About this event

What: Zoom Conversation with Dr. Jyoti Bachani, Associate Professor of Strategy and Innovation at Saint Mary’s College of California

When: Friday April 14th, 2023 – Noon Eastern

How: Zoom Conference call – details upon registration

Cost: Free.

Topic: Improvisational Organizing to Humanize Online/Digital Meetings

In this experiential lunch and learn, Dr. Jyoti Bachani will lead us through simple theater improv exercises for self-check-in, to bring the body, mind and spirit together, at the individual level and to show up as fully human in Digital Meetings and online spaces. The supportive participants will be co-creating group dynamics to learn about how to be an individual in a group, to lead and to follow, and to create and co-create an inclusive team dynamic and get an understanding of power as enacted in the daily acts of organizing in organizations. Theater improv games are a structured way to bring your whole human self to try out different roles and to connect with others in a playful manner. With pauses for sharing reflections on the experiences, everyone processes their experience, with verbal, physical, emotional, social actions and interactions, to learn from each other. Humor is a gentle and fun way to bring down barriers and uncover sensitive truths. Former participants observed that “laughter has no accent” and “there is a lot of emotion in the room, which is usually not expressed in other professional spaces”. Embodied experience takes us beyond the dry language of theories, to learn by doing, in a supportive community. No prior improv experience required, and no observers allowed as this is a participative workshop.

Our Guest: Dr. Jyoti Bachani

Dr. Jyoti Bachani is an Associate Professor of Strategy and Innovation at Saint Mary’s College of California. She is a former Fulbright Senior Research Scholar, with degrees from London Business School, UK, Stanford, USA, and St. Stephen’s College, India. She is the co-foudner of the US and India chapters of the International Humanistic Management Association. Her early career included being a strategy consultant to Fortune 200 companies, working for Strategic Decisions Group, and managerial roles at Citibank and Tata Unisys. She is recognized globally as an expert on writing case-studies and regularly leads professional development workshops teaching other faculty at the prestigious Academy of Management Conference. She has served as a board member of the North American Case Research Association and Editor-in-Chief of the Emerald Emerging Markets Case Study Collection, the largest online collection of teaching cases from the emerging economies, and a guest editor for the special issue on Poetry for Organizing of Organizational Aesthtics journal. She currently serves as an editorial board member for the Journal of Management Inquiry, published by the Western Academy of Management (WAM), and is on the executive comittees of WAM and AOM’s interest group on Management Spirituality and Religion.

Co-Hosts:

Jennifer Hancock is the author of several award winning books and the founder of Humanist Learning Systems. Jennifer is considered one of the top speakers and writers in the world of Humanism today. Her professional background is varied including stints in both the for profit and non-profit sectors. She has served as Director of Volunteer Services for the Los Angeles SPCA, sold international franchise licenses for a biotech firm, was the Manager of Acquisition Group Information for a ½ billion dollar company and served as the executive director for the Humanists of Florida before founding her own company. She is a board member for the USA Chapter of the International Humanistic Management Association. (https://humanistlearning.com)

Elizabeth Castillo is an associate professor at CISA – Leadership and Interdisciplinary Studies at Arizona State University and affiliated faculty at the Center for Behavior, Institutions and the Environment. Castillo’s scholarship is focused on how we can create a sustainable economy that works for everyone. Dr. Castillo addresses this problem by investigating capitalization of organizations, particularly the role that intangible assets (e.g., social, cultural, and political capital) play in producing social, financial, and environmental returns (the triple bottom line). Her interdisciplinary research is inspired by two decades of management experience in the nonprofit sector, including the San Diego Natural History Museum and Balboa Park Cultural Partnership. She is a board member for the USA Chapter of the International Humanistic Management Association. You can find her at: https://cisa.asu.edu/node/5817

Continuing Education:

Humanist Learning Systems is our learning partner for this series. Participants will be able to receive certificates of completion at the end of the session. To learn more about Humanist Learning Systems visit: https://humanistlearning.com