Navigating Complexity: Simplifying Life and Fostering Innovation with Dr. Nicole Jackson

In today's corporate and academic environments, success hinges on exploring complexities to uncover opportunities for simplification and innovation. In this episode, host Mike Horne welcomes Nicole Jackson, the Associate Dean of the Agino School of Business at Golden Gate University. With her extensive experience spanning both the corporate sector and academia, Nicole offers invaluable insights, especially in organizational change, strategy, and the concept of organizational ambidexterity.

Nicole introduces the concept of “organizational breathing,” drawing a parallel to the need for individuals to occasionally step back and reassess. She suggests that organizations, too, can benefit from periods of reflection to foster growth and adaptability amid constant change and information overload. The discussion emphasizes the importance of integrating humanistic values and creating a workplace that values appreciation over mere acceptance. Nicole highlights the importance of psychological safety and providing opportunities for individuals to explore their identities within the organizational framework.

The episode also covers the impact of AI on human resources, with Nicole proposing a shift in perspective from AI as a displacer of jobs to a tool that can enhance humanistic management practices. She emphasizes the potential of AI to aid in learning and development, and the importance of developing connoisseurship in the workplace.

Nicole offers guidance for individuals considering advanced business studies, stressing the significance of selecting a path that aligns with both personal passion and current industry trends.

• "We're bombarded with so much information. The time to let our souls and our identities and even our organizations breathe from all this change has been completely upended." (04:52 | Nicole Jackson) 
• "We live in such a data-driven world. We need to let the data breathe, take a step back. We don't necessarily need to make the decisions right away. Everything is now a critical event. I think we've thrown ourselves into this mentality of crisis management on an ongoing basis, or looking at how upending and disruption is the latest paradigm, but we really should be looking at continuity building." (07:19 | Nicole Jackson) 
• "When we talk about living more simply and being more meaningful, it's really allowing people to really examine, go back to the core of who they are." (12:00 | Nicole Jackson)
• "Let your soul breathe and let your organization breathe. Develop some connoisseurship and create a bouquet of different qualities. I think that's important. We now have the capacity. Think about the tremendous capacity that AI now has for people who normally are oftentimes stigmatized or discriminated against in the workforce. There's been a lot done about the prejudicial AI algorithms. That's a huge concern and it continues to be a concern and it does need to be addressed." (31:24 | Nicole Jackson) 
• "We have to teach people how to develop connoisseurship. Most people are not taught to be connoisseurs. They're taught to follow in a line, not necessarily to become an expert on a metacognitive level. Traditionally, organizations don't have most of their workers develop those skills. And I think that's going to be critical moving forward." (33:51 | Nicole Jackson)