Webinar: Decision making in a time of uncertainty and anxiety

The choices we face and the decisions we make as leaders and managers in a world of heightened uncertainty and increased anxiety are magnified by the context within which we are now operating.

This webinar will be hosted by Tracey Groves (CEO, Intelligent Ethics), with Vince Dispenza (Director of Executive MBA Programmes, Leeds University Business School).

At a time when data is incomplete, trends are emergent, when lives are at stake, and when we need to act both decisively and collaboratively, the impact and consequences of what we say, do and how we make others feel, have never been so critical.

Whether perceived as saints or sinners, the decisions being made by leaders have never been under more scrutiny.

How do we know what the right thing do is? Who decides? What makes the decision right? In a world where social distancing and self-isolation are positioned as the survival mechanisms to halt a pandemic which threatens to overwhelm us globally, the increase in domestic violence is already being felt across the world and children in living in poverty are even more exposed and vulnerable. The ethical trade-offs and impacts of decision-making at a time of crisis are human ones which have far-reaching consequences. Who decides which patients should receive scarce ventilators? How do you physically and psychologically protect your front-line staff through the pandemic? Why should you care about and protect your people, even if you are unable to protect their jobs?

During the webinar, we will explore:

• Why it is challenging to know what the right thing to do is, in a world where data is incomplete, lives are at stake, the situation is ever-changing, and decisions need to be made decisively and collectively that people can live with
• The consequences and impact of what we, as leaders and managers of others, say, do and how we make others feel at a time of human disconnection and stress
• The human leadership capabilities and sensors that are now in demand more than ever, such as the ability to be compassionate, empathetic, build connections and act with integrity (and what that means, in reality)
• Practical frameworks to help us navigate the complexities we face when deciding how to do what's right and to re-frame our decision-making at a time when doing nothing is not an option

Join the webinar here

Tracey Groves, Intelligent Ethics

Tracey is a trusted business adviser, expert facilitator and executive educator, critical friend and inspiring business speaker with deep consulting and business transformation experience working with Boards and Senior Business Leaders. At PwC UK for over 25 years, the last 6 years as a UK Forensics Partner, Tracey’s specialism is in educating Leaders and providing advisory services on Corporate Governance, Ethical Leadership, Culture and Behaviours, Digital Ethics, Regulatory Compliance, Organizational Trust and Ethical Business Conduct.

About Tracey

For the last two years of her PwC career, Tracey was the UK Firm’s Senior Corporate Governance Partner working across the various lines of service to deliver cross-disciplinary advisory services to global clients, focusing on regulatory compliance, risk management, corporate purpose, trust, and corporate values and behaviours. Her work centred on developing measurable and evidence-based approaches to creating holistic ethical decision-making frameworks for clients that were risk-based, tangible and strategy focused.

As CEO of her own advisory business since 2017, Tracey is passionate about how Leaders define and embrace what ‘doing the right thing’ means to them and their stakeholders. She uses values-based behaviours, culture, purpose and corporate integrity as critical levers for change and places people and inclusion at the heart of a trust-based business. Through her work Tracey enables leaders of organizations to unlock high performance, accelerate growth and drive innovation through the design and development of ethical frameworks directly aligned to the delivery of business goals.

Tracey helps Boards and Leaders to think differently about performance, purpose, trustworthiness, diversity, and culture as drivers of high performing, technology-enabled businesses and enablers of resilient organizations built on integrity and respect. She is experienced at communicating and engaging with individuals at Board and Executive level down, developing rapport and building trust quickly and effectively, based on her strong strategic relationship building capabilities and many years of consulting experience at Partner level.

Tracey is a leading voice in the analysis of the ethical impact of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Digital Technology Ethics and has given evidence to the All-Party Parliamentary Group at the House of Lords on AI Ethics. Tracey is a member of the Working Group for the UK AI Council at the Office of Artificial Intelligence. She works with leaders to help them better understand and prepare for the ethical consequences of digital on business strategy including the impact on the workforce and wider society, and the ethical risks of technology and digital governance.