Category: Episodes

  • S3E12 – The 4 Spheres of Knowledge for Diagnosis

    Show Notes  In this episode of Tactics for Tech Leadership, Andy and Mon-Chaio dive into the discipline of organizational diagnosis through the lens of the paper ‘Organizational Diagnosis: an Evidence-Based Approach’ by McFillen, Balzer, Varney, and O’Neil. They discuss the need for a rigorous approach to diagnosis in organizational design and change. The focus is…

  • S3E11 – Value and Validity of Culture Surveys

    Show Notes In this episode of The TTL Podcast, Mon-Chaio and Andy dive deep into the world of employee surveys. They discuss whether these surveys truly work, their best practices, and the research behind them. Exploring the role of culture in company performance, they uncover the nuances of implementing and interpreting surveys. The episode provides…

  • S3E10 – SWIFTly Understanding Failure Modes

    Show Notes  In this Tactics for Tech Leadership podcast episode, Andy and Mon-Chaio explore SWIFT (Structured What If Technique). While traditionally seen as a technical tool for failure analysis, the hosts consider its potential applications in leadership and organizational contexts. Listeners will learn how SWIFT can help anticipate system failures even before they occur, from…

  • S3E9 – Accountability Without Knowing

    Show Notes In this episode, Mon-Chaio and Andy delve deep into the nuances of accountability at high organizational levels, particularly within the C-suite. They explore the challenges of holding executives accountable for outcomes, especially when their roles and processes are not fully understood by their peers. The conversation includes discussions on the differences between process…

  • S3E8 – 5 Dysfunctions of a Team

    Show Notes  Andy and Mon-Chaio explore Patrick Lencioni’s concept of the five dysfunctions of a team, discussing how absence of trust, fear of conflict, lack of commitment, avoidance of accountability, and inattention to results interrelate to impact team performance. They reflect on their own experiences and the importance of productive conflict, peer accountability, and commitment…

  • S3E7 – Decoding Organizational Cultures

    Show Notes In this week’s episode of The TTL Podcast, Mon-Chaio and Andy delve into Ron Westrom’s influential paper, “A Typology of Organizational Cultures.” The hosts unpack the compelling insights and frameworks posited by Westrom, which categorize organizational cultures into Pathological, Bureaucratic, and Generative types. Mon-Chaio and Andy also share personal anecdotes and practical examples,…

  • S3E6 – 6 Box Model

    Show Notes Andy and Mon-Chaio explore Marvin Weisbord’s Six Box Model, a framework from the 1970s for diagnosing organizational issues. They explain each of the six parts of the model: purpose, structure, relationships, rewards, leadership, and helpful mechanisms, and then illustrate it being used to assess an example software development company. Listeners will learn how…

  • S3E5 – VacationCast: Rethinking Mentorship

    Show Notes In this first VacationCast episode of Season 3, with Andy out, Mon-Chaio dives into the complexities of mentorship, particularly within workplace relationships. He explores the differences between peer-to-peer mentoring and manager-direct report mentoring, the potential pitfalls of using the term ‘mentorship’ for career development or performance feedback, and the impact of these practices…

  • S3E4 – Action Science

    Show Notes Andy and Mon-Chaio explore the dense yet insightful book ‘Action Science’ by Chris Argyris. They discuss Argyris’s method of developing self-knowledge to break existing norms and achieve actionable knowledge. The conversation covers the core principles and propositions of action science, including the importance of understanding one’s reasoning, questioning underlying assumptions, and fostering mutual…

  • S3E3 – Future Search

    Show Notes In this episode, Mon-Chaio and Andy delve into the concept of Future Search, a powerful methodology for driving organizational change. They discuss the essence of Future Search, its origins from Marvin Weisbord’s book ‘Productive Workplaces Revisited,’ and explore why it’s crucial to involve the whole system in problem-solving. The episode provides insights into…