I make organizational change easy to understand

Paula Cizek

Systemic Storyteller

How can horse racing help leaders make better decisions? What can a secret 1940’s government program teach us about innovation at modern companies? Why is it so hard for organizations to live up their values—and how can we hold them accountable?

I love stories about systems: the how and why people interact, and how those interactions affect the outcome. And as Chief Research Officer at organizational design firm NOBL, I hunt down emerging ways of working to turn them into reports, tools, podcasts, and more, that make it easy for people to implement change within their organization.

While I research all aspects of company culture, I’m particularly passionate about innovation: how to uncover new opportunities with consumers, experiment and iterate on potential solutions, and most importantly, spread and scale new ideas within the organization at large.

I’ve worked with companies as diverse as Warner Bros., Chanel, Capital One, Bayer Pharmaceuticals, Airbnb, Chipotle, Grupo Bimbo, and more, and have been invited to speak to CEO’s, startups, and everyone in between. If you’d like me to work with or speak to your team, get in touch. Just curious? Learn more about what I’ve been up to below, or sign up for my weekly newsletter on leadership and change.

“Paula is a powerhouse speaker… She gave inspiring and useful talks that really took big ideas and broke them down into practical, applicable solutions. Our audiences loved it and sent in rave reviews.”

— Siel Ju, EMBARC HR Innovators Summit

Speaking Engagements and Press

 

I’d love to speak at your event or organization. Get in touch or check out some of my prior engagements:

  • “What It’s Going to Take for You to Change in 2021 (and Beyond)” | TBD Conference 2021 | Recorded Speech

  • “The Adaptive Security Leader: Lessons in Change" | ADAPT, November 2020 | Live Remote Presentation

  • “The Three Elements of Change Management” | ProVisors, November 2020 | Webinar

  • “The Missing Middle: How to Spread Innovation to the Rest of the Organization” | Innov8rs, August 2020 | Webinar

  • “Changing through Uncertainty” | Reinventandonos! Podcast, July 2020| Guest Interview

  • “How Innovation Teams Can Better Collaborate with the Organization” | Innov8rs Talent & Teams, May 2020 | Webinar

  • “How to Run Effective All-Hands Meetings” | Lattice, April 2020 | Expert Interview

  • “In Crisis Management, Why the Future Is as Important as the Here and Now” | Women’s Wear Daily, April 2020 | Expert Interview

  • “Managing Your Teams through Layoffs” | Glassdoor, March 2020 | Expert Interview

  • “Taking Charge of Change—How to Draw Lessons from Loss, and Find Opportunities Amidst Uncertainty” | EMBARC HR Innovators Summit, Los Angeles, October 2019 | Speaker

  • “#SorryNotSorry: Is Your Culture Distinctive or Disruptive?" | PIHRA RealHR, Los Angeles, July 2019 | Panel Moderator

  • "People & Profit: Creating Inclusive Cultures for Maximum ROI" | General Assembly, Los Angeles, April 2019 | Panelist

  • "Overcoming Hiring Challenges" | Village Capital, Los Angeles, April 2019 | Panelist

  • "Stop Looking for Silver Bullets for Your Org Problems" | Disrupt HR, Los Angeles, April 2017 | Speaker

A selection of stories

 
NOBL Academy

NOBL Academy

With over 300 tools, frameworks, and case studies, the NOBL Academy offers simple and practical advice for implementing new ways of working. As Editor-in-Chief of the Academy, as well as our acclaimed newsletter, I research, edit, and write on a weekly basis.

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Work of Fiction

Ever think the Oompa-Loompas should have formed a union? Used “Men in Black” as a primer on employee onboarding? Or maybe you actually sided with the devil herself, Miranda Priestly? As host of our monthly podcast, I explore fictional organizations from movies and TV with my colleagues, and give listeners real advice they can apply to their own workplaces.

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