Killing Sacred Cows — Part 2 of a series examining the unspoken norms, taboos, and protected assumptions in academic research that are rarely questioned, even when they undermine effectiveness and resilience. This series names those assumptions, puts them up for debate, and asks whether they still d...

In times of instability and uncertainty, I tend to focus on opportunity. In stable periods, the status quo becomes entrenched and difficult to challenge. Humans and institutions alike gravitate toward predictability and the comfort of familiar systems. That is why the last five years of turbulence a...

There are phrases that seep into the lexicon of work, repeated so often they lose meaning. Or worse, they begin to reshape what we find acceptable. “The new normal.” “Lean operations” (almost always referring to headcount, not process improvement). And the one I cannot stomach anymore: “Doing more w...

There’s plenty to be said about the current volatility in federally funded research: unpredictable executive orders, shifting rules and compliance notices, and open threats of budget cuts or clawbacks. These developments are destabilizing and distracting.

Even without the recent noise from Washingt...