Virginia McGowan PhD | Updates

The welcome embrace of adaptability and collaboration

Virginia McGowan PhD — Thu, 14 Aug 2025 14:58:04 -0400

This is the fifth and final article in the series drawn from my recent bLU Talk.

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Let's talk about the "C" word...

Virginia McGowan PhD — Thu, 14 Aug 2025 14:56:34 -0400

Full text can be found at https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/lets-talk-c-word-virginia-ginny-mcgowan-phd-hd9ye/?trackingId=ZmPkvxZcYt6Q2r8XEGOcdg%3D%3D

Lead the change, even if you're not the boss

Virginia McGowan PhD — Thu, 14 Aug 2025 14:54:06 -0400

Full text can be found at https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/lead-change-even-youre-boss-virginia-ginny-mcgowan-phd-grlfe/?trackingId=Iylyb2fBe7H9fwFcgz2wow%3D%3D

Context is everything

Virginia McGowan PhD — Thu, 14 Aug 2025 14:52:27 -0400

Full text can be found at https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/context-everything-virginia-ginny-mcgowan-phd-61jze/?trackingId=8S38oqDu9yUsCDcHeKBZnw%3D%3D

Sometimes, all you need is a beacon of hope and a clear path

Virginia McGowan PhD — Thu, 14 Aug 2025 14:50:01 -0400

To celebrate National Civility Month (August in Canada and the USA), this is the first in a series of five articles drawn from my recent bLU Talk given at the University of Alberta: The Winning Ways of Being Civil@Work - 5 Steps to Personal and Professional Success.

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Follow me on LinkedIn to access other articles and posts!

Virginia McGowan PhD — Mon, 28 Jul 2025 14:21:06 -0400

On my LinkedIn page--the link is in the header and here--you'll find numerous articles that are excerpts from the chapters of Civil@Work: The Ultimate Guide to Mastering Soft Skills for Business Success.

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I'll be speaking at the bLU Talks at the University of Toronto featuring Bif Naked!

Virginia McGowan PhD — Tue, 7 Oct 2025 00:00:00 +0000

bLU Talks Toronto with Bif Naked (at the University of Toronto)

Event by
Corey 🌎 Poirier

Nov 25, 2025, 10:00 AM - Nov 26, 2025, 4:00 PM (your local time)
Add to calendar
7 Hart House Circle, Toronto, Ontario, CA, M5S 3H3

Hart House Event link

http://blutalkstoronto.com/

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Is there a human advantage in AI-integrated workplaces?

Virginia McGowan PhD — Tue, 7 Oct 2025 00:00:00 +0000

As AI becomes ever more integrated into our day-to-day business and professional practices, thorny questions are being asked, not the least of which is where does that put use mere mortals? Are we doomed to the periphery, sadly looking for ways to find meaning and purpose while AI has the world functioning tickity-poo?

Not in the least, in my opinion. The traits that make us uniquely human are those that are needed now more than ever. Our senses of ethics and morality, our ability to make inter-personal connections, and our capacity for understanding subtle nuances can never be duplicated by machines. And, in an AI-integrated world that thus far lacks the range of governance, legal, and regulatory frameworks required to protect us from and mitigate the risks of generative AI (e.g., copyright, employees' rights, privacy, confidentiality, and so on), these qualities rise to the top.

Relational or “soft” skills—such as social intelligence, communication, adaptability, civility, and citizenship—are no longer peripheral traits; they are core governance capacities. In AI-integrated workplaces, these skills serve as operational guardrails that complement technical standards and legal compliance frameworks. For example, in the evidence-based Workplace Connections model (https://workplaceconnections.ca/), additional relational skills such as collaboration, cultural intelligence, change and continuous learning, and thinking skills reinforce ethical, transparent, and human-centered practice.

Not only do these skills bring the human factor to AI-integrated workplaces, they have a higher impact: ensuring that AI-integrated workplaces in the future of work--characterized by disruption and a distributed, globalized, and multi-generational workforce--are also civil places to be, where kindness and respect dominate.

Are we ready? Do we have the breadth and depth of relational / soft skills to succeed in this new world of work?

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Early AI Adoption Lab for Women and Non-binary Entrepreneurs

Virginia McGowan PhD — Tue, 7 Oct 2025 00:00:00 +0000

https://www.camptech.ca/early-ai-adoption-lab

Do you feel about AI much like I feel when confronted with phenomena such as monster truck rallies? That somehow, somewhere, there's an entirely separate universe of things happening that I can see dimly but not clearly.

That's how I felt about AI until 5 weeks ago when I joined a new FREE program for women and non-binary entrepreneurs in Canada: Camptech's Early AI Adoption Lab. It's funded federally and delivered by The Forum, Growclass, and Camptech once weekly (1.5 hours per week) plus an open forum-style "office hours" session once weekly (optional, 1 hour), online for 6 weeks.

From session one, week 1, on Getting Started, we proceeded to dive into week 2, AI for Business Communication; week 3, AI-powered Marketing; week 4, AI for Sales and Customer Communication'; week 5, Streamlining Business Administration and Operations; week 6, AI-powered Workflows, Automation, and Integration. Each week is filled with hands-on exercises and discussion.

The good news is that they are accepting applications NOW!

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The Cost of Bad Behaviour in the Workplace

Virginia McGowan PhD — Wed, 24 Sep 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Better tighten your seat belt...On the flip side of the coin, the real cost of incivility in the workplace in the US costs more than $2.1 billion USD per day due to absenteeism and reduced productivity, as reported by the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) for the first quarter of 2025. The SHRM Civility Index Score reached 48.8 by the end of March 2025 (on a scale from 0 to 100). This indicates a very slight--but not statistically significant--in incivility compared with Q1 of 2024, but this score still means that 8.7 million acts of incivility occur every hour in the US. Six of every 10 Americans believe their society is uncivil; these data confirm they aren't wrong--uncivil behaviour is a common occurrence.

Data source: Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM). (2025). SHRM Civility Index Q4 2025. https://www.shrm.org/content/dam/en/shrm/topics-tools/topics/civility/shrm-q4-civility-index-abstract-inforgraphic.pdf

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"Civil@Work: The Ultimate Guide to Mastering Soft Skills for Business Success" achieves International Best Seller status!

Virginia McGowan PhD — Mon, 18 Aug 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Here are the stats (and I have confirming screen shots for each):

USA

#1 in Business & Investing
#1 in Business & Money Skills
#1 in Business Communication Skills
#1 in Business Leadership
#1 in Business Management & Leadership
#1 in Organizational Behavior
#1 in Workplace Behavior

Aus

#1 in Business Communication
#1 in Business Leadership
#1 in Business Skills
#1 in Workplace Culture
#4 in Business Management & Leadership

Brazil

#6 in Business & Economics in English
#7 in Administration, Business and Economics in Foreign Languages

Canada

#1 in Business Leadership
#1 in Business Management & Leadership
#1 in Business Skills
#1 in Leadership in Business Management
#1 in Organizational Behaviour
#1 in Professional & Technical Business Management
#1 in Professional & Technical
#1 in Professional Management & Leadership
#1 in Workplace Behavior
#3 in Business & Investing

Germany

#1 in Communications (English)
#1 in Organizational Behaviour (English)
#1 in Skills (English)
#2 in Leadership in Business (English)
#2 in Business & Investing (English)
#2 in Management & Leadership (English)

Italy

#8 in Business, Strategy & Management

#1 in Business Life
#1 in Business Management & Leadership
#1 in Finance
#3 in Business & Investing eBooks
#3 in Business and Investing

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It's time to celebrate National Civility Month!

Virginia McGowan PhD — Thu, 14 Aug 2025 00:00:00 +0000

National Civility Month is observed every year in August in the United States and Canada. It was established to encourage people, businesses, schools, and communities to practice civility — meaning courtesy, respect, and consideration — in everyday interactions.

🌟 Purpose of National Civility Month

Promote Respectful Behavior: Reminds individuals and organizations to interact with kindness and professionalism.

Strengthen Communities: Civility fosters trust, cooperation, and inclusion in workplaces, schools, and public spaces.
Counteract Incivility: Provides a response to growing concerns about hostility, polarization, and disrespect in public life.
Encourage Leadership by Example: Highlights the role of leaders, educators, and influencers in modeling respectful conduct.

🗓️ Origins

Founded in 2000 by the Civility Center (a nonprofit dedicated to helping people live, work, and lead with civility).

Chosen for August because it follows July — a month associated with independence and freedom in the U.S. and the celebration of the birth of the Confederation in Canada — as a reminder that true freedom requires responsibility, respect, and civility.

💡 How It’s Celebrated

Community events & workshops on conflict resolution, communication, and diversity.

Business initiatives promoting workplace respect and customer service.
Schools & youth programs that teach kindness and digital civility.
Public awareness campaigns that encourage courtesy in public spaces and online.

📌 Why It Matters

Civility is more than politeness; it’s about valuing others, listening actively, and engaging constructively — whether in personal relationships, workplaces, or civic life. National Civility Month serves as a collective reminder that respect and empathy make societies stronger.

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PRESS RELEASE 18 July 2025 - University of Alberta bLU Talk event

Virginia McGowan PhD — Mon, 28 Jul 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Soft Skills Set the Stage Ablaze: Dr. Virginia McGowan Electrifies bLU Talks with Her Vision for a Civil@Work Revolution.

Edmonton, Alberta | July 18, 2025 — It was a standing ovation moment as award-winning author, anthropologist, and workplace visionary Dr. Virginia (Ginny) McGowan delivered one of the most compelling bLU Talks of the year at the University of Alberta’s Lister Conference Centre. Her talk, “The Winning Ways of Civil@Work: 5 Steps to Personal and Professional Success,” offered a rallying cry for a workplace renaissance built on respect, inclusion, and human connection.

McGowan—whose newly released book, Civil@Work: The Ultimate Guide to Mastering Soft Skills for Business Success, has already sparked a national conversation—shared her five-step framework for cultivating civility, productivity, and personal fulfillment in the modern workplace. Her core message is that in an AI-driven future, our most significant business advantage will come from what makes us most human—our soft skills.

Her passionate presentation painted a hopeful and practical vision of a new world of work: one where empathy, collaboration, and emotional intelligence drive engagement, innovation, and sustainable growth. McGowan argued that the solution to workplace toxicity is not more policy, but more humanity.

The event, part of the prestigious bLU Talks series founded by Corey Poirier, drew a packed and diverse audience of professionals, students, and changemakers. Her on-stage interview and talk were filmed and will be broadcast on major platforms, including Binge TV, Roku, Amazon, Google Play, Apple, Spotify, and more, reaching an estimated audience of over two million.

Up next for McGowan? The October 2025 release of her second book in the Civil@Work series, The Human Advantage, will be followed by The Courage to Change Your Lane in 2026.

Dr. Ginny McGowan didn’t just speak about civility—she ignited a movement.

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A New World of Work and Why We Need Soft Skills More Than Ever

Virginia McGowan PhD — Sat, 26 Jul 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Excerpt from the "Introduction," Civil@Work: The Ultimate Guide to Mastering Soft Skills for Business Success. Civil Press/Best Seller Publishing (July 2025).

In the dynamic and rapidly evolving business environment of today, technical skills and industry-specific knowledge alone are no longer sufficient for success. The focus has shifted significantly toward the soft skills, often referred to as interpersonal or relational skills, to navigate the intricate landscape of modern workplaces. The evidence is all around us: A workplace where the practice of soft skills is the norm is a civil space that reaps significant rewards in talent recruitment, retention, and engagement, as well as in productivity and profits.

This is no idle claim. The impact of civility in the workplace is well documented. Its effects are not limited to psychological safety--a state where people feel free to share their beliefs and opinions. [1] Canadian civility expert Dr. Lewena Bayer cited data in her groundbreaking 2016 book The 30% Solution: How Civility at Work Increases Retention, Engagement, and Productivity that showed, even a decade ago, businesses that explicitly promoted civility enjoyed 30 percent more revenue than their competitors. [2]

Moreover, they were four times more likely to have employees who were highly engaged and employee turnover was 20 percent less. Feeling valued by their employers led to astoundingly high levels of satisfaction, motivation, and positive physical and mental health. This evidence informs us that soft skills such as emotional, social, and cultural intelligences, effective communication, adaptability and resilience, and so on are critical to an enterprise's long-term success.

More recent research continues to support this conclusion and affirms the role of organizational leaders in creating a civil workplace. For example, a 2023 systematic review and meta-analysis [3, 4] emphasized that fostering civility in the workplace can yield significant benefits such as improved physical and mental well-being for workers, reduced burnout, and lower absenteeism rates. However, having leadership that embodies respect and sets clear civility benchmarks is crucial. [5]

I happen to believe--strongly--that our very survival as a species depends on our transforming our worlds of work to emphasize the importance of relational skills.

References/Notes

[1] Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM). (2024, November 27). Psychological safety: Creating a workplace where employees thrive [blog]. https://www.shrm.org/in/topics-tools/news/blogs/creating-a-workplace-where-employees-thrive.

[2] Bayer, L. (2016). The 30% solution: How civility at work increases retention, engagement, and profitability. Motivational Press.

[3] A systematic review is like a highly detailed report that looks at all the information and research studies on a specific topic. Imagine you have to write a book report, but instead of one book, you're reading and summarizing hundreds of books on the same subject. The researchers follow specific methodologies to look for patterns and assess and compare across multiple sources the methods and results, looking for similarities and differences, then summarize what they found. Systematic reviews are important because they give us a big picture view off what scientists and experts know about a topic. They help us make sure we're using the best information to make decisions, whether it's for business, education, medicine, or any other field.

[4] A meta-analysis is like a super-summary of lots of studies on the same topic, following a specific methodology that is highly rigorous. Imagine you're trying to figure out if playing video games helps you get better at math. Instead of doing just one experiment, you look at the results of many different experiments that other people have done on this topic. They then combine the data from all these studies by taking data from each study and mixing them together to get a clearer idea of what happened overall. The final step is to look for any patterns that emerge. The combined results give us a more accurate answer to our question.

[5] Peng, X. (2023). Advancing workplace civility: A systematic review and meta-analysis of definitions, measurements, and associated factors. Frontiers of Psychology, Organizational Psychology Section, 14. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1277188.

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NEW BOOK RELEASE 10 July 2025 - Civil@Work: The Ultimate Guide to Mastering Soft Skills for Business Success

Virginia McGowan PhD — Sat, 26 Jul 2025 00:00:00 +0000

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Feature Speaker at U of Alberta's recent bLU Talks!

Virginia McGowan PhD — Sat, 26 Jul 2025 00:00:00 +0000

This was a very cool event in which to participate. Met lots of interesting people.

18/07

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