This is another show from my archive. It was recorded in 2014, after I saw my guest (Professor Jesse Stommel) speak at the Higher Education Arts and Humanities conference. What was I doing, hanging around with PH-Ds and Professors? I'll tell you on the blog at:

https://www.savvybusinessresolutions.com/blog -

a couple of days after this is published.

If you caught Episode 4 of the series, you'll have heard a couple of clips from this show. I'm re-releasing it in full because it deals with the tug-of-war between 'real' and 'virtual' communication - which has the potential to cause even more conflict at work today than it did eleven years ago. On the intro, I give some of the credit for that to 'the rapid development of AI'; and there's also the spread of hybrid working.

Yes, this conversation was very much education-focused; but I found Jesse's approach to the challenge of the virtual coming into a 'real' environment interesting - and inspiring. I'll be honest, I couldn't agree with all his takes, but I did appreciate them. He didn't just say (as so many of us do), 'It's all terrible!', or, 'It's all great!' He recognised the obstacles - and found ways to turn them into opportunities. That's a skill which every business leader I've ever met has valued.

As always, if you need help with any aspect of conflict management at work - including turning obstacles into opportunities! - come and talk to me. All my details are at:

https://www.savvybusinessresolutions.com

In memory of the late Suzanne Corkin, 1937/2016.

You may have heard a clip from this programme in Episode 4. As I say on the new intro, I’m re-releasing it in full because our memories create so much conflict at work – and understanding why is key to managing that. There’s also the fact that we may need to manage the effects of memory loss, in ourselves or our customers/clients or colleagues.

In 2015, via Skype, I spoke to Prof. Suzanne Corkin, of MIT. I was inspired to approach her for an interview after reading her book:

‘A Permanent Present Tense: The Man With No Memory’,

about the forty-six years she spent working with Henry Molaison (known publicly as ‘HM’ during his lifetime). Henry lost his ability to retain important kinds of new memory, after experimental brain surgery to reduce his severe epilepsy.

When we spoke, Suzanne explained:

Why we should remember ‘HM’;

How he made sense of recognition without remembering;

Why he forgot fear; and

Who he really was as a person.

She also referred to:

How easy it is to create false memories; and

Research into possibilities of memory editing – and the ethical questions that raised.

On the blog at:

https://www.savvybusinessresolutions.com/blog

I’ll look at where that research is in 2025. I’ll also talk about the kinds of conflict our memories spark at work – and give you five tips to help you deal with them.

That post will appear at:

https://www.savvybusinessresolutions.com/blog

a couple of days after I publish this show.

As always, if you need help with any aspect of conflict management at work, come and talk to me! All my details are at:

http://www.savvybusinessresolutions.com

In 2013, via Skype (apologies for any audio quality issues!), American businesswoman, Colleen Jolly and I looked - and laughed! - at the assumption we'd each made on our first trip to each other's countries. Colleen was also able to bring another perspective, having worked in Australia as well as the UK. So on this show, we talked about:

Cultural faux pas 101 (that number is now understood to mean the same thing on both sides of the pond - but when she first came here ...?!);

Why you really shouldn't go by the book;

Making a killing down-under - if down-under didn't kill you first!;

falling into the UK's North/South divide; and

Why there was still value in going the distance - even with all the technological options at our disposal.

I believe that's still true.

As I say on the blog, at:

https://www.savvybusinessresolutions.com/blog

This show still makes me laugh 'more than anything else I've ever produced!' I hope you'll get some fun out of it as well - but I hope you'll also find business value in it. On the blog, I look at some ways in which Trans-Atlantic culture gaps have closed - while others remain wide open, waiting for unsuspecting travellers (virtual as well as physical) to tumble in!

In the first series of the current podcast, 'Culture' was 'The Last Word On Conflict Management' (Ep10). There are so many layers and dimensions to this topic - and so many of those are constantly evolving - it's a theme I suspect we'll come back to regularly.

In the meantime, if you need help with any aspect of dispute resolution or conflict management at work (cultural or otherwise), come and talk to me! All my details are at:

https://www.savvybusinessresolutions.com