The Why Podcast

Economists are interested in people’s beliefs because they drive their behaviour, which in turn impacts on the economy. In this episode of The Why Podcast, Jean-Pierre Benoît, Professor of Economics at London Business School, discusses research into how what people believe about themselves affects the choices they make. In the experiment he describes here, he investigated subjects’ self-confidence...

Most ventures fail – so what happens when an entrepreneur goes to investors seeking backing for their next new business? In this episode of The Why Podcast, Gary Dushnitsky describes how he set out to discover, in the context of equity crowdfunding, whether investors would shy away from failed entrepreneurs, or if they would take additional information into account when they considered whether to...

In this episode of The Why Podcast, Alex Edmans, Professor of Finance at London Business School, discusses his recent paper ‘The end of ESG’. Its title was deliberately provocative and caused a stir – but the point he was making was that a fundamental part of understanding a company and its operations is understanding its impact on the environment and the world. ESG has been politicised and linked...

Giving people autonomy over when and how they work has its advantages but it also brings challenges – from finding new ways to measure productivity to managing boundaries to avoid burnout. In this episode of The Why Podcast, bestselling author and future-of-work expert Lynda Gratton explores how flexible working might pan out, and suggests what leaders need to consider in order to get the best out...

Entrepreneurs behave differently from the average businessperson – and, according to John Mullins, these behaviours can be learnt. In this episode of The Why Podcast, he explains the thinking and research behind his new book, Break the Rules! The 6 Counter-Conventional Mindsets of Entrepreneurs – and suggests that forgetting some established behaviours could make all of us more entrepreneurial. Jo...

When some horrific abuses came to light in religious care homes in the US, a lot of people wondered why nobody had spoken up earlier. What was at play here, and how could such situations be prevented? In this episode of The Why Podcast, Aharon Cohen Mohliver tells us how he embarked on a deep-dive statistical analysis and discovered that having a system in place is no guarantee of anything when hu...

Negotiating situations can be tense. It’s often assumed you need to wield power, grab what you can and then get out. But it doesn’t have to be so: if you can build trust and work out what the other person cares about, you’re more likely to get a result that’s good for both parties. Empathy takes practice – and, before the other person even opens their mouth, you’ll have made a snap judgement about...

When the pandemic hit, managers reacted by becoming more inward-looking and task-focused. Relationships suffered and development opportunities withered. But there’s good news too. In this episode of The Why Podcast, Julian Birkinshaw investigates how managers’ behaviour changed and how they can reskill to lead effectively now. You can read his paper here: journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.11…812562...

If your mission statement is worded the wrong way, it’s unlikely you’ll end up with the kind of company culture you’re hoping for. In this episode of The Why Podcast, Dana Kanze explains how the power of language comes into play in workplace discrimination. Her full research paper, including the dictionary she mentions, is here: www.sciencedirect.com/science/articl…49597818301092 Dana Kanze is Ass...

A lot of resources go into combatting age-related diseases, but should we be focusing more on slowing down the actual process of ageing? In this episode of The Why Podcast, Andrew Scott explores the economics of ageing using four different models and suggests a new way forward. His full research paper is here: www.nature.com/articles/s43587-021-00080-0 Andrew Scott is Professor of Economics at Lon...

What happens in between someone making an allegation and it being deemed misconduct? In this episode of The Why Podcast, Bryan Stroube delves into data from the Chicago Police Department to show how psychology and culture affect how wrongdoings are reported and dealt with. Bryan Stroube is Assistant Professor of Strategy and Entrepreneurship at London Business School. Kathy Brewis is Senior Managi...

‘If I scratch your back, someone else will scratch mine…’ In this episode of The Why Podcast, Ena Inesi talks us through her research into how indirect reciprocity works within power hierarchies. It turns out that the judgements we make when we see someone performing an act of kindness affect how we behave towards them, which also influences the flow of resources in social groups. Ena is Associate...

It’s straightforward to make your end-of-life treatment preferences known, yet few of us do. Simona Botti is intrigued by the decisions we make as healthcare consumers, so she set out to look into what was going on here – and what this might tell us about ourselves. Simona Botti is Professor of Marketing at London Business School. Kathy Brewis is Senior Managing Editor of Think at London Business...

Boards failures are shocking and often scandalous – yet, says Randall S Peterson, they aren’t inevitable. In this episode of The Why Podcast, he talks us though the six types of dysfunctional board he has identified in his new book and suggests what to look out for to preempt disaster. Randall S Peterson is Professor of Organisational Behaviour and Academic Director of the Leadership Institute at...

When you get an email from your boss after hours, it can feel like there’s a pressure to respond straight away – which adds stress to our lives. In this episode of The Why Podcast, Laura Giurge explores the psychology around this and suggests ways we can foster healthier emailing habits for happier minds. Laura Giurge is a Research Associate of Organisational Behaviour at London Business School an...