23: Work is Absurd with Richard Claydon

Richard is a thought leader who looks at organisational life
through the lens of irony and absurdity.    In this
discussion with Simon, he shares his thoughts on the need to
support those ironists who bring something special and vitally
important to organisational life.   He shares his research
that revealed 4 types of ironist, the Apollonion ironist who sits
like a God looking down, commenting from a distance, the
Sarcastic ironist, who retreats to the sidelines to poke fun at
the absurd enthusiasms of others, the Trickster ironist who
intervenes with humour, wit and thought to make things happen and
to reveal and bridge gaps, and the Wise ironist who pulls the
strings from the background and predicts what will happen.  
These ironists and liminal thinkers can be either a force for
dysfunction or for development. Richard believes it is our task
to find these organisational people,  and make the space to
guide their work towards well-being and development.   
Enjoy the listen!





 


Bio 


Richard’s work focuses on the dimensions of high performance
during long-term organisational transformations, in which
volatility, uncertainty complexity and ambiguity are inherent to
the business environment.   Described as “full of daring and
imagination” and “touchstone for the future of management and
organisation”, his research examines ways in which plural and
diverse ideas emerge in individuals, teams and cultures; how
criticality and creativity are communicated to more powerful
others; and how you can develop the capacity for this across an
organisation.