21st Century Science, Philosophy, and Business Leadership

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Meet Paul Gibbons

I’m an author and speaker whose “beat” is helping business leaders use science and philosophy - science, to make better strategic decisions, implement change, innovate, change culture, and create workplaces where talent flourishes and philosphy to navigate ethical conundra around AI, privacy, and disinformation. My most recent book, Impact (21st-century change management, behavioral science, digital transformation, and the future of work) is the second in a series called Leading Change in the Digital Age. The book shows a way out of the irony of using "analog" change methods in the 21st century and using old school methods in 21st-century digitally enabled business. My first major book, The Science of Organizational Change has been hailed as “the most important book on change in fifteen years” and the second (2019, paperback) edition is ranked among the top-five in its subject areas. Between book projects, I’m a professional speaker, consultant, and coach - my most recent speaking tour included Microsoft, Google, and Kaiser. My talent consulting and coaching clients include Comcast, BP, Shell, HSBC, and KPMG. In addition, I serve on the board of the Institute for Enterprise Ethics.

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Problems My Readers Have

How I Help

How do I get real behavioral change and not just nice words?

Neo-behaviorism is the new science of changing behaviors that focuses on nudges, and habit change more than just good intentions.

How can businesses make data-driven, evidence-based decisions?

I write about the essential revolution in how evidence (the scientific method) can help improve lives, make better decisions, change businesses, and transform our politics.

Why does change fail; why do we struggle with innovation; how do I lead change?

Lots of change theory, leadership development, and HR practices are based on pseudo-science; I help clients implement evidence-based alternatives.

How to I prevent ethical failures, such as those at VW, Wells Fargo, and Enron, in my business?

The root causes are often misaligned incentives, and a short-term results focus. You cannot build a good enough mouse trap; you need an ethics culture.

What do I develop and retain the best talent?

Create a growth culture, of growers, not knowers where constant personal growth is expected of staff at all levels.

How do I create the good life?

I call it the happiness disease that puts personal feel good before things that matter much more, such as service, meaning, fulfillment, engagement, and relationships.

How do I resolve ethical dilemmas?

I help you apply philosophy to the big questions: How should I handle customer data? Are there limits to data-mining? Should financial services be regulated, or should caveat emptor prevail?

Why Philosophy & Science Matter

The democratization of knowledge production has dissolved all expert authority. Anyone with a keyboard can produce knowledge, and any authority can be challenged for being ideologically, commercially, or politically motivated.
Our future depends on solving this problem. The solution, eloquently suggested by Jefferson, is an educated citizenry. Education in philosophy and science must no longer be for elites (philosophy is very rare in high schools). Philosophy teaches us what knowledge is, what makes a good argument, and which fallacies may trip us up. (It also helps us make sense of ethical dilemmas, and the essential political questions of who decides what, and who decides who decides.) Science should teach us what evidence is and which methods produce reliable inferences from data. Yet today, science is still (mostly) taught as a bunch of facts.

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My Story

I’m passionate about science and philosophy, and how they can be used in service of human flourishing, well-run businesses, and a better world for all of us. I have 35 years’ experience in business as a consultant with one of the world’s leading professional services firms and founder of Future Considerations, one of the UK’s cutting edge organizations. I sold the business when I moved to the US in 2008 and today I founded, I write 75% of the time, and speak/ consult/ coach/ teach the rest. My first major book is The Science of Organizational Change was published in 2015 and is among the best-sellers on change.

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Career Highlights

Adjunct professor of Business Ethics and Leadership at several US business schools.
CEO/ founder of one of Europe’s foremost leadership boutiques, Future Considerations Ltd.
Consultant in PricewaterhouseCooper’s (PwC’s) “think-tank” on strategy, innovation, leadership, and change.
Strategist and risk management consultant for PwC.
Derivatives trader and then head of European sales in the investment banking including at Salomon Brothers, Credit Suisse, and Morgan Stanley.
Research scientist in neuroscience at the University of Wisconsin

Education

2008 - Graduate study in the Philosophy of Economics at the University of Wisconsin
2007 - Masters in Ethics and Political Philosophy at the University of London
2002 - Master Coach certification, Newfield Network, Boulder, Colorado
2001 - Certificate in Humanistic Counselling at the Gestalt Institute, London
1999 - Masters in Organizational Behavior at the University of London
1981 - Graduate study in Economics at the University of Wisconsin
1980 - Bachelor’s degree in Biochemistry at the University of Wisconsin

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