Workflow Friction: The Missing Link in Work Design and AI Transformation | Stephanie Denino

Dec 2, 2025

Stephanie Denino, Head of Advisory at FOUNT Global and Managing Director at TI People, discusses the nuances of workflow friction. She highlights how everyday tasks are impacted by poorly designed processes and shares surprising examples, like call-center workers delaying restroom breaks. By redefining how we view workflows, she emphasizes the role of HR in workflow design, the importance of language in shaping perceptions, and the challenges AI introduces in optimizing work. Tune in for insights on creating smoother, more efficient work experiences!

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INSIGHT

Friction Drains Energy And Capacity

Workflow friction forces people to expend unnecessary energy and creates feelings like frustration and disrespect.
Stephanie Denino says reducing friction unlocks capacity and makes work easier, better, and faster.

ANECDOTE

Call Center Workers Couldn't Take Breaks

In a healthcare call center, many workers felt they couldn't take bathroom breaks during shifts.
Stephanie Denino uses this story to show how pervasive and disrespectful some friction can be.

INSIGHT

Two Distinct Workflow Lenses

Denino distinguishes central services workflows (HR, IT, procurement) from role-specific workflows (nursing, development).
Both require different ownership and interventions to identify and remove friction.

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Friction is part of every workplace. It shows up in the meetings that don’t need to happen, the unclear steps, and the small barriers that make work harder than it has to be. It’s a cost we’ve come to accept, but it doesn’t need to stay that way. When we look more closely, we start to see the real experience of work where people get stuck, where energy drains away, and where better design could help them thrive. In this episode, Dart and Stephanie Denino discuss what friction really means, how language shapes the way we think about work, and why AI is putting new pressure on workflow design.

Stephanie Denino is Head of Advisory at FOUNT Global and a Managing Director at TI People. She helps leaders understand friction in workflows and redesign work so people can get things done with less effort.

In this episode, Dart and Stephanie discuss:
- Why friction is “the tax you pay when work is poorly designed”
- How workers describe friction in their day-to-day tasks
- Why focusing on workflow changes how leaders see problems
- The two types of workflows inside organizations
- How language shapes the way leaders talk about work
- Why HR is becoming central to workflow design with AI
- What friction reveals about customer outcomes and capacity
- How process diagrams mask the lived experience of work
- How product thinking improves workflow design
- And other topics…

Stephanie Denino is the Head of Advisory at FOUNT Global and a Managing Director at TI People, where she helps organizations identify and reduce friction in employee workflows using data and design. Before joining TI People, she spent more than a decade at Accenture in experience design and talent transformation roles. Her work centers on improving how people get work done through better systems, clearer processes, and intentional practices.

Resources:
FOUNT Global: https://www.fount-ex.com/

Connect with Stephanie:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephaniedenino/

Work with Dart:
Dart is the CEO and co-founder of the work design firm 11fold. Build work that makes employees feel alive, connected to their work, and focused on what’s most important to the business. Book a call at 11fold.com.