Podcasts by Work of Fiction
We're members of NOBL, an organizational design collective that helps leaders align company culture to strategy. Every month, we take a break from helping real organizations change to discuss fictional leaders and organizations from movies and TV: What works? What doesn’t? And most importantly, we talk about the simple tools they (and you, our listeners) can implement to make the workplace better.
Further podcasts by NOBL Collective
Podcast on the topic Wirtschaft
All episodes
DEI and The Suicide Squad from 2022-01-09T16:00:02
A team consisting of a half-man/half-shark, a woman who controls rats, and a man who wields polka dots as a weapon… what better opportunity to discuss diversity, equity, and inclusion in organizati...
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Winning People over to Change in Morning Glory from 2021-07-18T17:33:58
Warring colleagues, shrinking budgets, low morale: TV producer Becky has only a few weeks to turnaround a troubled morning show before it’s cancelled. If she’s going to make it, she’ll have to quic...
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Sparking Change Movements in "Snowpiercer" from 2021-06-06T15:00:01
Ever felt like getting change started in your organization would take a full-blown revolution? In Snowpiecer, Curtis leads the underclass as they fight from the back of the train to control the eng...
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Generational Differences and Purpose at Work in Clerks from 2021-05-17T08:00:06
When they’re not harassing customers, playing hockey on company time, or debating the risks of working on the Death Star, Dante and Randall serve as clerks at the Quick Stop Grocery and video renta...
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Transforming a Team with "Ted Lasso" from 2021-01-10T16:00:10
When American football coach Ted Lasso is brought over to England to coach “football” football, no one—not the fans, the players, or even his boss—expect anything but a complete fiasco. But the “La...
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Managing First-Time Managers from Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist from 2020-08-30T15:00:17
As a newly promoted manager at San Francisco startup SPRQPoint, Zoey must build team spirit, placate a demanding boss, and navigate office relationships—all while people break into song and dance ...
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Trust and Workplace Surveillance in The Circle from 2020-07-13T15:00:04
When Mae gets a job at Amazon/Google/Facebook stand-in The Circle, her work quickly becomes her life: constant customer feedback tracks her performance, tiny cameras follow her every movement, and ...
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Working in a Culture of Fear: Monsters, Inc. from 2020-06-09T22:59:02
While the monsters of Monsters, Inc. might think they’re in the business of scaring children, they’re the ones who should be scared: their workplace is a culture of cutthroat competition, toxic col...
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How Not to Murder Your Coworkers: The Lighthouse from 2020-05-04T04:29:34
Quarantine making you stir crazy? Can’t take one more Zoom meeting with colleagues? Then you’ll appreciate the predicament facing the two characters in The Lighthouse: stuck on an island for four w...
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Startup Culture in "Silicon Valley" from 2020-04-05T20:43:15
When developer Richard comes up with a new technology for file compression, he finds himself suddenly launched into the heart of startup culture in Silicon Valley. We take a look at the early stage...
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Workplace Sexism and Female Leadership in Working Girl from 2020-03-01T20:28:03
To work her way up the career ladder, Tess McGill will have to overcome casual sexism and backstabbing bosses, all while navigating a relationship with her business partner. It’s a fascinating look...
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Brilliants Jerks and Innovation at Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory from 2020-02-02T01:53:03
Perhaps no fictional leader better represents the “brilliant jerk” than Willy Wonka—the candy-making genius who invites five children to his factory to find his successor. This episode is your gold...
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How Leaders Impact Company Culture: Visiting Santa's Workshop and More in Elf from 2019-12-22T21:36:57
Join NOBL and adopted elf Buddy as we journey through the seven levels of the Candy Cane forest and the Lincoln Tunnel, exploring the very different workplaces cultures of Santa’s Workshop, Greenwa...
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Succession (Season 1) from 2019-11-18T18:35:58
For the Roy family, business is nastily, backstabbing-ly personal: when their father, the founder of Waystar Royco, is incapacitated, it sets off a battle for leadership of the media conglomerate. ...
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Offices from Hell from 2019-10-06T20:27:04
Does your workday last an eternity? Ever wondered if you’ve sold your soul just for a paycheck? In this very special Halloween episode, we look at literal offices from Hell as portrayed in The Good...
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Office Space from 2019-08-31T02:17:26
Did you get the memo? This 1999 cult film shows what happens when typical office drone Peter finally has enough of middling managers and useless consultants. It’d be greaaaaaat if you’d join us for...
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The Intern from 2019-06-30T20:40:12
70-year old Ben Whittaker is hired as “Senior Intern” at an e-commerce startup, where he meets the savvy but overworked founder Jules Ostin. Though he faces skepticism initially, Ben wins over the ...
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Up in the Air from 2019-05-05T12:48:48
Ryan Bingham flies around the country firing people (sorry, “transitioning” them)—until he finds his job threatened by a proposal from his new, younger, digitally savvy colleague Natalie Keener. In...
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Game of Thrones (through Season 7) from 2019-03-03T22:29:17
Power struggles at your office making you feel like you’re working in Westeros? In our first episode dedicated to a TV series, we look at the different leadership styles of Cersei Lannister, Daenye...
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Devil Wears Prada from 2019-02-03T08:00:15
Wannabe journalist Andie will get any job she wants—if she can just survive a year as an assistant to Runway Magazine's notorious editor, Miranda Priestly. If you’ve ever had a boss who makes impos...
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Men in Black from 2019-01-06T20:50:26
Don’t let the aliens fool you: Men in Black is really about recruiting and onboarding new employees. When NYC beat cop James has a run-in with an alien, he’s initiated into the secretive world of t...
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Fight Club from 2018-12-16T19:54:21
That’s right, we’re talking about Fight Club. In Episode 3, we compare the employee experience at the film’s nameless (and soulless) automotive recall agency with life-affirming (though violent) Fi...
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Sorry To Bother You from 2018-12-02T16:40:13
In Episode 2, we analyze the company cultures of RegalView and WorryFree, two dystopian employers in the recent satire “Sorry to Bother You.” “Cash” Green starts working his way up the corporate la...
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Ready Player One from 2018-12-01T00:57:33
Spoiler Warning: We will be discussing the movie's plot in its entirety.
In our inaugural episode, we analyze Gregarious Games and Innovative Online Industries (IOI) from Ready Player One....
Work of Fiction Trailer from 2018-11-05T21:10:25
We're members of NOBL, an organizational design collective that helps leaders align company culture to strategy. Every month, we're going to take a break from helping real organizations change to d...
Listen