Leading Transformational Change with Tobias Sturesson – Details, episodes & analysis

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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. 

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