it with intentionality and an awareness of their blindspots. Researcher and author Megan Reitz is passionate about helping people flourish in their workplaces through the way they speak with, listen to, learn from, and care for each other. In this engaging and helpful episode, your host Tobias and Megan discuss building cultures of listening, understanding positions of power and its impact, and a framework for fostering psychological safety.

Megan Reitz is a facilitator, teacher, speaker, executive coach, researcher, and author dedicated to exploring and finding ways to improve the way people interact with one another in the workplace. She is Professor of Leadership and Dialogue at Ashridge Executive Education – part of Hult International Business School. She is ranked as one of the top 50 management thinkers in the world by Thinkers50 and is on the 2021 HR Most Influential List of Thinkers by HR Magazine. Megan is the co-author of "Speak Up: Say what needs to be said and hear what needs to be heard".  

Duration: 50:38

Today we have an exceptional panel to delve deep into the heart of ethical culture and organizational transformation. We begin first with Andreas Almlöf interviewing Tobias Sturesson about his newest book ‘You Can Culture’. Our panel guests include Ellen Hunt, a leader in the ethics and compliance space, Alison Taylor, former Executive Director of Ethical Systems and a Clinical Associate Professor at NYU Stern School of Business, and Rob Chesnut, former Airbnb executive and author. 

In this episode, we explore:

• HR and compliance driving positive change

• Intentional integrity and business performance

• The need for advisory and counsellor roles in leadership

• A decentralized approach at Airbnb for ethics and compliance

• Having a culture of disagreement

‘You Can Culture: Transformative Leadership Habits for a Thriving Workplace, Positive Impact and Lasting Success’ is now available here.

What distinguishes a great culture, and how do we achieve it?

How can we avoid hiring narcissistic leaders that corrupt culture?

Jennifer Chatman, Paul J. Cortese Distinguished Professor of Management at Berkeley Haas School of Business and a world-renowned corporate culture researcher, has focused her career on how leaders can leverage culture for business impact.

Recently she also published a highly publicized study on the destructive impact of narcissist leaders on corporate culture.

On Episode 27 of the Leading Transformational Change podcast, I talk to Jennifer about:

- Why culture needs to be strong, strategic, adaptive, and healthy.

- The three keys to distinguish between visionary and narcissist leaders.

- How narcissism hurts culture and how to heal it.

- The 4C's that can create a great culture.

- Why leaders cannot abdicate their culture responsibility.

- How to continually assess your culture.

#corporateculture #culturechange #cultureassessment #leadership #narcissism #corporatevalues #adaptability

In this special episode of Leading Transformational Change, we dive deep into the essential habit of ‘Getting Humble’ from my book, ‘You Can Culture’. I am joined by Andreas Almlöf from Heart Management to explore why humility in leadership is crucial for fostering a thriving, ethical culture in organisations. Listen in to hear an excerpt from the book, as well as practical advice on embracing vulnerability, taking ownership of cultural issues, and the power of reflection in maintaining values alignment. 

Tune in to this episode as we explore:

• Key insights from the ‘You Can Culture’ book

• Embracing vulnerability in leadership

• Overcoming fears of showing weakness

• Benefits of admitting mistakes

• Humility vs. arrogance in leadership

• Real-world examples of transformative change

• Rituals of reflection for leaders

‘You Can Culture: Transformative Leadership Habits for a Thriving Workplace, Positive Impact and Lasting Success’ is now available here.

Alison Taylor is an Adjunct Professor at NYU Stern School of Business and Executive Director at Ethical Systems. Ethical System's mission is to harness research, from leaders in academia, to transform the ethical practice of business in the corporate world. Prior to joining Ethical Systems, Alison was the Managing Director of BSR Business For Social Responsibilty. Alison is a member of the World Economic Forum Global Future Council on Transparency and Anti-Corruption and writes frequently for Harvard Business Review, Quartz etc.    In this episode of Leading Transformational Change, Alison explains how traditional compliance methods and policies are not enough in order to build a high integrity organization and why leaders and HR professionals need to focus on developing an ethical culture. She also debunks the myth of a few "bad apples" and provides practical suggestions to develop that culture of ethics in your organization.    Listen and subscribe to Leading Transformational Change on Apple Podcast, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts!

"I've seen many examples of management by fear in organizations. People become so much less than they could be. Many managers think they are making things happen, but the opposite actually happens - people become less active and take less initiative." Join your host, Tobias Sturesson, and his guest, Louise Bringselius, for this episode on The Leading Transformational Change podcast.

In this informative and engaging conversation, you will learn how trust can be an organizational operating system that can transform the way we operate. This episode discusses how organizations often approach values and corporate culture in a way that diminishes trust in organizations, and practical examples of restoring trust within organizational culture.

Louise Bringselius is a researcher, lecturer, and author. She heads the Institute for Public Affairs within the Department of Business Adminstration at Lund University, Sweden. Previously, Louise has been the Head of Research at the Swedish Government Commission for Trust-Based Public Management, specializing in the role of trust within the public sector. She is the author of multiple books on trust, culture, and values.

Duration: 41:50

Richard Bistrong shares his story - from being a successful Vice President at a Law Enforcement and Defense company to being sentenced for violating the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, going undercover for the FBI, and finally to prison. 

Today Richard speaks and advises leaders, HR, and compliance professionals on ethics and compliance challenges. 

We talk about:  

• How leaders and organizations need to navigate the tension between the pressure to succeed and the pressure to comply.  
• How we can make the values on the wall operational in the business.  
• Why we should encourage conversations about real-world ethical dilemmas. 
• Why middle managers have a crucial role in whether the message and culture of ethics will be amplified, distorted, discarded, or discounted on the front-lines. 

As the CEO of Front-Line Anti-Bribery, Richard consultants and speaks on bribery, ethics, and compliance issues at institutions such as the World Bank, The International Anti-Corruption Academy, and global multinationals. Learn more about Richard’s work here: https://www.richardbistrong.com/

In this episode I switch to the role of guest and I am interviewed by my colleague, Andreas Almlöf. Today we mark the exciting release of our free guide ‘6 Vital Steps to Leading Lasting Culture Change and Making Values Matter’, which we explore in this conversation, including a proven culture change process and how to integrate your values.

Tune in as we discuss:

• What data can be gathered to assess a company’s culture?

• How can leaders effectively develop and integrate better habits?

• The role of senior management in driving culture change

• How to integrate values into everyday conversations and decisions

• The rituals, incentives, and processes that help reinforce values

Links mentioned:

Free guide: https://heartmanagement.org/en/guide/ 

i4cp: Culture Renovation: A Blueprint for Action

"We have created contexts where so many everyday behaviors are seen as requiring courage." Join your host, Tobias Sturesson, and his guest, Jim Detert, for this episode on The Leading Transformational Change podcast.   

Their informative conversation focuses on how we can learn to be competently courageous in our workplaces, but also why leaders should never encourage courage but instead create an atmosphere where speaking and standing up is the safest thing in the world.  

Jim Detert is the John L. Colley Professor of Business Administration in the Leadership and Organizational Behavior area at the University of Virginia's Darden Graduate School of Business Administration and a Professor of Public Policy at the Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy. Jim's research focuses on workplace courage, improvement-oriented voice (why people speak up or stay silent at work), ethical decision-making and behavior, and other leadership-related topics. He is a frequent contributor to Harvard Business Review, and the author of the book Choosing Courage: The Everyday Guide to Being Brave at Work, published by Harvard Business Review Press.  

Duration: 54.20

Tobias Sturesson invites Adam Kahane to join him for this episode on The Leading Transformational Change Podcast.

During their in-depth conversation, Adam candidly shares about his time working with Former Colombian President, Juan Manuel Santos, recipient of the 2016 Nobel Peace Prize for his work in bringing the 50-year-long Colombian civil war to an end. Be inspired by Adam's insights into a revolutionary way of collaborating that goes against usual organizational norms. 

Adam Kahane is a Director of Reos Partners, an international social enterprise that helps people move forward together on their most important and intractable issues. He has worked in more than fifty countries and in every part of the world, with executives, politicians, generals, guerrillas, civil servants, trade unionists, community activists, United Nations officials, clergy, and artists. 

Adam's new book: Facilitating Breakthrough: How to Remove Obstacles, Bridge Differences, and Move Forward Together is available for pre-order and will be released August 31, 2021. Pre-order the book here: https://www.amazon.com/Facilitating-Breakthrough-Obstacles-Differences-Together/dp/1523092041

Duration: 44:30

In this engaging and eye-opening episode, Kevin Oakes, the CEO and co-founder of i4cp (the leading authority on next practices in human capital), and the author of the recently published book, Culture Renovation™, unpacks the strategies and actions that i4cp, through extensive research, has learned are key to successfully renovating culture.

As CEO and co-founder of i4cp, Kevin Oakes provides strategic direction and vision, and is responsible for the overall operations of the organization. Kevin is a frequent author and international keynote speaker on next practices in human capital and works with business and HR executives on people practices that drive high performance. Kevin is the author of Culture Renovation™, which was published in January 2021. The book acts as a blueprint for senior leaders to positively change organizational culture and details 18 action steps that companies such as Microsoft, 3M and T-Mobile have followed to successfully renovate their cultures. 

How do you overcome your ethical blindspots?

Ann Tenbrunsel, Professor of Business Ethics at Notre Dame, has researched why we believe we are more ethical than we are, why that is a serious problem for every organization, and what we can do about it.

This is vital for every organization that wants to lead with values.

On episode 26 of the Leading Transformational Change podcast, I talk to Ann about:

-How ethical fading can remove ethics and corporate values from the decision making process.

-Why we need to dispel the myth of being a "good organization".

-How we often put too much trust in our formal system - our corporate values or codes of conduct, and overlook the informal system that has ten times more influence on observed misconduct.

-How whatever your employees perceive to be what's rewarded in your organization will ultimately drive behavior.

-How moral licensing can make us hide behind a noble mission or good values and, as a result, become more open to unethical behavior.

-Why and how we can assess our leadership and organizations to get a better understanding of how ethical we really are.

#integrity #corporateethics #ethics #corporateculture #values

Siobhan McHale is the author of The Insider's Guide to Culture Change and EGM People, Culture & Change at DuluxGroup. She has worked across four continents, helping thousands of leaders to create more agile and productive workplaces. She led a radical seven-year change initiative at ANZ that transformed it from the lowest-performing bank in Australia into one of the highest-performing and most admired banks in the world. Professor John Kotter used her work with ANZ as a Harvard Business School case study designed to teach MBA students about managing change. 

In this episode, Siobhan shares her insight into organizational culture as not merely the sum total of espoused values and individual behaviors, but as hidden agreements, patterns, and roles, where the focus should be on the "dance" itself, not only the individual "dancers", 

It will help you understand and develop your culture in the midst of the crisis.  

Siobhan also shared some great insight into how HR leaders can encourage senior leadership to take organizational culture change seriously.

In this episode, Tobias talks about how the current moment is putting the spotlight on racism and injustice. And how leaders' response to the killing of George Floyd serves as an example of a dilemma that every leader and HR professional will be facing at one point or another. Will we, as leaders, be ready to practice courageous humility and deal with the underlying heart issues in our organizations, or will we cover-up, shift blame or just try to move on. 

"I think I’ve got an idea for another study. I think we should talk about how we lie in the Army”

Lenny Wong, Research Professor at the US Army War College, discovered, while doing a study on why junior officers weren't innovative enough, that the Army had put so many requirements on officers that it was physically impossible to get it all done.

However, everyone would still report that everything got done because that was what the system required.

Lenny and his research partner found that this systemic lying created a moral numbness and a slippery slope that could go from trivial tasks to very consequential ones.

In episode 25 of Leading Transformational Change we talk about:

1. How our desire to believe ourselves to be good or have perfect values can lead to a culture of dishonesty.

2. How we can listen to our organizations to uncover unhealthy culture.

3. Why we need courageous humility in order to build healthy and honest organizations.

4. Why we should take patterns of unethical behavior seriously even if it might seem like insignificant things.

5. How our systems and structures can override our corporate values.

Rebecca Newton is an Organizational Psychologist with a PhD in psychology, a frequent Harvard Business Review contributor, a Senior Visiting Fellow at the London School of Economics, and the CEO of CoachAdviser, a London-based culture agency. She is also the author of ‘Authentic Gravitas, Who Stands Out and Why’, based on her extensive experience coaching executives at companies like Google, Coca-Cola, and Accenture.

We discuss why culture shouldn't be the sole responsibility of HR, highlighting leaders' need to step up and embrace change collectively. We also touch on Rebecca’s three-pronged approach: engaging leaders with participation, using data to inform decisions, and skill development to ensure leaders are equipped for the journey ahead.

Links Mentioned:

Cultureandleadership.org

HBR: HR Can’t Change Company Culture by Itself

Rebecca Newton on LinkedIn

‘Authentic Gravitas’ by Rebecca Newton

CoachAdviser

In our last episode, we kicked off our digital book launch series with a conversation featuring Alison Taylor, Rob Chesnut, and Ellen Hunt. Today, we have another exciting panel lined up… this time with some of Europe’s leading voices on culture and ethics.

Our discussion will focus on common pitfalls and transformative strategies in shaping corporate culture.

Tune in as we are joined by Guido Palazzo, Professor of Business Ethics at the University of Lausanne, Michaela Ahlberg, Senior Ethics & Compliance Specialist, and Erica Wikman, Vice President of Compliance & Corporate Integrity at Autoliv. 

 

In this episode, we explore: 

• The ripple effect of bad decisions 

• The importance of inclusivity in corporate culture 

• The ability to listen as leaders 

• Understanding privilege and bias 

• Why it’s important to stay in the grey zone 

 

‘You Can Culture: Transformative Leadership Habits for a Thriving Workplace, Positive Impact and Lasting Success’ is now available here. 

Ron Carucci, Co-founder and Managing Partner at Navalent, helps CEOs at some of the world’s largest companies lead transformational change. He is a bestselling author, and a frequent contributor to Harvard Business Review, Forbes and TedX.

Ron shares his insight and research on why building honesty, unity, and integrity into the fiber of your organization is vital in order to experience great organizational health and lasting success.

Bruno Roche, former Chief Economist and Managing Director at Mars Corporation, is now leading efforts at ONEsociety, a foundation and consultancy aiming to drive systemic change in the impact economy. Bruno shares his expertise on navigating today's geopolitical landscape, technological advancements like AI, and the ethical frameworks that underpin sustainable societal progress. Discover how businesses and leaders can steer through unprecedented global changes with integrity and mutuality at the core.

Tune in to this episode as we explore:

• The battle for AI control in society
• Maintaining equilibrium amidst global chaos
• The new relationship between economics and ethics
• Navigating corporate responsibility and values
• Mutual relationship vs. transactional thinking

‘You Can Culture: Transformative Leadership Habits for a Thriving Workplace, Positive Impact and Lasting Success’ is now available here.

Join your host Tobias Sturesson and his guest, Aga Bajer, on this practical and helpful episode of the Leading Transformational Change podcast. In this conversation, Aga discusses culture myths, how to deal with cultural challenges as your organization grows, how to analyze the health of your culture, and why she believes fun, meaning and belonging are at the heart of a healthy culture.
Agnieszka (Aga) Bajer works with leaders and teams around the globe to help them bring their vision to life. She is the host of the CultureLab podcast and the co-author of “Building and Sustaining a Coaching Culture" - a complete guide on how to embed coaching in an organisation’s DNA.
Duration: 58:55

What does it really mean to build AI responsibly, at Google scale?

In this episode, we sit down with Jen Gennai, the person Google turned to when it needed to build ethical AI from the ground up. Jen founded Google’s Responsible Innovation team and has spent her career at the intersection of trust, safety, and emerging tech.

From advising world leaders on AI governance to navigating internal pushback, Jen opens up about what it actually takes to embed ethics into one of the fastest-moving industries on the planet.

Tune in to this episode as we explore:

• The importance of early ethical considerations

• Trust as a core pillar of technology

• Navigating AI’s impact on fairness and discrimination

• The future of AI-human relationships

• Building AI literacy in organizations

• The intersection of regulation and innovation

Links mentioned:

Connect with Jen Gennai on LinkedIn

T3 Website
‘You Can Culture: Transformative Leadership Habits for a Thriving Workplace, Positive Impact and Lasting Success’ is now available here.

On 24 February 2022 Putin ordered the Russian army to attack Ukraine. At the time of this episode, there are more than 1.5 million refugees from Ukraine that have crossed the border to another European country. Amid this pain, fear, and uncertainty people are still taking leadership. 

This episode is a conversation with one of those brave leaders: Serhii Bolchuk, the co-founder of Agape Ukraine. This moving interview tells their unfinished story of pivoting from serving people in their own facilities to now desperately trying to evacuate them. And yet, Serhiy still believes there is hope.   

Serhii Bolchuk and his wife, Natalia, are the founders of Agape Ukraine - an NGO focused on serving people with disabilities. In Ukraine, people with disabilities often lack any governmental support and are typically left to the care of their mothers. Without the support of physiotherapists and disability-friendly facilities, their freedom is often limited, and they find themselves isolated from society. Agape Ukraine built the state-of-the-art Agape Rehabilitation Complex that offers physiotherapy, assisted living, and developmental activities. In addition, they arrange regular retreats for children and adults. 

To learn more: https://www.agapeukraine.com/en/golovna-english/

Many organizations struggle with a culture of silence in which critical concerns are neither welcomed nor raised, essential feedback is unshared, and vital ideas are left unsaid. But how do you measure a lack of something? How do you deal with something that isn’t there? What strategies and habits need to be implemented to deal with silence?

This final episode of Season 5 is a recording of an online live Healthy Culture Initiative event with Megan Reitz and Mary Inman. Listen in on this critical conversation between your host, Tobias, and these guests as they explore how to deal with a culture of silence.

Megan Reitz is a facilitator, teacher, speaker, executive coach, researcher, and author dedicated to exploring and finding ways to improve the way people interact with one another in the workplace. She is Professor of Leadership and Dialogue at Ashridge Executive Education – part of Hult International Business School. She is ranked as one of the top 50 management thinkers in the world by Thinkers50 and is on the 2021 HR Most Influential List of Thinkers by HR Magazine. Megan is the co-author of "Speak Up: Say what needs to be said and hear what needs to be heard".

Mary Inman is a lawyer and partner in Constantine Cannon’s London Office. She launched the firm's international whistleblower practice and specializes in representing whistleblowers worldwide under American reward programs. Mary is a recognized expert and frequent author and speaker on areas related to the application of the American whistleblower laws internationally and the use of whistleblower laws worldwide.

Duration: 01:22:03

We live in times in which circumstances change rapidly, decisions are rarely black and white, and it's hard to know what is right, true, and most important. With our current political climate, polarization, and media culture, there are considerable risks involved in decision-making. How do we build a healthy organizational culture with an ethical compass in turbulent times? 

Professor and ethics expert, Alison Taylor, is currently writing a book for Harvard Business Review Press on how companies can do the right thing in a turbulent world. In this insightful episode, your host Tobias and Alison discuss her key learnings on what it takes to lead with values in the midst of crisis and uncertainty.

Alison Taylor is the Executive Director at Ethical Systems, a collaboration between leading academics in the fields of behavioral science, systems thinking, and organizational psychology. She holds an M.A. in International Relations and Organizational Psychology with her fields of expertise being ethics, management, and social responsibility. Alison has spent the last two decades working with MNCs on issues such as culture and behaviour, ethics and compliance, human rights, and risk. She has been Managing Director at non-profit business network Business for Social Responsibility, and a Senior Managing Director at Control Risks. She teaches professional responsibility and leadership to MBA and undergraduate students at NYU Stern and offers guest lectures on matters of business, public policy, sustainability, and political science.

Duration: 58:35

Carolyn is the co-founder of Walking the Talk, a global culture consulting firm, and she is globally recognized as the most experienced consultant and speaker on how to change corporate culture, having personally worked with over 100.000 leaders and helped lead over 200 culture change journeys in 35 countries. Carolyn is the author of Walking the Talk, a best selling book on culture change and values-based leadership. Robert Joss, Dean Emeritus, Stanford Graduate School of Business calls it “An indispensable handbook"

In this episode of Leading Transformational Change, Carolyn helps us understand what it truly means to be a values-driven leader and organization. How true values require sacrifice and how a crisis can put us in front of some of our most challenging values dilemmas and give insight into our organizational culture. Carolyn highlights why it’s vital for us to distinguish between climate (typical employee engagement questions) and culture when we assess the state of our organizations.

Listen and subscribe to Leading Transformational Change on Apple Podcast, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts!

As season four of the Leading Transformational Change podcast draws to a close, your host, Tobias Sturesson, takes this opportunity to encourage you and your organization to continue pursuing a healthy culture. Together, we can make organizations that live their purpose, succeed in their mission, and have a positive impact on all stakeholders, the norm and not the exception. Wishing you a peaceful Christmas and a prosperous 2022. Duration: 08:40

Welcome to episode 71 of the Leading Transformational Change podcast. Your usual host, Tobias Sturesson, switches into the role of guest and is interviewed by his colleague, Andreas Almlöf. They discuss organizational cultures in crisis, different types of unhealthy cultures, and how to rebuild trust within organizations going through challenging times.
Duration: 35:10

"We need to invite in the critics. We need to open our doors. We need to listen to them." Join your host, Tobias Sturesson, and his guest, Bob Langert, for this episode on The Leading Transformational Change podcast.

In this fascinating and helpful conversation, you will learn how Bob Langert, former VP of Corporate Social Responsibility and Sustainability at McDonald's, shifted from fighting the company's critics to a posture of listening and even collaborating with organizations like Greenpeace and the Environmental Defense Fund to bring change to the company and to the food industry at large.

A practice that could be vital to building a culture of trust, purpose and integrity, but that Bob believes is seldom utilized.

Bob Langert led McDonald's Corporate Social Responsibility & Sustainability efforts for more than twenty-five years before retiring in 2015. Currently, he is a columnist and editor-at-large for the GreenBiz Group and Senior Sustainability Advisor for The Context Network, the premier global and agribusiness consulting firm in advancing agriculture. He has been engaged in social responsibility issues at a global level since the late 1980s, leading environmental affairs, animal welfare, and Ronald McDonald Children's Charities' grants. He was appointed McDonald's first vice president to lead sustainability in 2006. In 2007, Langert was named as one of the 100 Most Influential in Business Ethics by Ethisphere. His first book, The Battle To Do Good: Inside McDonald's Sustainability Journey, was published in January 2019.

Duration: 50:02

Terentia Browne has spent many years, first as an engineer and then in management positions, at multinational corporations like Unilever and Johnson & Johnson. She holds a bachelor of science and has been awarded a Rising Star Award from the Health Care Businesswomen’s Associations. She was chosen to be a part of the Ascend Accelerated Women’s Leadership Program within Johnson & Johnson. She is the founder of Greenleaf Leaders where she supports introvert emerging leaders to enhance their leadership potential.

In this episode of Leading Transformational Change, Terentia shares her experience coming from South Africa, as a non-white woman, to lead a team of engineers at a plant in Sweden. Terentia gives examples of how leaders and HR professionals can help create inclusive experiences and environments where diversity can flourish, and why every team member should take co-ownership of Diversity & Inclusion.

Tobias Sturesson kicks off Season 3 of the Leading Transformational Change Podcast with a profound and empowering conversation with Dr. Margaret Heffernen, entrepreneur, CEO, author, and keynote speaker, about how to reimagine the future and not fall into the trap of wilful blindness.

"If you assume that no news is good news, then you're dangerous." Join your host Tobias Sturesson and his guest, Ron Carucci, for this episode on The Leading Transformational Change podcast. 

During their lively conversation, Ron discusses how the world’s most successful organizations are leading with the Power of Truth, Justice, and Purpose. Be inspired by Ron's insights into how our organizations can and should be a place where people can find purpose, dignity, and belonging. 

Ron has a 30-year track record of helping organizations adopt strategies that lead to accelerated growth, and designing programs to execute those strategies. He is also a two-time TED speaker and the best-selling author of eight books, including the recent Amazon #1 Rising to Power. 

Ron's new book To Be Honest: Lead with the Power of Truth, Justice and Purpose is available for pre-order on Amazon.

Duration: 36:30

Today we hear from Ann Tenbrunsel, the David E. Gallo Professor of Business Ethics at the University of Notre Dame, and Lenny Wong, a retired research professor at the US Army War College. Explore how positive illusions about our ethicality lead to overlooked blind spots and understand the importance of embracing vulnerability for fostering trust and learning within corporate cultures. This episode is a must-listen for anyone looking to understand and navigate the ethical challenges in leadership and organisational behaviour.

In this episode, we explore:

• The illusion of personal ethicality
• Embracing vulnerability to build trust
• Balancing high values with human flaws
• The impact of ethical blind spots
• Motivated blindness in decision-making
• The role of formal and informal systems
• Moving beyond moral licensing

Links Mentioned:

You Can Culture by Tobias Sturesson

025. Lenny Wong: Uncovering a Culture of Dishonesty

065. Ann Tenbrunsel: Are we as ethical as we think?

Ann Tenbrunsel’s work

Lenny Wong’s research works

In this episode of the Leading Transformational Change podcast, your host Tobias Sturesson brings back a conversation that many new listeners may not have heard. In this insightful interview with ethics professor and author Ann Tenbrunsel, from almost two years ago (November 2020), they discuss whether we truly are as values-driven as we think, and why we make bad decisions even when we might have good intentions.

Ann Tenbrunsel is the David E. Gallo Professor of Business Ethics at the University of Notre Dame. Her research focuses on the psychology of ethical decision making and examining why we behave unethically, despite our best intentions. Ann is the author, co-author, or co-editor of six books on this topic including Blind Spots (with Max Bazerman), Behavioral Ethics: Shaping an Emerging Field (with David De Cremer), and Codes of Conduct: Behavioral Research into Business Ethics (with David Messick). Her research has been featured on NPR, Harvard Business Review, New York Times, and many other major publications.

Duration: 42:04

"Instead of trying to solve it yourself, give tasks to duos and tell them to solve it - make it clear what mandate they have!" Join your host, Tobias Sturesson, and his guest, Maria Deckeman, for this episode on The Leading Transformational Change podcast.

During their highly informative conversation, Maria discusses what she has learned about facilitating collaboration, creating a shared identity, and developing professional judgment. Be inspired by Maria's insights into the role of leaders and the role of managers, and the concept of dynamic duos.

Maria Deckeman is a Leadership and Organisational Development Specialist at Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm, one of the world’s foremost medical universities with over 5000 employees. Maria is the Process Manager for Core Values and Organisational Culture, Strategy 2030. Maria is currently co-authoring a book on the power of the duo dynamic.

Duration: 49:53

"As much as you feel you're trying to do the right thing, the unforseen implications just knock you from every side." Join your host, Tobias Sturesson, and his guests, Bianca Goodson and Mary Inman, for this episode on The Leading Transformational Change podcast.

In this vulnerable and compelling conversation, you will learn how most whistleblowers report internally first, without being heard, before choosing to blow the whistle. This episode discusses how organizations can create environments where red flags are addressed instead of hidden.

Bianca Goodson served as the CEO of Trillian Management, a South-African consulting firm and a subsidiary of Trillian Capital. In 2017, she blew the whistle on Trillian, which uncovered vast corruption in both government and private sectors. Mary Inman is a lawyer and partner in Constantine Cannon’s London Office. She launched the firm's international whistleblower practice and specializes in representing whistleblowers worldwide under American reward programs. Mary is a recognized expert and frequent author and speaker on areas related to the application of the American whistleblower laws internationally and the use of whistleblower laws worldwide.

Duration: 46.09

Martin Lønstrup is a globally recognized Ethics and Compliance expert with over 15 years of experience across diverse industries and cultures. Martin works as Chief Compliance Officer at Coloplast, with the global responsibility for Business Ethics, Compliance and Data Privacy – and is a leading expert in driving compliance, and culture transformation projects.

Tune into our conversation about the ethical nuances in corporate missions and the potential pitfalls of moral licensing. We will explore how simplifying Coloplast’s code of conduct has made ethical guidelines more accessible and relevant to every employee. We also touch on the importance of fostering a transparent company culture… where questioning and learning from failures are seen as opportunities for growth.

Links Mentioned:

Cultureandleadership.org

Martin Lønstrup on LinkedIn

In this exciting and insightful episode, Tonia Ries, responsible for the Edelman Trust Barometer and the leader of the firm's global knowledge agenda, discusses the importance and role of trust within an organization, what it means to be trustworthy, and how to build trust with stakeholders. Indeed, it's not just enough to be seen as competent; we also need to be seen as ethical.

Tonia Ries is Executive Director of Intellectual Property for the Edelman Trust Institute, Edelman’s center for the study of trust and a learning laboratory for trust building between companies, institutions, brands and people. Her role includes stewardship of the Edelman Trust Barometer, the largest global survey and foremost authority on trust in institutions and brands. Now in its 21st year, the Trust Barometer surveys more than 34,000 people in 28 countries. Its cross-cultural insights are widely cited in media outlets such as The Financial Times, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, The Economist, Fortune, Forbes and others. With more than 30 years of experience in marketing, research, strategy and media, Tonia regularly speaks at industry events and has been quoted on the business impact of media transformation by news outlets such as The New York Times and NPR.

Duration: 50:47

Join your host Tobias Sturesson and his guest, Dr. Deb Mashek, on this timely and informative episode of the Leading Transformational Change podcast. In this conversation, Deb discusses why collaboration should matter, in what cases it becomes critical, and what it takes to foster a culture of collaboration.

Dr. Deb Mashek, PhD is an experienced business advisor, professor, higher education administrator, and national nonprofit executive. Named one of the Top 35 Women in Higher Education by Diverse: Issues in Higher Education, she has been featured in media outlets including MIT Sloan Management Review, The New York Times, The Atlantic, The Hechinger Report, Inside Higher Ed, Fortune, Reason, Business Week, University Business Insider, and The Hill. She writes regularly for Psychology Today. Her book, "Collabor(h)ate: How to build incredible collaborative relationships at work" was released at the beginning of 2023.

Duration: 52:34

This episode sheds light on the often-overlooked intricacies of team ethical culture, examining the impact of leadership, shared values, and systemic influences on ethical behaviour. Our guest today is Guillem Casoliva, a Corporate Communication and Reputation Management Specialist, who is currently working with Booking.com on the development of the Compliance & Ethics Programme.

In this episode, we discuss:

• The eight dimensions of team ethical culture
• Speaking up against unethical practices
• Bad apple vs. systemic issues
• Effective culture change interventions, including “Ethics Moments”
• Manage cultural differences if you’re a multinational organisation

Links Mentioned:

Cultureandleadership.org

‘Wilful Blindness’ by Margaret Heffernan

Guillem on LinkedIn

In this informative and helpful episode, Guido Palazzo, a business ethics professor with a passion for examining and understanding unethical decision making, provides profound observations about the current state of society, and how to embrace uncertainty, fear, and irrationality with a sense of hope. 

In addition, he shares ways that leaders and HR professionals can create an organizational culture that mitigates ethical tunnel vision.  

Guido Palazzo is Professor of Business Ethics at HEC Lausanne, University of Lausanne. In his research, he is passionate about the dark side of the force and examines unethical decision making from various angles. He is mainly known for his studies in globalization, in particular on human rights violations in global value chains, but he also studies the reasons for unethical behavior in organization and the impact of organized crime on business and society. Currently, he is examining the illegal toxic waste business of the Italian Mafia. He studied business administration and has a PhD in philosophy from the University of Marburg in Germany. 

Instead of dealing with real organizational and cultural issues, leaders can often engage the organization in exercises around values that are at best meaningless or at worst lead to distrust and disillusion. A leading voice behind this criticism in Sweden is Professor Mats Alvesson, known for coining the term "functional stupidity". In this confronting and thought-provoking episode, Mats discusses how we can avoid functional stupidity and what it really takes to operate according to a set of principles we don't want to compromise.  

Mats Alvesson is a management professor at Lund University, Sweden. He is interested in critical theory, qualitative research, and organizational studies. He has published numerous books, including The Stupidity Paradox (Profile, with A. Spicer), Managerial Lives (Cambridge University Press, with S. Sveningsson), Reflexive Leadership (Sage, with M. Blom & S. Sveningsson), and The Triumph of Emptiness (Oxford University Press). Mats' latest book, Return to Meaning (Oxford Univeristy Press, with Y. Gabriel & R. Paulsen) argues that we are currently witnessing not merely a decline in the quality of social science research, but the proliferation of meaningless research, of no value to society, and modest value to its authors - apart from securing employment and promotion.

Steven Rogelberg is a leadership expert who was motivated to write his book ‘Glad We Met: The Art & Science of 1:1 Meetings’ due to the lack of strong treatment around the importance of these activities. Steven is the Chancellor's Professor at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. He is also a professor of Organizational Science, Management, and Psychology and the founding Director of Organizational Science at UNC, Charlotte.

Tune in as we discuss:

• The key elements of effective one-on-one meetings

• Creating a psychologically safe environment

• Why you should not cancel one-on-one meetings

• What are some of the best intentional questions and response choices?

• The ‘listing’ or ‘core question’ approach

• How to give feedback constructively and empathetically

Links Mentioned:

Free guide: https://heartmanagement.org/en/guide/ 

‘Glad We Met’ by Steven Rogelberg

HBR: Make the Most of Your One-on-One Meetings

Steven’s Website

Steven on LinkedIn

Join your host Tobias Sturesson and his guests, Michaela Ahlberg and Anna Romberg - co-authors of The Grey Zone, on this practical and insightful episode of the Leading Transformational Change podcast. In this conversation, they discuss how to promote a healthy, ethical and values-driven culture in your organization. Michaela and Anna also talk about their Responsible Leadership Program - what they were trying to accomplish, what they learned along the way, and what results they’ve seen.
Michaela Ahlberg was instrumental in developing the Ethics and Compliance functions at several large multinational companies as the Chief Ethics and Compliance Officer at Telia Sonera, Volvo Cars, Nokia Siemens Networks and Getinge. Anna Romberg is the current Executive Vice President of Sustainability, Legal, and Compliance at Getinge. She is also co-founder of the Nordic Business Ethics Initiative. Michaela and Anna are co-authors of The Grey Zone.
Duration: 48:03

Jay Barney is an American professor in strategic management at the University of Utah. He shares his insights on the crucial link between culture and strategy and how it impacts the success of any transformational change initiative. He emphasizes the importance of understanding group dynamics, the role of HR in shaping culture, and the power of storytelling in creating a healthy organizational culture. 

Tune in as we discuss:

• How does understanding group dynamics contribute to the success of transformation?

• What are some limitations and challenges that HR faces?

• The difference between strategy and culture in leadership roles

• Why do leaders need to think about how to spread and make their story stick?

• Tips to overcome inertia and take action

Links Mentioned:

Free guide: https://heartmanagement.org/en/guide/ 

‘The Secret of Culture Change’ by Jay Barney

Jay Barney on LinkedIn

CultureChangeSecret.com

If You Want Culture Change, Create New Stories – HBR

Today, our special guest is Cecilia Bergman-Eriksson, whose expertise comes straight from the dynamic growth experience of Oatly. Cecilia works as an Interim Manager and leads companies and organizations to overcome critical and complex challenges.

In this episode, we discuss how maintaining a strong culture and values is key during rapid company expansion. Cecilia reveals how spending time with employees, establishing purpose, and embedding values into every process are vital steps toward sustaining transformational change.

Links Mentioned:

Cultureandleadership.org

Episode 68 with Frank Blake

Episode 64 with Sandra Sucher

Welcome to a new season of the Leading Transformational Change podcast! 

A healthy culture is a culture in which ethics and values are central to the decision-making process. 

While laws and regulations can offer us some guidance, Dr. Susan Liautaud makes the case that the ethics edge - the areas in which we can’t rely on rules but need our ethical compass and clear guiding principles - is growing. In this fascinating and helpful episode, your host, Tobias, and Susan discuss culture, ethics, decision-making, technology, and leadership.  

Dr. Susan Liautaud is Founder and Managing Director of Susan Liautaud & Associates Limited, an ethics advisory firm supporting global organisations and leaders in business, government, and the non-profit sector. She is also founder of The Ethics Incubator, a non-profit platform for broadening debate about ethics issues. She teaches at Stanford University; is Vice Chair of the Court of Governors of the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE); Chair of the LSE’s ethics policy committee and its Remuneration committee; and is an Advisory Board Member of LSE’s Marshall Institute. Susan currently serves on several non-profit boards and is the author of The Power of Ethics. 

Duration: 55:20

Mary Gentile is the Professor of Practice at the University of Virginia Darden School of Business, and senior adviser at the Aspen Institute Business & Society Program. She is the creator and director of Giving Voice to Values, a pioneering business curriculum for values-driven leadership, which has been featured in publications such as, Financial Times, Harvard Business Review, Stanford Social Innovation Review, and piloted in over 1200 business schools and organizations globally. Mary is the author of the award-winning Giving Voice To Values: How To Speak Your Mind When You Know What's Right. In her ten-year tenure at Harvard Business School, Mary was one of the principal architects of the school’s Leadership, Ethics, and Corporate Responsibility curriculum.

In this episode of Leading Transformational Change, Mary shares how the Enron scandal and a self-defense course made her rethink the way ethics was taught in business school and led to the Giving Voice to Values experiment. She realized that we do not merely need ways of theoretically discerning the ethical course of action based on philosophical models, but knowing what is the right thing to do, how would we actually go about doing it? Mary shares the main reasons why we do not voice our values in the business world and how we can build a framework for doing it in a thoughtful and strategic way. She shares practical examples of how the Giving Voice to Values framework has been implemented in companies like McKinsey and Unilever and why it needs to be a part of the leadership development strategy and not merely an HR issue. 

Richard Bistrong is a former VP of sales for a global multinational who faced legal challenges due to FCPA violations. Richard has transformed his career, becoming an advocate for compliance and ethics, and helping organizations navigate the tricky waters of corporate integrity. Richard delves into the complex interplay between corporate success pressures and ethical compliance, sharing candid insights and real-world strategies. This episode was originally released in 2020, but the conversation still rings true today. 

Tune in to this episode as we explore:

• Richard’s journey from success to scandal

• Navigating high-pressure ethical dilemmas

• The role of culture in compliance

• Managing ethical risks in volatile markets

• The critical influence of middle management

• Aligning corporate values with real-world risks

• Vulnerability and proactive communication for leaders

‘You Can Culture: Transformative Leadership Habits for a Thriving Workplace, Positive Impact and Lasting Success’ is now available here.

What does it take to build a culture that not only survives but thrives across global teams? In this episode of Leading Transformational Change, host Tobias Sturesson sits down with Alicia DeFreitas, Global Head of People & Culture at BDO, to explore the key elements that make an organization’s culture truly flourish: respect, growth, and purpose. They dive into the challenges of aligning these values across diverse teams and discuss the ongoing journeys of diversity, equity, and psychological safety.

Tune in to this episode as we explore:

• Unlocking the power of cultural diversity in HR
• Scaling vision and purpose across global teams
• Creating a culture of psychological safety that drives performance
• Turning diverse perspectives into a competitive advantage
• Aligning leadership actions with core organizational values for lasting impact

Links mentioned:

Connect with Alicia DeFreitas on LinkedIn

BDO

‘You Can Culture: Transformative Leadership Habits for a Thriving Workplace, Positive Impact and Lasting Success’ is now available here.

"Being curious is a skill, which more people would practice if it was actually referred to as a skill." Join your host, Tobias Sturesson, and his guest, Francesca Gino, for this episode on The Leading Transformational Change podcast.

During their fascinating conversation, Francesca shares about ethics, culture, leadership, and authenticity. Be inspired by her insatiable curiosity and passion for creating more human, more diverse, and more ethical workplaces.

Francesca Gino is an award-winning researcher who focuses on why people make the decisions they do at work, and how leaders and employees have more productive, creative and fulfilling lives. She is the Tandon Family Professor of Business Administration in the Negotiation, Organizations & Markets Unit at Harvard Business School and the author, most recently, of Rebel Talent: Why it Pays to Break the Rules in Work and Life. Gino is also affiliated with the Program on Negotiation at Harvard Law School, the Mind, Brain, Behavior Initiative at Harvard, and the Behavioral Insight Group at Harvard Kennedy School. She co-chairs HBS Executive Education programs on Behavioral Economics and Driving Profitable Growth.

Duration: 51:08

Organizational culture is built up of people, the tacit agreements they make and the beliefs, values and motives that are shaped as a result. However, everyone within the organization can potentially have an impact on whether that culture will be healthy or become corrupted.

In this episode of Leading Transformational Change, Heart Management co-founder Tobias Sturesson uses a glass of water as a picture of culture. Customers, coworkers, suppliers and even society drink from that glass when they interact with the organization. And every leader and employee contribute something to the content of the glass.

We would love to hear Your thoughts and questions in the comments!

Subscribe, like and share to join the vision of a world in which organizations with a healthy heart become the norm and not the exception.

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Tobias Sturesson is the co-founder of Heart Management. He coaches leaders and organizations in change and crisis. Tobias has dedicated his professional life to helping leaders lead and build organizations that can attain and sustain a healthy heart—inner life—free from hidden agendas, inner corruption, and hypocrisy.

Tobias is convinced that the inner state of an organization greatly influences the lives of employees, customers, and society at large.

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Heart Management helps leaders build healthy businesses and organizations that can thrive, empowered by a flourishing culture and aligned around a shared purpose and vision.

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Website: https://heartmanagement.org

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tobiassturesson/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/heart.management/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/heartmanagement.org/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/sturessontobias