Dr Simon Longstaff
Business + Ethics = Improved Bottom Line
“Corporations only flourish in flourishing communities. Businesses no longer ask if they should be responsible, only about how best to do so.”

There was a time when the words business and ethics were thought by many to be incompatible; particularly following some of the corporate excesses and failures of the 1980s. It’s still a belief that’s easily supported any time a major corporation is found to be wanting in the honesty department. Yet some businesses have embraced the concept of their corporate social accountabilities and are not only developing strong ethical cultures, they’re expressing their commitment fluently through their organisational structure. Christina Koutsoukos chats with Dr Simon Longstaff, the executive director of St James Ethical Centre in Sydney, Australia, about how organisations can move with the times in terms of their ethical responsibilities to society. (Running time: 23 mins 26 secs Download: 21.4 MB)

Cary Cooper
At what point does pressure become stress?
We’ve reached the 21st Century, yet employees seem to be working harder for longer and feeling less secure than they ever have. The World Health Organisation recognises that on-the-job stress affects both the psychological and physical health of employees, as well as the physical health of the workplace.

The UK has put measures in place to address the impact of work-related stress on work-place absence. But this connection wasn’t always recognised or acknowledged. Professor Cary Cooper is professor of organisational psychology and health at Lancaster University in the UK and among his many other professional distinctions, has been honoured with Commander for the British Empire Award for his work. Today he talks with Christina Koutsoukas about his research and practise in the field of occupational health and stress.  (Running time: 23 mins 23 secs Download: 32.9 MB)

Jasmine Sliger
Cross-cultural competency – you wouldn’t do business without it
It’s never been easier to do business across international boundaries. But this also means that there are many more opportunities to get it wrong. Working, meeting, entertaining, negotiating and corresponding with colleagues or clients from different cultures can be a minefield.

Today business success requires inter-cultural awareness and effective cross-cultural communication skills. But what does this mean in a practical sense? We need to take the time to understand and respect our joint-venture overseas business partners first before we can expect to achieve the results we’re intending. Psychologist Jasmine Sliger has a wealth of personal and professional experiences with cross-cultural issues; she chats with Christina Koutsoukos about some of the ways in which businesses can be more successful when working internationally. (Running time: 18 mins 32 secs; Download: 17.3MB)

Aubrey Daniels
What makes a good leader – ask their followers!
What defines a good leader? Are we looking in the wrong place for our measurement criteria? Leadership is not about a role of power within a hierarchy. It is a combination of behaviours which one would argue we should all be displaying on a daily basis. It’s achieving discretionary effort from those around us so they want to give us their best. It’s being effective and influential. So why is the failure rate of leaders in the corporate world so high? Dr Aubrey Daniels talks with Christina Koutsoukos about why leaders should be looking to their followers to establish how effective they actually are. (Running time: 19 mins 20 secs; Download: 27.0MB)

Padraig O'Sullivan
When CEOs send an SOS: the role of the executive coach
How do you become the best executive you can be? An MBA can only take you so far, and many companies these days have lost their internal mechanisms of leadership coaching – if they ever had them. One way to reach your full potential is to get help from an ‘executive coach’ like Padraig O’Sullivan. (Running time: 17 mins 50 secs; Download: 16.4MB)

Shoshana Faire
Managing Conflict: Clash or Collaboration?
Do you react or respond to conflict? Relationships in the workplace is a breeding ground for conflict. Listen to Shoshana Faire deconstruct conflict in a conversation with Christina Koutsoukos. She explains that handling relationships requires a specific set of communication skills that can transform conflict into opportunity and enable us to strengthen bridges not to burn them. (Running time: 29 mins 52 secs; Download: 26.1MB)

Jim Joy
A New ‘Way of Life’: Creating a Safety Culture
Building safety culture? It won’t happen overnight, but it will happen is the message that Professor Jim Joy continues to spread across the globe to companies that are involved in high risk operations. Hear Jim Joy in conversation with Christina Koutsoukos as he demystifies the buzz words and provides insight into how to change the way we ‘always’ do things in the workplace. (Running time: 23 mins 36 secs; Download: 22.0MB)

Alain de Botton
The pressure of measuring up
Status anxiety is a buzz-word of the 21st Century; a creation of the modern age describing the worry we put ourselves through as we consider whether or not we’re good enough in the eyes of the world… whether or not we have enough or are ‘keeping up’ quickly enough. But who’s judging us? Who’s putting these pressures on us? Alain de Botton discusses his book – Status Anxiety – with Christina Koutsoukos. (Running time: 20 mins 54 secs; Download: 19.0MB)

Professor Jim Reason
Human error: getting it right when you get it wrong
There’s probably never been a more pertinent time to speak with Professor James Reason, or Jim as he’s better known, about the management of accidents in the workplace. Jim has spent many years studying human error and safety systems and is a highly respected leader in his field. He concludes that human error is unavoidable and notes that instead of focussing on attributing blame and eliminating incidents entirely, organisations should concentrate on improving systems to more efficiently manage incidents when they do occur. Listen to Jim discuss ways in which we can develop a safety culture with Christina Koutsoukos. (Running time: 28 mins 50 secs; Download: 25.9MB)

Barbara Holmes
Juggling work and life
What is work/life balance? According to Barbara Holmes, we’re all searching for a common definition, when in actual fact, it’s a different thing for different people at different times in their lives. Listen to Barbara discussing the impact of flexibility in the workplace with Christina Koutsoukos. Corporate attitudes to work/life balance have changed in the last 10 years; it’s changed from being a nice to have to being an essential element of any workplace. However it now needs to become an investment. (Running time: 18 mins 46 secs; Download: 17.1MB)