The WorkWise Pod

In this episode of Work Wise Pod , Sujatha Rao, Deepak Menon, and Mohit Dave speak with Rajendra Joshi (Founder, Saath), Chinmay Desai, and Pooja Singh about Saath’s shift from beneficiary-led development to member-owned economic democracy. Saath began 36 years ago in Ahmedabad’s informal settlements with a simple belief: “Ability is equal. Opportunity is not.” With donor support, Saath ran Urban...

The cooperative movement is one of the largest economic and social movements in the world; yet it remains poorly understood and rarely spoken about. Globally, cooperatives involve over a billion members, millions of enterprises and provide livelihoods for around 10% of the world’s working population. In this episode, we speak with Rebecca Harvey , Executive Editor of Co-op News , about how coopera...

This is the first episode of our new series' Social and Solidarity Economy'. The Social and Solidarity Economy explores the world of cooperatives, collectives, platform workers, unions, and other democratic enterprises that are rooted in collaboration, equity and shared prosperity. Cooperatives are often dismissed as small, old-fashioned, or inefficient, but what if some of the world’s big...

Prisons@Work is a series of 6 episodes that step into Indian Society’s most hidden workplaces -the Indian Prison System. Through conversations with prison reformers and ex-convicts we explore life in prison, after prison, and unearth the complex web of justice, caste, gender, stigma and survival. We also look at possible reforms and restorative practices that could redefine the justice system. Thi...

Prisons@Work is a series of 6 episodes that step into Indian Society’s most hidden workplaces -the Indian Prison System. Through conversations with prison reformers and ex-convicts we explore life in prison, after prison, and unearth the complex web of justice, caste, gender, stigma and survival. We also look at possible reforms and restorative practices that could redefine the justice system. Thi...

Prisons@Work is a series of 6 episodes that step into Indian Society’s most hidden workplaces -the Indian Prison System. Through conversations with prison reformers and ex-convicts we explore life in prison, after prison, and unearth the complex web of justice, caste, gender, stigma and survival. We also look at possible reforms and restorative practices that could redefine the justice system. Thi...

Prisons@Work is a series of 6 episodes that step into Indian Society’s most hidden workplaces -the Indian Prison System. Through conversations with prison reformers and ex-convicts we explore life in prison, after prison, and unearth the complex web of justice, caste, gender, stigma and survival. We also look at possible reforms and restorative practices that could redefine the justice system. Thi...

Prisons@Work is a series of 6 episodes that step into Indian Society’s most hidden workplaces -the Indian Prison System. Through conversations with prison reformers and ex-convicts we explore life in prison, after prison, and unearth the complex web of justice, caste, gender, stigma and survival. We also look at possible reforms and restorative practices that could redefine the justice system. Thi...

In this episode, Sujatha and Deepak are in conversation with Pratap Tambe and Christina Dhanuja about caste. Caste is a subject conspicuously absent from conversations concerning workplaces in India, although it is a historical reality and continues to pervade our social spaces - this must be acknowledged to make any meaningful change possible. Pratap and Christina shed light on their personal jou...

In this episode, Sujatha, Deepak and Amoolya talk to Reena Dayal, about a topic that we tend to tiptoe around, menopause! Specifically, about what happens in the world of work when a woman, typically in her 40s and 50s, on her way to leadership positions, is beset by menopause. Is it a death knell to the ambitious aspirations of those women, or an inflection point, which can give rise to positive...

In this episode, Sujatha, Deepak and Amoolya explore what it means to have an Open, Employee first work place. What approaches signal such a culture? What does it mean to walk the talk? And what challenges accompany such an approach. Talking to PG Aditiya and Goutam Reghunath about Talented, the ad agency they founded with a determination to be a markedly different advertising agency, they discuss...

Many times a problem-solving approach focuses only on what is wrong. Appreciative Inquiry instead takes a positive and enabling approach to individual and organisational growth, grounded in an abundance mindset. In this episode, Vish, Deepak and Sujatha share three stories about their experience with AI and explore the potential as well as challenges associated with an AI approach to human and org...

In this episode, Sujatha and Deepak speak to Geoff Revell, who co-founded WaterSHED, a Cambodian non-profit organization working on water, sanitation and hygiene. WaterSHED was unique because it was designed to last only for 10 years. They speak on how WaterSHED’s planned exit influenced its goals, values, strategy, day-to-day operations. They also discuss the responses from the various stakeholde...

In this episode, Sujatha and Deepak talk with K.J. Joy, an activist-researcher who has been working on people’s rights to natural resources at grassroots and policy levels for over four decades. Water is an essential resource with competing claims to its use. Conflicts while being inevitable can also lead to resolution of complex problems. Joy’s experiences as an activist, researcher, social scien...

In this episode, Sujatha and Deepak speak to Sonali Srivastava, founder and CEO of ANODE Governance Lab to uncover the intricacies of Gram panchayats as organisations - their role in Indian society and governance; their transformative potential and changes in Gram Panchayats over the years. They also discuss the different Organisation Development processes, Change Management processes that Sonali...

In this episode, Deepak and Sujatha speak to Lt. General A. Arun on what makes the Indian army autonomous, adaptable and agile on the ground, even though the army can be bureaucratic with very clear common and controls. We discover a systematic way of building camaraderie, bonding and team spirit amongst the soldiers, the efficacy of different leadership styles and the difference between leadershi...

The predominant narrative in the social sector ecosystem is what the Not-Profit Ecosystem can learn from the For-Profit Sector - in a sense about becoming more professional. Rarely if ever, the counter narrative is heard - of what the for-profit or the commercial sector can learn from non-profits, charities and social enterprises. In this open conversation, Sujatha and Deepak speak to Ravi Sreedha...

In this episode, Deepak and Sujatha speak to Steven Deobald and Deepa Venkatraman from Nilenso - a 100%, employee owned software cooperative based out of Bangalore. They discuss the practicalities, unique workplace practices and decision-making processes that enable Nilenso to practice democracy for over a decade. Credits: Hosted by Deepak Menon & Sujatha Rao Mixed & Edited by Prashanth Ve...

Picture a Scientist, released in April 2020 on Netflix, is a movie that explores sexual harassment and gender bias in the scientific community through the narratives of three women scientists - biologist Nancy Hopkins, chemist Raychelle Burks, and geologist Jane Willenbring. In this episode, Sujatha and Deepak speak to Sharon Shattuck - one of the directors of the movie about the film, the making...

More than ever today, women are making their presence felt in family owned businesses in India. In this episode, our guest Mala Paliwal, decodes why and what is happening with the second and third generations of women in family-owned businesses and how they are challenging patriarchy to establish themselves as leaders of their enterprises. About our guest: Mala is a negotiation coach, consultant,...

Entrepreneurs often struggle with managing time and freeing themselves from firefighting and micromanagement. They also experience the ‘fear’ of ‘letting go’ leading them to be trapped in the management of their everyday operations rather than strategic thinking and leadership. In today’s episode, our guest Balaji Pasumarthy talks about how entrepreneurs can create trusting work cultures that allo...

In this episode, we talk to our guest Raj Mariwala about why and how entrepreneurs struggle with mental health, and the holistic support systems that they can develop to ensure their wellbeing and resilience. About our Guest : Raj Mariwala is Director of Mariwala Health Initiative , (MHI), a funding agency that provides a range of resources and support to organisations working in mental health int...

The onslaught of constant connectivity coupled with a pandemic that seems to go on forever has led to the great paradox of our lives: being simultaneously connected to tens if not hundreds of people through social media and yet feeling disconnected, lonely and alienated at work. In this episode, our guest Saugata Chatterjee talks about how organisations can leverage the power of communities for gr...

Can we change the office meeting from being tiring, unnecessary and unproductive to being effective and empowering? In today's episode, our guest Sahana Chattopadhyay talks about how organizations and employees can transform their office meetings into "generative" conversations which drive the desired outcomes and also foster well-being at the workplace. About our Guest : Sahana Chattopadhyay is a...

Is it possible for a group of people to self-manage and lead their organisations through distributed authority and decision making? In this episode, our guest, Mohammed Ali Vakil helps us understand the remarkable power of Holacracy and how this is changing the way organisations are led and managed. About our Guest : Mohammed Ali Vakil is the co-founder of Calm Achiever. They're the official partn...