Episodes

  • Calculus of IT - Season 2 Episode 7 - Part 2 - NLM Bot TL;DR - Establishing Boundaries and Principles for Autonomy
    Apr 4 2025
    As promised, each episode this season will also have a bonus TL;DR version from our favorite bots over at NLM or from whatever we currently feel is most bot-worthy. And this week, those crazy bots are at it again.


    Support the show

    The Calculus of IT website - https://www.thecoit.us
    "The New IT Leader's Survival Guide" Book - https://www.longwalk.consulting/library
    "The Calculus of IT" Book - https://www.longwalk.consulting/library
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    Email - nate@thecoit.us
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    21 mins
  • Calculus of IT - Season 2 Episode 7 - Part 2 - Establishing Boundaries and Principles for Autonomy
    Apr 4 2025

    In Part 2 of our deep dive into IT leadership principles, Nate and Mike went all the way to Boston (actually we live right near it) to broadcast live from BioIT World (it's an annual podcast tradition now ;-). We continued with Part 2 of our two part min-series on principled decision making and explored how to navigate 'zero-choice' situations and maintain principles under pressure. We took on the Macgyver Principle of IT leadership, discussed the practical application of the Four Pillars Framework and the Three-Options Rule, addressed the nuances of "zero-choice" scenarios and the art of principled exceptions. We also spoke about creating a framework for navigating boundary violations, emphasizing documentation, compensating controls, and continuous learning. This episode also features the "Principled Pragmatist" archetype and offers valuable insights into building a culture of principled decision-making. Plus, Mike had a sit-down conversation with ChatGPT to ask - is MacGyver proactive or reactive...here is what ChatGPT had to say...

    MacGyver would definitely be considered proactive, though he often operates in reactive situations.Here’s the nuance:
    •Proactive mindset: MacGyver constantly observes his environment, anticipates what could go wrong, and thinks several steps ahead. He doesn’t just wait for things to happen—he prepares mentally and creatively so that when something does happen, he’s ready to act fast.
    •Reactive scenarios: Most of the time, he’s thrust into urgent, unpredictable crises (like bombs, traps, or kidnappings). But even in these high-pressure situations, he doesn’t panic—he quickly evaluates the situation, uses available resources, and comes up with clever, often unconventional solutions.So while his actions may appear reactive (responding to immediate problems), his mindset and decision-making style are highly proactive. He’s always prepared to think on his feet, which is kind of his superpower.Would you say you’re more like MacGyver in how you tackle problems?

    Support the show

    The Calculus of IT website - https://www.thecoit.us
    "The New IT Leader's Survival Guide" Book - https://www.longwalk.consulting/library
    "The Calculus of IT" Book - https://www.longwalk.consulting/library
    The COIT Merchandise Store - https://thecoit.myspreadshop.com
    Donate to Wikimedia - https://donate.wikimedia.org/wiki/Ways_to_Give
    Buy us a Beer!! - https://www.buymeacoffee.com/thecalculusofit
    Youtube - @thecalculusofit
    Slack - Invite Link
    Email - nate@thecoit.us
    Email - mike@thecoit.us

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    1 hr and 30 mins
  • Calculus of IT - Season 2 Episode 7 - Part 1 - NLM Bot TL;DR - Establishing Boundaries and Principles for Autonomy
    Mar 20 2025

    As promised, each episode this season will also have a bonus TL;DR version from our favorite bots over at NLM or from whatever we currently feel is most bot-worthy. And this week, those crazy bots are at it again.

    Support the show

    The Calculus of IT website - https://www.thecoit.us
    "The New IT Leader's Survival Guide" Book - https://www.longwalk.consulting/library
    "The Calculus of IT" Book - https://www.longwalk.consulting/library
    The COIT Merchandise Store - https://thecoit.myspreadshop.com
    Donate to Wikimedia - https://donate.wikimedia.org/wiki/Ways_to_Give
    Buy us a Beer!! - https://www.buymeacoffee.com/thecalculusofit
    Youtube - @thecalculusofit
    Slack - Invite Link
    Email - nate@thecoit.us
    Email - mike@thecoit.us

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    14 mins
  • Calculus of IT - Season 2 Episode 7 - Part 1 - Establishing Boundaries and Principles for Autonomy
    Mar 20 2025

    In this episode Mike and I continue on the path of IT Leadership and Autonomy with a focus on establishing clear boundaries and principles for how IT Leaders conduct the delicate balance of decision-making. This episode explores how to balance autonomy, risk, innovation, and productivity while maintaining meaningful principles that survive real-world challenges. Learn about the essential qualities of effective boundaries, including the importance of unambiguous criteria, actionable guidelines, and evolving standards. The hosts share practical experiences and frameworks for creating principles that work in the trenches, not just in PowerPoint decks. Plus, catch the latest IT leadership job updates in the Boston area. This episode is Part 1 and next week we will be on location at Trillium in the Seaport for an episode on Security but then back on April 2nd with Part 2 of this episode. Stay tuned!

    Support the show

    The Calculus of IT website - https://www.thecoit.us
    "The New IT Leader's Survival Guide" Book - https://www.longwalk.consulting/library
    "The Calculus of IT" Book - https://www.longwalk.consulting/library
    The COIT Merchandise Store - https://thecoit.myspreadshop.com
    Donate to Wikimedia - https://donate.wikimedia.org/wiki/Ways_to_Give
    Buy us a Beer!! - https://www.buymeacoffee.com/thecalculusofit
    Youtube - @thecalculusofit
    Slack - Invite Link
    Email - nate@thecoit.us
    Email - mike@thecoit.us

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    1 hr and 44 mins
  • Calculus of IT - Season 2 Episode 6.3 - Reflecting on Reflection Time
    Mar 12 2025

    Every now and again Mike and I like to step aside and discuss some of the external impacts on being an IT Leader (and also just being a human trying to keep one's shit together in this day and age.)

    Next week, we will be back to dive into the rest of the season. We will start with some heavy-duty stuff in episodes 7 and 8, so before we get there, we wanted to take a moment to discuss the importance of reflection, particularly for IT Leaders. It's fair to say that Mike and I each have some overlapping methods for reflective time but also manage to squeeze it in in our own ways. We hope that you can take away some inspiration for creating your own reflection time.

    Enjoy the moment, don't stress too much about the global dumpster fire, and we will be back next week.

    Support the show

    The Calculus of IT website - https://www.thecoit.us
    "The New IT Leader's Survival Guide" Book - https://www.longwalk.consulting/library
    "The Calculus of IT" Book - https://www.longwalk.consulting/library
    The COIT Merchandise Store - https://thecoit.myspreadshop.com
    Donate to Wikimedia - https://donate.wikimedia.org/wiki/Ways_to_Give
    Buy us a Beer!! - https://www.buymeacoffee.com/thecalculusofit
    Youtube - @thecalculusofit
    Slack - Invite Link
    Email - nate@thecoit.us
    Email - mike@thecoit.us

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    36 mins
  • Calculus of IT - Season 2 Episode 6.2 - Digitalization of Work and Heteronomy
    Mar 10 2025

    So much research went into preparing for Season 2 and there was no practical way to really call out all of the best articles and papers we read. There are a few that really stand out however, and we wanted to highlight one of those tonight in a special Calculus of IT Jort.

    In this Jort, Mike and I took some time to discuss an article by Adrian Mengay (from the Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena, Germany). The article is entitled: "Digitalization of Work and Heteronomy". From the abstract:

    Digitalization has two very different effects on work. On the one hand, it leads to a re-Taylorization of work, de-qualification and a loss of workers autonomy. On the other hand, digitalization of work leads to new forms of indirect control and algorithmic control that can be used to manage and instrumentalize the supposed autonomy of workers to actually enable an unequal and exploitative labour process. This article discusses the questions of heteronomy related to the digitalization of work, presents central aspects of new forms of control (direct, indirect, and algorithmic) and explains why formalization, data centred decision making and flexible structures are used to control the labour process and improve
    heteronomy of work.

    If interested, you can download a copy here: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0309816820904032. Otherwise, we hope you enjoy the Jort!!

    Support the show

    The Calculus of IT website - https://www.thecoit.us
    "The New IT Leader's Survival Guide" Book - https://www.longwalk.consulting/library
    "The Calculus of IT" Book - https://www.longwalk.consulting/library
    The COIT Merchandise Store - https://thecoit.myspreadshop.com
    Donate to Wikimedia - https://donate.wikimedia.org/wiki/Ways_to_Give
    Buy us a Beer!! - https://www.buymeacoffee.com/thecalculusofit
    Youtube - @thecalculusofit
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    Email - nate@thecoit.us
    Email - mike@thecoit.us

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    22 mins
  • Calculus of IT - Season 2 Episode 6.1 - Exploring the New Digital Wave of Rationalization
    Feb 27 2025

    So much research went into preparing for Season 2 and there was no practical way to really call out all of the best articles and papers we read. There are a few that really stand out however, and we wanted to highlight one of those tonight in a special Calculus of IT Jort.

    In this Jort, Mike and I took some time to discuss an article by Lambèr Royakkers (from the School of Innovation Sciences, Eindhoven University of Technology, The Netherlands) and Rinie van Est (from the Rathenau Instituut, The Netherlands & Eindhoven University of Technology, The Netherlands). The article is entitled: "The New Digital Wave of Rationalization: A Loss of Autonomy". From the abstract:

    The new wave of digitization and the ensuing cybernetic loop lead to the fact that biological, social, and cognitive processes can be understood in terms of information processes and systems, and thus digitally programmed and controlled. Digital control offers society and the individuals in that society a multitude of opportunities, but also brings new social and ethical challenges. Important public values are at stake, closely linked to fundamental and human rights. This paper focuses on the public value of autonomy, and shows that digitization—by analysis and application of data—can have a profound effect on this value in all sorts of aspects in our lives: in our material, biological, and socio-cultural lives. Since the supervision of autonomy is hardly organized, we need to clarify through reflection and joint debate about what kind of control and human qualities we do not want to lose in the digital future.

    If interested, you can purchase a copy here: https://www.igi-global.com/article/the-new-digital-wave-of-rationalization/258848. Otherwise, we hope you enjoy the Jort!!

    Support the show

    The Calculus of IT website - https://www.thecoit.us
    "The New IT Leader's Survival Guide" Book - https://www.longwalk.consulting/library
    "The Calculus of IT" Book - https://www.longwalk.consulting/library
    The COIT Merchandise Store - https://thecoit.myspreadshop.com
    Donate to Wikimedia - https://donate.wikimedia.org/wiki/Ways_to_Give
    Buy us a Beer!! - https://www.buymeacoffee.com/thecalculusofit
    Youtube - @thecalculusofit
    Slack - Invite Link
    Email - nate@thecoit.us
    Email - mike@thecoit.us

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    18 mins
  • Calculus of IT - Season 2 Episode 6 - NLM Bot TL;DR - Creating Technical Diversity without Chaos
    Feb 20 2025

    As promised, each episode this season will also have a bonus TL;DR version from our favorite bots over at NLM or from whatever we currently feel is most bot-worthy. And this week, those crazy bots are at it again.

    Support the show

    The Calculus of IT website - https://www.thecoit.us
    "The New IT Leader's Survival Guide" Book - https://www.longwalk.consulting/library
    "The Calculus of IT" Book - https://www.longwalk.consulting/library
    The COIT Merchandise Store - https://thecoit.myspreadshop.com
    Donate to Wikimedia - https://donate.wikimedia.org/wiki/Ways_to_Give
    Buy us a Beer!! - https://www.buymeacoffee.com/thecalculusofit
    Youtube - @thecalculusofit
    Slack - Invite Link
    Email - nate@thecoit.us
    Email - mike@thecoit.us

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    17 mins