In this HCI Webinar, I talk with Alida Miranda-Wolff about leaders' role in promoting and supporting inclusion and belonging. Alida Miranda-Wolff is a diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB) practitioner committed to teaching love and cultivating belonging. She is an Amazon-bestselling author of two books with HarperCollins Leadership, Cultures of Belonging: Building Inclusive Organizations That Last (February 2022) and The First-Time Manager: Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (May 2024). She is principal at SR4 Partners, a full-service DEIB and employee advocacy firm, which serves hundreds of clients across the world. She hosts Care Work with Alida Miranda-Wolff, a podcast about what it means to offer care for a living. In 2021, Alida received The University of Chicago’s Early Career Achievement Award. She is a graduate of The University of Chicago and holds certificates from the School of the Art Institute (graphic design) and Georgetown University (DEI). She lives in Chicago with her partner, toddler, rabbits, and cats. When she’s not working, reading, writing, or parenting, Alida is wild gardening, interior designing, and falling down research rabbit holes.

In this HCI Webinar, I talk with how leaders can build highly engaged teams in today's performance-focused environment. Dr. Roger A. Gerard is the owner of Sloan & Gerard Consulting, a private consulting practice serving executives and boards in strategic planning, operational planning, executive coaching, and management development. He also specializes in process improvement, and the use of lean methodologies in bringing about significant and measurable organizational improvement. He is the former Chief Learning Officer for ThedaCare, an integrated healthcare delivery system, retiring from that position in 2014 after 23 years in that role. Dr. Gerard has a 52-year career history leading executive and management development initiatives, in both large and small organizational environments. His work has been primarily within the healthcare industry, but he has also spent a quarter of his career consulting in manufacturing and service industries nationwide. In addition, he is a creative photographer, and provides help to his wife Debra in her fine art business (www.sloangerardstudio.com). Previously, Dr. Gerard served as Vice President of Northern Michigan Hospitals and as the Director of Organizational Development. Before joining NMH, he was Creative Manager for Quality Systems for Sandy Corporation where he consulted with major clients (Burroughs, IBM, General Motors, Hyatt, etc.) on systemic leadership development and quality improvement projects. Dr. Gerard is the author of Owning the Room: Leading with Mind, Heart and Spirit to Make Extraordinary Choices in a Demanding World and the forthcoming title, Lead With Purpose: Reignite Passion and Engagement For Professionals in Crisis. He also co-authored On the Mend: Revolutionizing Healthcare to Save Lives and Transform the Industry. Dr. Gerard has presented at numerous national conferences and locally throughout Wisconsin and Michigan on leadership and lean in the healthcare industry. He earned his Ph.D. in Management and Applied Decision Sciences from Walden University in 2001.

This research explores how workplace communication acts as a strategic engine for psychological safety and organizational resilience. The research identifies a dual-pathway model where empathy serves as the emotional foundation for trust, while discussion leadership provides the structural skills necessary for team adaptation. By examining case studies from global firms and clinical data, the research argues that these behaviors are learnable competencies rather than innate traits. Implementing these communication frameworks leads to measurable improvements in innovation, employee retention, and safety outcomes. Ultimately, the research advocates for treating high-quality dialogue as critical infrastructure essential for navigating modern, volatile markets.

This research explores how workplace communication acts as a strategic engine for psychological safety and organizational resilience. The research identifies a dual-pathway model where empathy serves as the emotional foundation for trust, while discussion leadership provides the structural skills necessary for team adaptation. By examining case studies from global firms and clinical data, the research argues that these behaviors are learnable competencies rather than innate traits. Implementing these communication frameworks leads to measurable improvements in innovation, employee retention, and safety outcomes. Ultimately, the research advocates for treating high-quality dialogue as critical infrastructure essential for navigating modern, volatile markets. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Abstract: Research on psychological safety has expanded rapidly; however, how employees' communication behaviors shape organizational adjustment remains underexplored. This study examined two dimensions of discussion skills—Discussion Leadership and Empathy—and their associations with psychological safety and adaptive attitudes. A survey of 300 employees in Japan showed a dual-path pattern. Empathy was the strongest predictor of psychological safety, whereas Discussion Leadership was directly associated with adaptive attitudes independent of psychological safety. These findings specify distinct affective and structural communication mechanisms underlying workplace adjustment and highlight Discussion Leadership as a high-impact, learnable skill for fostering engagement, retention, and psychologically safe work environments. Organizations seeking to build resilient, adaptive cultures must attend to both the relational warmth that empathy provides and the cognitive scaffolding that structured discussion leadership offers. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This research explores how workplace communication acts as a strategic engine for psychological safety and organizational resilience. The research identifies a dual-pathway model where empathy serves as the emotional foundation for trust, while discussion leadership provides the structural skills necessary for team adaptation. By examining case studies from global firms and clinical data, the research argues that these behaviors are learnable competencies rather than innate traits. Implementing these communication frameworks leads to measurable improvements in innovation, employee retention, and safety outcomes. Ultimately, the research advocates for treating high-quality dialogue as critical infrastructure essential for navigating modern, volatile markets. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this HCI Webinar, I talk with Anant Sood about how work has shifted over the past decade and how workflow has been redesigned to accommodate. Anant is a Co-founder @ & oversees marketing and channel partnerships in worxogo. Prior to worxogo, he spent 18 years at EY, PwC & Opera Solutions across India, USA, the Middle East & China. Most of Anant’s career has been being part of startups building , scaling teams from being one of the first few employees in Opera (a Big data analytics Co) to setting up the consulting practice for EY in Chennai in 2007 to worxogo. Within worxogo, Anant helps building partnerships to drive sales through distribution nurturing partnerships with like Accenture, Microsoft with led to wins (Accenture, KPMG, EXL). His time is also spent on making worxogo’s nudge coach more visible amongst enterprise customers with a one-of-a-kind newsletter going out to ~5000 CxOs across the world.

Here's What You'll Learn: Develop practical frameworks and assessment tools to evaluate current skill gaps within your organization and create targeted learning and development programs that prioritize skill durability while addressing immediate business needs. Identify the core durable and transferable skills that will remain valuable across industries and job functions as the workplace continues to evolve, and understand the key differences between technical skills and foundational leadership, life & HR competencies that provide long-term career resilience. Implement evidence-based strategies to foster a culture of continuous learning and adaptability, including specific approaches for leaders to model and champion durable skills development throughout all levels of the organization. Translate insights into action with real-world case studies and proven methodologies for building future-ready talent strategies that balance the need for specialized expertise with the cultivation of versatile, transferable competencies. Session Overview: In an era of rapid technological advancement, economic uncertainty, and evolving workplace dynamics, the skills that once guaranteed career success are no longer sufficient. Organizations and professionals alike are grappling with a critical question: What competencies will remain valuable as automation, artificial intelligence, and changing business models reshape the world of work? This interactive panel discussion brings together leading experts to explore the durable and transferable skills that will define workplace success now and in the future. Unlike technical skills that may become obsolete, durable skills—such as critical thinking, emotional intelligence, adaptability, and effective communication (all foundational leadership skills) —form the base for long-term career resilience and organizational effectiveness. Our speakers will examine the current skills gap facing organizations, identify the core competencies that transcend industries and job functions, and provide actionable strategies for developing these essential capabilities. We'll discuss how HR leaders can design learning and development programs that prioritize skill durability, create assessment frameworks to identify and measure these competencies, and build organizational cultures that foster continuous skill development. Participants will gain insights into the methodology for distinguishing between fleeting trends and truly durable skills, understanding how to future-proof both individual careers and organizational talent strategies. We'll explore real-world case studies of companies successfully building durable skill sets within their workforce and examine the role of leadership in modeling and championing these competencies. Whether you're an HR professional designing talent development programs, a leader responsible for building high-performing teams, or an individual contributor looking to enhance your career trajectory, this session will equip you with frameworks and practical tools to navigate the evolving skills landscape with confidence.