The Practitioner-Scholar: The PennCLO Podcast

In this episode of The Practitioner Scholar: The Penn CLO Podcast, Dr. Sharon Ravitch explores the practicalities of remote team leadership with Dr. Karen Bicking, Head of Talent Management at CompoSecure and Penn CLO graduate. Grounded in her research chapter in Leaders as Architects of Change: Designing Organizations for Connection and Resilience in Times of Uncertainty (co-edited by Dr. Ravitch and Dr. Raghu Krishnamoorthy), Dr. Bicking offers actionable guidance for managers navigating hybrid and virtual team friction. Highlighting her chapter, "The Emotionally Intelligent Organization: Trust, Conflict, and Connection in Virtual Teams," Dr. Bicking walks listeners through real-world examples of how virtual teams navigate non-verbal cue deficits, sarcastic chat misunderstandings, and time-zone delays. From establishing transparent group chat protocols to implementing lighthearted team accountability mechanisms (like "swear jars" or coffee bets), Dr. Bicking demonstrates how small, daily micro-interactions build lasting trust and prevent team burnout. Key Topics: Dr. Bicking’s Real-World Research: What sets high-performing virtual teams apart from struggling, low-trust groups. Decoding Digital Silence: How Dr. Bicking advises leaders to step in when virtual meetings turn silent or sidebar conversations take over. Micro-Moments of Connection: Utilizing quick check-ins, personal milestone celebrations, and informal touchpoints to strengthen relationships. Practical Accountability: Creative, lighthearted methods Dr. Bicking has seen teams use to enforce agreed-upon communication norms. Mid-Year Resets: How leaders can facilitate quick "stop, start, continue" sessions to continuously fine-tune virtual team dynamics.

Dr. Sharon Ravitch is joined by HR executive and scholar-practitioner Dr. TJ Lintz. Reflecting on his doctoral research at the University of Pennsylvania, Dr. Lintz explores how leaders transform moments of extreme disruption into catalysts for long-term organizational evolution. This episode explores the intersection of crisis management, artificial intelligence, and human-centered leadership. Dr. Lintz explains why artificial intelligence will never replace the human touch required for emotional support, but emphasizes how AI can serve as a vital sparring partner during risk assessment. He leaves listeners with actionable frameworks for creating safe conditions where employees at all levels can contribute transformative ideas. As a contributing author to the book Leaders as Architects of Change, co-edited by Dr. Ravitch and Dr. Raghu Krishnamoorthy, Dr. Lintz draws on his chapter to explore these ideas. Key topics: How effective leaders act as a stabilizing presence during high-anxiety organizational storms The role of artificial intelligence as a strategic sparring partner for strategic scenario planning Why psychological stability forms the foundation for cross-functional collaboration and rapid decision-making Transforming talent management frameworks to evaluate resilience before crises occur Practical steps for executive leaders to encourage intelligent risk-taking and "failing forward" Redefining executive leadership in a brittle, anxious, non-linear, and incomprehensible (BANI) environment How concise, frequent communication builds emotional infrastructure and reduces organizational anxiety

In this episode of the PennCLO podcast, Dr. Sharon Ravitch is joined by Dr. Marikay Forst, a distinguished leadership expert and author of the groundbreaking chapter, Architecting Dissent by Design: Psychological Safety, Diverse Thinking, and Brave Cultures, featured in the new book Leaders as Architects of Change. Dr. Forst’s work tackles a critical paradigm shift in modern organizational design: transforming how leaders perceive, encourage, and process constructive disagreement. Moving past traditional views that equate critique with disloyalty, she shares qualitative research proving that inviting dissenting voices is a leadership team's best defense against catastrophic errors. Through a collection of organizational practices and tools, this conversation provides a practical roadmap for top executives to build strategic, psychologically safe environments where multiple viewpoints are intentionally surfaced and acted upon. Alongside the technical strategies, Dr. Forst explores the human dynamics behind corporate decision-making—including the intersection of Carol Dweck’s growth mindset, the invisible costs of ignoring feedback, and the value of maintaining procedural discipline when facing intense time and budget constraints. Key topics: Why dissent is a strategic mechanism for risk prevention and corporate innovation The blueprint for aligning stated organizational core values with actions. Managing power dynamics and neutralizing the unconscious consequences of speaking up Practical tools for leaders: Designing effective pre-mortems and structured brainstorming sessions Cultivating a growth mindset to enhance constructive critique

In this episode of The Practitioner Scholar, Dr. Sharon Ravitch sits down with Dr. Bridie Fanning, Managing Director at Accenture and former Chief HR Officer, to discuss her critical contributing chapter to the ground-breaking new book, Leaders as Architects of Change (edited by Dr. Sharon Ravitch and Dr. Raghu Krishnamoorthy). While modern headlines focus heavily on what artificial intelligence can automate, Dr. Bridie Fanning argues that the future of work will not be dictated by technology, but by leadership choices. This conversation dives deep into her chapter's core ethos: that AI is fundamentally a human learning story, that leaders must build psychological safety for continuous experimentation, and that traditional, linear change management models must be entirely rewritten to align with the framework of the book. Key Takeaways: Amara’s Law in Action: Why we are currently overestimating AI's short-term hype while drastically underestimating its massive, long-term societal and operational impact. The Death of Traditional Change Management: Moving away from traditional "Point A to Point B" transition models and adopting dynamic, continuous, and iterative organizational capabilities. The "Inverted" Problem-Solving Approach: Why leaders must stop asking "What can AI do?" and instead start with their biggest organizational pain points, working backward to find technical solutions.

Great collaboration doesn't happen. It's designed. So why do so many leadership teams still treat it as something that should just emerge naturally? In this episode of the PennCLO Podcast, The Practitioner Scholar, Dr. Sharon M. Ravitch speaks with PennCLO mentor and lecturer Dr. Phillip Ellis about designing organizations for collaboration, resilience, and adaptive leadership. Based on Phillip’s chapter in Leaders as Architects of Change: Designing Organizations for Connection and Resilience in Times of Uncertainty, this conversation explores why many teams struggle to collaborate in a world of uncertainty,and how leaders can create the conditions for deeper trust, innovation, and collective problem-solving. Together, they unpack: Why collaboration is a leadership design challenge How “systems of knowing” shape teams and organizations Why traditional leadership models struggle in uncertain environments How leaders can foster more adaptive and resilient cultures Leaders who treat collaboration as a soft skill keep getting stuck results. This conversation makes the case for designing it instead. In the book, The Seeing Gap, co-written by Dr. Phillips and Dr. Ravitch, they turn the lens on AI. Phillip and Sharon are writing it in the open on Substack, inviting readers to help shape it as it takes form. When he’s not writing or teaching, he’s on stages and in rooms with leadership teams, designing communities and immersive workshops that help organizations stop talking about adaptability and start practicing it.