Episode 301: Paul J. Zak
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What Neuroscience Has to Do With Company Culture
What if brain chemicals like oxytocin and cortisol could predict how people will behave in social situations and the workplace? Does more testosterone lead to aggressive leadership?
Paul J. Zak is the head of the Center for Neuroeconomic Studies at Claremont Graduate University. His books, including Trust Factor: The Science of Creating High-Performance Companies and The Moral Molecule: How Trust Works, examine the connection between brain functions and building trust and cooperation in social groups.
Paul and Greg discuss why 99% of the time humans default to cooperation, how leadership roles can lead to more circulating testosterone and a tool that determines exactly what we love based on our brain functions.
*unSILOed Podcast is produced by University FM.*
Episode Quotes:
How do you sustain long-term profit growth?
25:15: Right now, we are dying for good people. So, the number of high performers is scarce, and the number of overall performers is scarce. So let's create an environment where they can flourish and perform at their best. They have the freedom and accountability to do what they love once they're trained. Give them some discretion; let them make mistakes; let them learn. Let them innovate. And that's the way to sustain long-term profit growth.
An amazing customer experience starts with a great employee experience
28:32: It's a sacred duty to create an amazing customer experience. But that starts with creating a great employee experience.
Effective work cultures have low turnover
34:55: One of the best predictors we found for effective cultures is low turnover. So, it's well known that most people do not leave jobs for more money. They leave because they just can't stand where they're working. And can't stand means the culture, the humans, and the way humans interact. That's what culture is.
On trust and human performance
24:31: What I think about trust, about human performance is that employees want it, and organizations benefit from it. So it's a really nice win-win space. On the data, you know, people who work in high-trust organizations get sick less, they retain their jobs more. They enjoy their jobs more. They recommend their place of business to friends and family to work there. So all these good things.
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Faculty Profile at Claremont Graduate University
Pau J. Zak on TEDTalk