Organizational Behavior

When Crises Hit, Shovel-Ready Ideas Can Get Greenlighted Quickly

Julia DiBenigno Elisabeth Yang

Frontline staff and managers often face years of resistance and red tape when they try to improve organizational processes. But a Yale SOM study suggests that crises can create windows of opportunity to get those changes implemented—if advocates move fast and demonstrate the short- and long-term value of their ideas.‌

Illustration of a worker presenting an idea amidst crisis
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Podcast

Learning Through Experience

In this new season of the Learning Through Experience podcast, we’re digging into something that resonates deeply with everyone right now: facing uncertainty. In a time marked by political shifts, social upheaval, and personal challenges, uncertainty isn't just a backdrop—it’s the environment we’re all navigating. But rather than viewing it as something to endure or escape, Heidi invites listeners to explore how we can learn our way through uncertainty, finding meaning, resilience, and even growth in the process.

In these episodes, you’ll hear from a diverse range of guests who bring their own stories, insights and perspectives on what it means to confront the unknown. From personal transformations to organizational shifts, from the micro to the macro, we’ll explore how facing uncertainty can become a catalyst for learning—inviting curiosity, fostering grit and shaping new ways of being.

Importantly, this isn’t a deep dive into the science of uncertainty or a prescriptive guide to resilience. Instead, it’s an open, accessible exploration of the human experience. Heidi and her guests will reflect on the felt, emotional dimensions of navigating the unknown—those moments when clarity feels just out of reach, and yet, something new begins to emerge.

Learning Through Experience has always been about more than just facts; it’s about the journey of discovery. This season, as we face uncertainty together, we hope to uncover not just how to survive it, but how to grow, connect and find meaning along the way. Welcome to Season 4. We love having you here.

Learning Through Experience is produced through the Yale School of Management.

All Episodes

  • What's the Google approach to human capital?

    Laszlo Bock

    Google's success depends on sustaining both generative chaos and precision output. Laszlo Bock, who heads the internet giant's human resources function—which it calls "People Operations"—talks about how it encourages employees to participate in running the company and builds effective teams.

  • What was Polaroid thinking?

    Polaroid went from ubiquity to obsolescence as digital photography replaced the print. But as early as the 1960s, Polaroid had been doing research into digital imaging. Did mistaken assumptions keep the company from making the transition to the digital world?