Matthew Lee, Baylor professor and Research Associate at the Human Flourishing Program at Harvard University and Brian Wellinghoff, Barry-Wehmiller Director of Strategy, Improvement and Culture, recently had the opportunity to speak at the Humanity 2.0 conference at the Vatican.

This conference gathered distinguished academics, researchers, philanthropists, and business leaders around the question: “How do we promote human flourishing in our world?” 

On this podcast, we feature a conversation between Matthew and Brian about this event and it's importance. You'll hear about the idea of human flourishing as it pertains to business education and you’ll hear how Barry-Wehmiller fits into this work.

Rightsizing, de-layering, business re-engineering, streamlining the organization…these are a few of the more current terms for the conventional business practice of eliminating jobs to improve profit.

You rarely hear anyone talk about the impact on the lives of the individuals and the family members of those laid off after sending them home with damage to their self-worth and a dramatic loss of income. Rarely do they consider the impact on those who remain in the organization.

On this podcast, we look back at Barry-Wehmiller response during the recession of 2008-2009 where many companies were laying people off. It was a time of shared sacrifice, but we came through it stronger and more dedicated to our beliefs. Just as a caring family would.