Dr. Larry Mallak of Worcester Polytechnic Institute

This talk deals with workplace resilience for engineers. We live in a continued time of great change—technologically, environmentally, socially, politically, and globally. Yet, in our workplaces, we don’t always have the tools we need to navigate effectively. Resilience is a topic that has its roots in mechanical systems, has been used in adolescent psychology and PTSD settings, and now enters the workplace. Dr. Mallak’s research on workplace resilience has produced a set of four factors: Active Problem Solving, Team Efficacy, Confident Sensemaking, and Bricolage. Through examples such as CrowdStrike, Starbucks, and Capt. Sully’s emergency landing in the Hudson, we’ll learn some techniques for dealing proactively with adversity and disruption in our own lives. Come join us for a fun night of learning and networking.

Biography:

Larry Mallak, Ph.D.
Academic Director of Systems
Engineering and Professor of Practice
Ph.D., Industrial & Systems Engineering, Virginia Tech
M.S., Industrial & Systems Engineering, Virginia Tech
B.S., Industrial Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Larry Mallak is the Academic Director of Systems Engineering and a Professor of Practice in WPI’s System Engineering programs. He has spent his career building and using innovative methods to improve organizational systems and to design processes leading to better outcomes in complex systems. His work in empathic design sits squarely at the nexus of design, customer needs, and system requirements elicitation. His work has been featured in numerous outlets, including TEDx, Engineering Management Journal, WORK, and Industrial Management. He is a Fellow of the American Society for Engineering Management (ASEM) and serves as the Director of Professional Development and Continuing Education for ASEM. He’s a member of INCOSE and IISE. Prior to his academic appointments, he worked in Charlotte, North Carolina, for Premier Healthcare as a healthcare systems engineer and has worked as a science reporter for National Public Radio.

Email:

Address:Worcester , United States