What does innovation look like in the field of spiritual care, when fewer people belong to congregations, yet more people still need meaning, accompaniment, and spiritual support? My two guests today have been researching this question extensively.

Wendy Cadge is President of Bryn Mawr College and a nationally renowned sociologist of religion and spirituality. She is the founder of the Chaplaincy Innovation Lab, which brings together chaplains, educators, and social scientists to study and support spiritual care across public institutions and community settings. Her work focuses on religious diversity, spirituality, and the role of chaplaincy in contemporary society.

Michael Skaggs is Director of Programs and Co-Founder of the Chaplaincy Innovation Lab. A historian of American religion based at the University of Notre Dame, his research explores interfaith dialogue, maritime and port chaplaincy, American Catholicism, and emerging models of spiritual care. He oversees education, professional development, and public-facing initiatives for the Lab.

In this first part of our conversation, we discuss:

1. The origins and mission of the Chaplaincy Innovation Lab
2. Traditional and emerging models of chaplaincy and spiritual care
3. The blurry boundaries of chaplaincy
4. Real applied value of good social, scientific, and historical research
5. Public perceptions of chaplains versus how chaplains describe their work
6. Chaplaincy as religious leadership in the future
7. The role of chaplains in addressing loneliness and isolation
8. Spiritual care beyond formal religion
9. Community-based and workplace chaplaincy models

To learn more about Wendy and Michael’s work, you can find them at:

• Wendy Cadge: https://www.brynmawr.edu/inside/people/wendy-cadge
• Michael Skaggs: https://chaplaincyinnovation.org/team/michael-skaggs-phd

Links Mentioned:

• Chaplaincy Innovation Lab – https://chaplaincyinnovation.org/
• Templeton Religion Trust – https://templetonreligiontrust.org/

This season of the podcast is sponsored by Templeton Religion Trust.

Support the show

Scott D. Anthony is a globally recognized expert on navigating disruptive change and a passionate optimist about humanity’s capacity to adapt in a constantly evolving world. He is a Clinical Professor of Strategy at Dartmouth’s Tuck School of Business, where he teaches courses on leading disruptive change, horizon scanning, and AI-enabled decision-making.

Scott’s work builds on more than two decades of field research and close mentorship under Clayton Christensen, spent over 20 years at Innosight, and is the author of several influential books, including his latest, Epic Disruptions.

In this second part of our conversation, we talk about:

1. The three clear patterns of disruption
2. What Shiseido’s transformation reveals about balancing heritage and reinvention
3. Models of social generativity
4. Relationship between change and discomfort
5. The invisible “ghosts” that haunt organizations
6. Competing against non-consumption and why “something is better than nothing” drives disruption
7. The systemic dimension of innovation
8. The three shadows of innovation
9. What past disruptions can teach us about governing AI responsibly
10. What disruptive innovation might look like in religious and spiritual communities

To learn more about Scott’s work, you can find him at:

https://www.innosight.com/

Books and resources mentioned:

• Epic Disruptions (by Scott D. Anthony)
• The Innovator’s Dilemma (by Clayton M. Christensen)
• The First Mile (by Scott D. Anthony)

This season of the podcast is sponsored by Templeton Religion Trust.

Support the show

Scott D. Anthony is a globally recognized expert on navigating disruptive change and a passionate optimist about humanity’s capacity to adapt in a constantly evolving world. He is a Clinical Professor of Strategy at Dartmouth’s Tuck School of Business, where he teaches courses on leading disruptive change, horizon scanning, and AI-enabled decision-making.

Scott’s work builds on more than two decades of field research and close mentorship under Clayton Christensen, spent over 20 years at Innosight, and is the author of several influential books, including his latest, Epic Disruptions.

In this first part of our conversation, we discuss:

1. The meaning of innovation: something different that creates value
2. How the meaning of “innovation” shifted from something dangerous to something sacred
3. Scott’s first encounter with Clayton Christensen
4. Clay Christensen’s regret over how the term “disruption” has been misused
5. The four big questions Scott poses about innovation
6. What Gutenberg’s printing press reveals about collective creativity and unintended consequences
7. The predictable and unpredictable nature of innovation
8. Lessons from a failed medical tourism venture on testing real demand

To learn more about Scott’s work, you can find him at:

https://tuck.dartmouth.edu/faculty/faculty-directory/scott-d-anthony

https://www.innosight.com/

Books and resources mentioned:

• Epic Disruptions (by Scott D. Anthony)
• The Innovator’s Dilemma (by Clayton M. Christensen)
• The First Mile (by Scott D. Anthony)

This season of the podcast is sponsored by Templeton Religion Trust.

Support the show