Institution, Human, Technology

🏛️ Institution, Human, Technology

Part of the Introduction to Political Technology course at Newspeak House — open to faculty and fellowship candidates only.

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🎙️ About the Session

Dr Six Silberman guides participants through a rich investigation into the intersecting worlds of institutions and organisations, human behaviour, and technology. This intellectually rigorous session invites deep reflection on what makes organisations tick — and what makes them break.

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🔍 Key Questions We'll Explore

On Organisational Health:

• 🌱 What does a truly healthy organisation look like — and how would you recognise one?
• 🏫 Do the markers of health differ across workplaces, schools, and volunteer projects?
• 🤕 In what ways have organisations you've been part of (or read about) been dysfunctional — or remarkably functional?
• 📉 How does organisational ill-health ripple outward, affecting individuals and the organisation's core mission?

On Change & Improvement:

• 🔄 Have you witnessed organisations genuinely improving? What drove that shift?
• 👥 What can individuals or small coalitions do to push an organisation toward health?
• 🧭 What role does leadership play in keeping organisations well — or letting them deteriorate? (And what even is good leadership?)

On Structure & Hierarchy:

• 🏗️ How does organisational structure relate to organisational health?
• ⚖️ Does greater hierarchy increase the risk of dysfunction?
• 🤝 Can we point to genuinely non- or less-hierarchical organisations — and are they faring better?

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📚 Recommended Readings

• 🧠 Ajeesh & Joseph (2025) — 'The compassion illusion: Can artificial empathy ever be emotionally authentic?', Frontiers in Psychology 16
• 📖 Pugh (2024) — The Last Human Job: The Work of Connecting in a Disconnected World, Princeton University Press
• 🎧 Podcast of book talk | 🎥 Video of book talk
• ✍️ Lie-Panis (2026) — 'Guarding the guardians: good institutions are social technologies that scale trust from personal relations to entire nations. How do they work?', Aeon
• 💰 Chayes (2022) — 'The Midas Disease — Corruption is a truly global crisis and the wealth addiction that feeds it is hiding in plain sight', Aeon
• 🎲 Sadedin (2015) — 'Natural police — Seen through game theory, cancer and police corruption are pretty much the same thing. And for one of them, there's a cure', Aeon

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📍 Location

Newspeak House, London

🎟️ Register via Lu.ma