All posts by Charles Chandler

A. All Podcasts, B. General / Theory, G. Audio File

112 – Does HR contribute to organizational effectiveness?

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Dr. Linda Holbeche

In this episode, I welcome Dr. Linda Holbeche to the podcast. Linda is the author of several books, but today we discuss her 2017 book, Organizational Effectiveness: A Critical Take on the HR Contribution. The book offers a historical narrative on the changing landscape of work since the 1980s and considers how definitions of organizational effectiveness have changed over time. Linda considers the characteristics and effects of the neo-liberal work culture of today’s capitalism, and how human resource management (HRM) practices have contributed to shaping this work culture.

Charles G. Chandler, Ph.D.
[email protected]

Reference:
Holbeche, L. 2017. Influencing Organizational Effectiveness: A Critical Take on the HR Contribution. London (UK): Routledge.

A. All Podcasts, B. General / Theory, C. Business, G. Audio File

111 – Noble purpose

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Lisa Earle McLeod

Today I am joined by author Lisa Earle McLeod who has written two books in the last few years on ‘noble purpose.’ Much of her early career was spent in the sales department of a large firm, but in 2001 Lisa started her own company, McLeod & More. In this episode, we discuss the key ideas around the Noble Purpose philosophy, and how it can help your organization. Spoiler alert: Milton Friedman was wrong when he stated that “there is one and only one social responsibility of business — to use its resources and engage in activities designed to increase its profits so long as it stays within the rules of the game” (Friedman, 1970).

Charles G. Chandler, Ph.D.

References:

McLeod, Lisa Earle, and Elizabeth Lotardo. 2020. Selling with Noble Purpose: How to Drive Revenue and Do Work that Makes you Proud (2nd edition). Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

McLeod, Lisa Earle. 2016. Leading with Noble Purpose: How to Create a Tribe of True Believers. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Friedman, Milton. 1970. “The Social Responsibility of Business is to Increase Its Profits.” New York Times Magazine, September 13.

A. All Podcasts, B. General / Theory

110 – Freedom management (encore)

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Professor Luca Solari

In this episode, I interview Professor Luca Solari of the University of Milan (Italy) who has written a book, Freedom Management: How leaders can stay afloat in a sea of social connections. The book focuses on how organizations can give their employees more freedom at work in order to engage their knowledge and creativity.

Reference:
Solari, Luca. 2016. Freedom Management: How leaders can stay afloat in a sea of social connections. Farnham (UK): Routledge.

Amazon link:

A. All Podcasts, B. General / Theory, G. Audio File

109 – A philosophy of organizations

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Today I am joined by a philosopher. Jean-Philippe Deranty is a Professor of Philosophy at Macquarie University in Sydney, Australia. His research focuses mainly on social issues, particularly those related to work and employment. In this episode, we discuss philosophy in the context of organizations and their management.

Jean-Philippe Deranty

One of Jean-Philippe’s papers (“The Organization of Philosophy and a Philosophy of Organizations”) served as the inspiration for this episode. It is a chapter in a live collection: Handbook of Philosophy of Management, Cristina Neesham (ed.), Springer, found at https://link.springer.com/referenceworkentry/10.1007/978-3-319-48352-8_32-1

Jean-Philippe also publishes a newsletter related to the centrality of work in our lives (part of a research effort funded by the Australian Research Council), which can be found here.

Charles G. Chandler, Ph.D.

References:

Herzog, Lisa. 2018. Reclaiming the System: Moral Responsibility, Divided Labour, and the Role of Organizations in Society. Oxford (UK): Oxford University Press.

Ferreras, Isabelle. 2017. Firms as Political Entities. Cambridge (UK): Cambridge University Press.

Anderson, Elizabeth. 2017. Private Government: How Employers Rule Our Lives (and why we don’t talk about it). Princeton, NJ (USA): Princeton University Press.

Hegel, GWF. 1991. Elements of the Philosophy of Right (trans: Nisbet HB). Oxford (UK): Oxford University Press.

A. All Podcasts, C. Business, G. Audio File

108 – Entrepreneur in Africa

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Marek

Marek Zmyslowski

In this episode, I am joined by Marek Zmyslowski, author of the book, Chasing Black Unicorns: How Building the Amazon of Africa Put Me on Interpol’s Most Wanted List (2019). Marek is a Polish-born entrepreneur and executive, focused on online businesses in frontier and emerging markets. He co-founded Jumia Travel – Africa’s Biggest Hotel Booking Portal listed on NYSE as part of Jumia Group and HotelOnline.co – a Travel Technology Company. In 2014, he was chosen as one of the Ten Most Important People in Tech by IT News Africa Magazine. He is a Lead Mentor at Google’s Launchpad and the World Bank’s XL Africa Program.

In 2012, Marek found himself in Africa — initially to start a venture for Rocket Internet. We discuss his experience in various start-up ventures on the African continent since those early days. Marek writes that his goal in life is to leave the world in slightly better shape than it was when he arrived. He now lives in Cape Town, South Africa. You can connect with Marek on his personal website or on the website for his book.

Charles G. Chandler, Ph.D.

Reference:

Zmyslowski, Marek. 2019. Chasing Black Unicorns: How Building the Amazon of Africa Put Me on Interpol’s Most Wanted List. Warsaw, Poland: Agora Publishing House.

B. General / Theory, F. Blog, H. Special anouncement

Special — Managing for Meaningful Outcomes

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Management has been called the technology of human accomplishment, yet traditional management approaches often fail to produce meaningful results. Management technology needs to be reinvented because it remains primarily organization-centric and locked into a largely meaningless input-output model that values efficiency as the highest good. Historically, this approach has been the basis for a vast constellation of organizations in business, government, and nonprofits sectors, but it generally fails to produce meaningful and timely evidence for management decision support and frequently creates negative side-effects among internal actors and within the environment. Going forward, management technology needs to adopt a more meaningful input-outcome model that values positive organizational effectiveness as the highest good and serves to sustain or improve the health of both the organization and its environment as a holistic system. This is what managing for meaningful outcomes aims to achieve.

Read my 2019 paper on this topic at: https://pmworldjournal.com/article/managing-for-meaningful-outcomes

Charles G. Chandler, Ph.D.

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107 – Great leaders create great workplaces

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David Veech

In this episode, I am joined by David Veech, author of the book, Leadersights: Creating Great Leaders Who Create Great Workplaces (2017). David teaches leaders how to love, learn, and let go. He thinks that work should be fun, exciting, and challenging, but most of all, it should be meaningful. We discuss how great leaders create great workplaces.

You can contact David at his website (Leadersights.com), or on LinkedIn. You can access some free resources that David has provided to our listeners here. A copy of David’s book (discussed on the podcast) can be purchased here.

Charles G. Chandler, Ph.D.

References:

Veech, David. 2017. Leadersights: Creating Great Leaders Who Create Great Workplaces. Boca Raton, FL: Taylor and Francis Group.

Veech, David, and Damodaraswamy, Parthi. 2011. The C4 Process: Four Vital Steps to Better Work. Louisville, KY: Business Innovation Press.

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106 – Big projects in complex environments

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Bob Prieto

In this episode, I interview Bob Prieto, a senior executive at Strategic Program Management LLC, where he is Chairman & CEO. Bob focuses on achieving capital efficiency in large engineering and construction programs and organizations. He is the author of nine books, including the one we will be discussing today, Theory of Management of Large Complex Projects (2015). He is a member of the National Academy of Construction, ASCE Industry Leaders Council, and a Fellow of the Construction Management Association of America (CMAA).

The Project Management Body of Knowledge (or PMBOK) from the Project Management Institute, has set the Global Standard for the practice of management in projects. As noted in its introduction, the PMBOK is expected to be applicable “to most projects most of the time.” Today’s guest argues that the theory underlying the PMBOK (and like-minded guides) often fails to deliver success in large complex projects. In such projects, the project boundary appears more permeable to outside flows, such as stakeholder demands, macro-economic downturns, or risk accumulation over long time frames. These flows can introduce uncertainties that often go unmitigated, making failures in budgeting, or scheduling more likely. The episode also indicates that failures are likely when a project’s objectives or expected outcomes are poorly defined from the start.

Reach out to Bob Prieto on LinkedIn, or through email at [email protected] to follow up on this topic.

Charles G. Chandler, Ph.D.

Reference:

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/299980338_Theory_of_Management_of_Large_Complex_Projects

A. All Podcasts, E. Nonprofit, G. Audio File

105 – Fundraising for nonprofits

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Martin Leifeld

Today I am joined by Martin Leifeld, author of the book, Five Minutes for Fundraising. Martin directed the raising of over $500 million dollars during his 24 years of fundraising leadership in the St. Louis region. Martin’s book is a collection of expert advice from gifted fundraisers.

Visit Martin’s website for videos, free downloads, and other information about nonprofit fundraising.

Martin Leifeld’s book
A. All Podcasts, B. General / Theory, C. Business, G. Audio File

104 – The Regenerative Business

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Carol Sanford

In this episode, I welcome another guest author, Carol Sanford, to discuss her book, The Regenerative Business: Redesign Work, Cultivate Human Potential, Achieve Extraordinary Outcomes (2017). For four decades, Carol has worked with great leaders of successful businesses such as Google, DuPont, Intel, P&G, and Seventh Generation, educating them to develop their people and ensure a continuous stream of innovation that continually delivers extraordinary results. Besides The Regenerative Business (the book), we touch on Carol’s four other books in the podcast, which are all referenced below.

You can connect with Carol at her website (CarolSanford.com). She also hosts two podcast series, Business Second Opinion, and Regenerative Business, both of which you should check out.

Charles G. Chandler, Ph.D.

References:

Sanford, Carol. 2017. The Regenerative Business: Redesign Work, Cultivate Human Potential, Achieve Extraordinary Outcomes. Boston & London: Nicholas Brealey Publishing.

Sanford, C. 2020. The Regenerative Life: Transform Any Life, Our Society, and Your Destiny. (pre-release).

Sanford, C. and O’Loughlin, S. 2018. No More Feedback: Cultivate Consciousness at Work. Edmonds, WA: InterOctave.

Sanford, C. 2014. The Responsible Entrepreneur: Four Game-Changing Archetypes for Founders, Leaders, and Impact Investors. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Sanford, C. 2011. The Responsible Business: Reimagining Sustainability and Success. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.