Managing Around

75. Beyond the Search Bar: Navigating the AI Literature Review

Dec 29, 2025

Imagine you are developing an idea for new research. You find a mountain of journal articles that seems perfect, but how can we process the vast amount of information, and how can we use it for our own research? Or imagine you need to synthesise 5 studies on “remote work productivity” for your next class on organisation research by tomorrow. In the past, this was a manual grind and involved a great deal of labour. While producing high-quality research remains a rigorous human endeavour, AI-pow

74. Beyond Coding: How AI Is Transforming the Way We Make Meaning

Nov 30, 2025

You’re sitting at your desk, staring at a mountain of interview transcripts. Hours upon hours of human stories. Contradictions. Emotions. Moments of confusion. Moments of clarity. Everything that makes qualitative data so beautifully complex… and so incredibly time-consuming. You stretch your shoulders. You breathe in. Likewise, you prepare for the long, slow, careful journey ahead. And then — someone else pulls up a chair. Someone who reads your transcripts in seconds. Someone who instantly s

73. The Secret Knowledge Management Skills Every Teacher Masters

Aug 1, 2025

Picture this: It's 2 AM, and Professor Maik is sitting in his office, surrounded by stacks of research papers, sticky notes covering his monitor, and notebooks filled with half-finished ideas. He's preparing for tomorrow's lecture but can't find that brilliant insight about team dynamics. It's somewhere in his notes, but where? Sounds familiar? This scenario plays out in workspaces worldwide every day. We're drowning in information, yet starving for knowledge. But what if the solution isn't ju

72. Beyond the Hype: The Real Promise and Perils of AI in Social Work

Jul 31, 2025

Welcome back, dear listeners, to another fascinating dive into the ever-changing management world around us! Today, we're tackling a topic that's often shrouded in mystery, sometimes fear, but also immense potential: Artificial Intelligence, or Generative AI, and its surprising, often subtle, year powerful role in the field of Social Work. It is no longer a question of whether its inclusion in social work organisations is necessary; the focus is now on where and how it should be implemented. I

71. Planting Success: Nurturing the 13 Functions of Social Work Organizations

Apr 30, 2025

As spring unfolds across Central Europe, gardens burst into life. Today, we’ll explore thirteen essential management functions—exactly as laid out in a garden illustration—from The Garden Plan to The Compost Heap. Picture your organisation as a community garden: each element, from planning beds to composting, represents a key management activity. In this episode, we’ll walk through each garden function in order, sharing an intuitive narrative and concrete examples from professional social work

70. Navigating Resistance to Change: Practical Strategies for Social Work Leaders

Mar 31, 2025

Today, we're diving into a topic that affects every organization, every team, and quite frankly, all of us – resistance to change. As Waldman and O'Reilly (2022) found in their research, resistance to change is one of the main reasons why up to 70% of organizational changes fail to achieve their desired results. We will unpack why this happens and, more importantly, how you can successfully navigate it – especially in social work settings where the stakes are often incredibly high.

69. Rethinking Culture: Beyond the Clash

Feb 27, 2025

In today’s episode, we’re diving into the topic of “culture”–what it is, where it came from, and how recent thinking challenges our assumptions. One key idea we’ll be looking at is that culture isn’t a rigid, unchanging force pushing people apart but rather a dynamic interplay of multiple influences that can unite us if we learn how to forge a shared sense of belonging. By exploring this idea, we’ll see how moving beyond the notion of “clashing cultures” can open up more productive and inclusi

68. Gears of Progress: How Management Theories Shaped Today's Organisations

Dec 31, 2024

Have you ever wondered why we manage our teams or institutions the way we do? Or how did management even become a discipline? Today, we'll journey back to uncover where management thinking began and how it has evolved. From the ancient roots of "manus" (Latin for "hand") to modern theories that emphasise people, context, and ever-changing environments. We will see that "what management is" truly depends on the perspective of how we approach it. Reference: Witzel, M. (2012).

67. Exploring Social Economy Through the Lens of Léon Walras

Nov 30, 2024

Imagine a world where economic systems prioritise fairness, resource sustainability, and the well-being of all individuals. Sounds utopian, right? But this vision wasn't just a dream for Walras; it was a carefully constructed framework grounded in rigorous thought and a strong belief in a harmonious society. His ideas challenged laissez-faire capitalism and promoted the ethical management of resources and labour. He also embraced a harmonious balance between individual freedoms and collective

66. Beyond AI: Empowering Social Work with Multiliteracies and Literacy Management

Sep 30, 2024

Today, we're diving into a topic that has reshaped education and practice for decades. It's the question of training future students and current professionals in many so-called literacies. Although everyone is talking about AI skills at the moment, this discussion is not new. A seminal moment was the publication by the New London Group in 1996, where they introduced the concept of multiliteracies. They argued for an expanded understanding of literacy that goes beyond traditional reading and wr

65. Understanding Differences: How Phenomenography Enhances Social Management Research

Aug 1, 2024

In this episode, we’ll unpack phenomenography, how it can be applied to social management research, and its implications for future social and management sciences. By the end of this short discussion, you’ll have a clearer understanding of this innovative research design and its potential impact on your work. References: Hoory, L. (2024, June 1). What is a stakeholder analysis? Everything you need to know. Forbes Advisor. <a href="https://www.forbes.com/advisor/bus

64. AI in Social Work: Balancing Innovation with Ethics

Jul 31, 2024

Today, we're discussing the role of artificial intelligence in social work and its implications for social service organisations. A recent holiday reading inspired this episode. In this episode, we'll draw some insights from Ethan Mollick's book, 'Co-Intelligence—Living and Working with AI,' to understand both the potential and ethical challenges of integrating AI into social work. Although he didn't discuss the implications for social work, he presented some thought-provoking ideas relevant t

Cover for episode: 63. Unlocking Public Governance: New Public Management, Collaborative Governance, E-Governance, and Participatory Governance

63. Unlocking Public Governance: New Public Management, Collaborative Governance, E-Governance, and Participatory Governance

May 31, 2024

Today, we’re diving into the fascinating world of Public Governance. We’ll explore its different concepts and their applications, particularly in the social and healthcare sectors. Buckle up for an educational yet entertaining ride through the intricacies of how public institutions are managed and governed. We’ll start by asking what public governance is and what concepts about it exist. Then, we will explore four of the most intriguing concepts in the field. References: Ansell

62. Beyond the Buzzword: Realising True Diversity in Social Services

May 2, 2024

Today, we're peeling back the layers on a topic that often gets plenty of lip service but lacks in-depth understanding and implementation–diversity in social services. Picture this: a social work agency bustling with professionals from all walks of life, each bringing their own rich tapestry of experiences, cultures, and ideas. But here's the catch–does this colourful mosaic translate into the way the agency operates, makes decisions, and sets policies? Often, there's a disconnect. Many organi

61. Beyond Boundaries: The Power of Hybridity and Multi-Rationality in Shaping Social Institutions

Apr 10, 2024

Welcome to today's episode of Managing Around! Imagine a world where every voice, no matter how seemingly contradictory, will be heard. Where the diverse needs, goals, and perspectives within a social work organisation not only coexist but thrive together. This is not a distant utopia. It should be reality in social work institutions. Hybridity and multi-rationality in these organisations help us to understand why and how diverse perspectives and values can coexist, and how we can develop a co