Awakening Compassion, Part I: A Masterclass with Jane Dutton and Monica Worline Artwork

Spark Connection

Our world is more interconnected and interdependent than ever before, yet so many of us feel disconnected and alone. In Spark Connection, host Anna Lucas engages in conversations with friends, colleagues, researchers and leaders who each contribute their unique expertise when it comes to enhancing our wellbeing, by cultivating connection and building community, within our lives and our organizations. Please join us as together we explore themes of wellbeing, mindfulness, relationships, compassion, community, and of course, connection. Let’s build a network of conversation, learning from each other, and celebrating all it means to be human. It starts with a Spark! Theme song 'Spark' is by Connor Garvey & cover photo by Leonard Von Bibra.

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Spark Connection

Awakening Compassion, Part I: A Masterclass with Jane Dutton and Monica Worline

September 14, 2022 • Anna Lucas with Jane Dutton and Monica Worline • Season 1 • Episode 9

Spark Connection is back from our summer break with a very special two-part conversation with Dr. Jane Dutton and Dr. Monica Worline. In this first part of our conversation, we have the opportunity to 'meet' Jane and Monica, learn about their professional partnership, and begin exploring the science of compassion within organizations, as well as some myths that can still cloud this practice within organizations today. Jane and Monica share generously from their rich experiences as researchers, academics and practitioners throughout our conversation, a two-part episode I am calling a masterclass in awakening compassion at work and beyond!

Jane Dutton is the Robert L. Khan Distinguished University Professor of Business Administration and Psychology and cofounder of the Center for Positive Organizations at the University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business; she is also a founding member of CompassionLab.

Monica Worline is the CEO of EnlivenWork. She is a research scientist at Stanford University’s Center for Compassion & Altruism Research and Education and Executive Director of the CompassionLab.

The book we will be referencing throughout our conversation is co-authored by Jane and Monica and titled Awakening Compassion at Work: The Quiet Power that Elevates People and Organizations. Please visit the websites of Jane and Monica to learn more about their work.

Other resources mentioned in our conversation:
Compassionomics by STEPHEN TRZECIAK, MD, MPH and ANTHONY MAZZARELLI, MD, JD, MBE
Relational Coordination Collaborative Resource Library from Brandeis University