Service Design Show Why We Should Reframe Culture as a Design Challenge / Dan Szuc / Episode #239
Oct 23, 2025
Join Dan Szuc, a seasoned consultant and author, as he delves into the intricate world of workplace culture. He discusses how culture transcends mere company values, stressing that it is rooted in daily actions and experiences. Szuc shares practical techniques like 'practice spotting' and emphasizes the role of leadership in fostering a healthy culture. Discover how to assess and transform organizational environments for meaningful work. Listeners are urged to reflect on their contributions to creating better workplaces.
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Culture Is Lived Moments Not Poster Values
- Culture is the conduct, interactions and relationships between people in moments that matter.
- Measuring culture only by KPIs makes it transactional and degrades its humanity.
Make Culture Explicit With Practice Spotting
- Make culture explicit by moving it from implicit habits into documented practices using practice spotting.
- Distribute responsibility for culture so people stop outsourcing it to others.
Use SPARKLE To Translate Values To Conduct
- Define the desirable conduct you want embodied with a simple mnemonic like SPARKLE (Supportive, Proactive, Adaptable...).
- Let teams adapt those values into concrete practices that fit their context.
