Social neuroscience provides invaluable resources for helping us to collaborate better, manage teams, and leverage human capital. This talk explored the relationship between futures thinking and human resources. It suggests possible hypotheses for why some organizations are terrible are considering the future, and why others really excel. And, it provides some quick wins to free up valuable cognitive resources for problem solving, empathy, futures thinking in the workplace.

2. MINDFUL HR
How social neuroscience can empower
a more future-oriented workforce
Medina Eve Abdelkader
Foresight Strategy & Change Management Consultant
medinaeve hi@medinaeve.com

9. How does the brain form ideas about the future?

10. OUR BRAINS ARE KIND OF
CRAP AT PROCESSING
CHANGE.
I

15. RESPONSIBLE FOR
COGNITIVE PROCESSING
SPECIFICALLY, EMOTION AND
REWARD IN DECISION-MAKING
ORBITAL FRONTAL CORTEX

16. IN THE HUMAN BRAIN,
UNCERTAINTY IS REGISTERED
AS AN ERROR BY THE ORBITAL
FRONTAL CORTEX
ORBITAL FRONTAL CORTEX

18. WE REMEMBER THE FUTURE.
II

22. WITHIN A FIFTH OF A SECOND
THE BRAIN DECIDES IF
SOMETHING IS A THREAT OR A
REWARD
III

23. […] when a person encounters a stimulus their brain will
either tag the stimulus as ‘good’ and engage in the
stimulus (approach), or their brain will tag the stimulus as
‘bad’ and they will disengage from the stimulus (avoid).
DAVID ROCK

24. DESIGNED TO REFLEXIVELY AND
CONTINUOUSLY MINIMIZE DANGER
AND MAXIMIZE REWARD
BRAINSTEM - LIMBIC SYSTEM

25. Amygdala
REMEMBERS WHETHER SOMETHING
SHOULD BE APPROACHED OR
AVOIDED
BRAINSTEM - LIMBIC SYSTEM

26. Amygdala
IS USED IN FORMING BOTH
EPISODIC MEMORY (EXPLICIT)
AND PROCEDURAL MEMORY
(IMPLICIT)
BRAINSTEM - LIMBIC SYSTEM

27. Amygdala
RESPONDS PROPORTIONATELY
TO THE INTENSITY OF THE
EMOTIONAL RESPONSE
BRAINSTEM - LIMBIC SYSTEM

28. THE BRAIN CAN CHANGE, BOTH IN
STRUCTURE AND FUNCTION,
VIA ITS ENVIRONMENT OR
PERSONAL EXPERIENCE
IV

29. Neuroplasticity is “an intrinsic property of the human
brain and represents evolution's invention to enable the
nervous system to escape the restrictions of its own
genome and thus adapt to environmental pressures,
physiologic changes, and experiences”
ALVARO PASCUAL-LEONE

32. REGULATES EMOTION AND
RESPONSIBLE FOR MAKING NEW
MEMORIES.
Hippocampus
BRAINSTEM - LIMBIC SYSTEM

33. RESPONSIBLE FOR SELF-REGULATION
AND LEARNING FROM PAST EXPERIENCE
TO MAKE BETTER DECISIONS
ANTERIOR CINGULATE CORTEX (ACC)

35. The plastic paradox teaches that neuroplasticity can also be
responsible for many rigid behaviours, and even some
pathologies, along with all the potential flexibility that is
within us. […] It is a phenomenon that produces effects we
think of as both bad and good—rigidity and flexibility,
vulnerability, and an unexpected resourcefulness.
NORMAN DOIDGE

36. How can we nurture psychologically-safe workplaces?

37. FUTURE-FACING
ORGANIZATIONAL
CULTURE
First principles of

38. ORGANIZATIONAL CULTURE
IS A WICKED, LIVING SYSTEM
One

40. THE BRAIN IS INHERENTLY
PREDICTIVE, BUT INFORMED BY PAST
EXPERIENCES
Two

42. THERE ARE IDEAL NEUROLOGICAL
CONDITIONS FOR CONSIDERING THE
LONG VIEW
Three

45. DIVERSITY OF THOUGHT AND
PERSPECTIVE BETTER PREPARES
US FOR THE FUTURES
Four

47. THE SHARED VISION OF AN
ORGANIZATION’S PREFERRED
FUTURE IS CRITICAL
Five

49. TO ERR IS HUMAN - AND CRUCIAL
IN FOSTERING A COGNITIVE
TOOLKIT FOR FUTURING
Six

51. So, what’s a brain to do?

53. PSYCHOLOGICAL
SAFETY

54. How can we nurture psychologically-safe workplaces?

55. S C A R
A brain-based model for collaboration
DAVID ROCK (2008)
F

56. S C A R F
STATUS
Relative importance to others

57. S C A R F
CERTAINTY
Being able to predict the future

58. S C A R F
AUTONOMY
Provides a sense of agency over events

59. S C A R F
RELATEDNESS
A sense of safety with others,
of friend rather than foe

60. S C A R F
FAIRNESS
The perception of fair
exchanges between people

61. Articulate a clear vision of the future.

63. Promote radical candour across all levels.

65. Think from a first principles perspective.
W.W.E.D.

66. Reduce hierarchy, and adopt lattice structures.

67. BILL GORE
The simplicity and order of an authoritarian organization
make it an almost irresistible temptation. Yet it is counter to
the principles of individual freedom and smothers the
creative growth of man. Freedom requires orderly restraint.
The restraints imposed by the need for cooperation are
minimized with a lattice organization.

68. Host the occasional anxiety party.

69. Encourage leaders to personalize their leadership.

70. Make emotional intelligence a priority.

71. My interest is in the future because I am going to spend
the rest of my life there.
CHARLES KETTERING

72. REQUIREDREADING

73. http://www.nytimes.com/2016/02/28/magazine/
what-google-learned-from-its-quest-to-build-the-
perfect-team.html
REQUIREDREADING
Google’s Project Aristotle
https://www.med.illinois.edu/depts_programs/.../
SCARF-NeuroleadershipArticle.pdf
SCARF: A Brain-Based Model for Collaboration
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4yODalLQ2lM
Radical Candor — The Surprising Secret to
Being a Good Boss
OTHERMEDIA
https://www.ted.com/talks/
michael_merzenich_on_the_elastic_brain?language=en
Michael Merzenich: Growing evidence of
brain plasticity
http://www.wial.org/uploads/resources/
d05d2a6414bc6889fe4c40bbda53f487.pdf
The Neuroscience of Motivation
http://freakonomics.com/podcast/failure-is-your-
friend-a-new-freakonomics-radio-podcast/
Freakonomics Radio: Failure is your friend
http://www.radiolab.org/story/317421-blame/
Radiolab: Blame

74. Medina Eve Abdelkader
Foresight Strategy & Change Management Consultant
medinaeve hi@medinaeve.com