Architect Indy Johar discusses the need for a new paradigm in work culture and design, exploring empathy in leadership, fear in economic systems, and transitions towards a world of care and interdependence. He shares insights on running Dark Matter Labs unconventionally and reconfiguring traditional structures in organizations.
Transitioning towards a deeply democratic society by redefining governance and relationships.
Embracing radical creativity and challenging traditional leadership hierarchies for societal transformation.
Deep dives
Reimagining Society: A Call for Deep Democracy and System Change
In this podcast episode, David Johnston talks to indie Johar, the founding director of 00 and Dark Matter Labs, about the importance of radical creativity and the need for a deeply democratic society. Johar discusses his early experiences as a Sikh, which instilled in him a belief in the equitable capacities of all humans and the need to create a new invitation for everyone to contribute to society. He emphasizes the democratization of building society, whether through the built environment, public spaces, or new institutions. Johar also highlights the challenges of outdated organizational models, which rely on control and command structures, and the need for a new operational theory that recognizes the power and capability of every human being and the importance of creativity. He calls for a transition toward new ways of governing ourselves, embracing our entanglement with nature, and reshaping our relationships with one another and the designed world.
Designing for a Transition: Dark Matter Labs and Structural Transformation
Dark Matter Labs, founded by indie Johar, aims to transition society in response to technological revolution and climate breakdown. Johar explains that behind the visible forms and products in the world, there are institutional economies, logics, and structures that shape our reality. He argues for the need to fundamentally redefine our understanding of governance and our relationship with the world and ourselves. Dark Matter Labs focuses on designing new financial models, legal and technical infrastructure, and new capabilities within organizations to enable this transition. Johar stresses the role of designers in visualizing and making plausible the future we need, while acknowledging the complexity and challenges of operationalizing such a profound transformation.
Leadership in an Interdependent World: Redefining Power and Organizational Models
Indie Johar challenges traditional notions of leadership and emphasizes that everyone in an organization can be a leader in their own context. He advocates for a shift from hierarchical and scarcity-based models to learning and development-focused organizations. Johar discusses Dark Matter Labs' decentralized structure, global collaboration, and the non-traditional pay differentials they employ. He highlights the need for new capabilities, hybridity, and the involvement of diverse disciplines within design studios. Johar underscores the importance of leadership supporting the learning and development of teams, as well as the role of designers as syntheses and creators of plausible and possible futures.
Towards a Future of Care and Coherence: Transcending Fear and Embracing Interdependence
Indie Johar delves into the politics of fear and how it is perpetuated by our economic systems, leading to short-termism, vulnerability exploitation, and the need for emotional goods. He cautions against the uncritical deployment of empathy as a tool and emphasizes the importance of understanding the ethics and morality behind its use. Johar advocates for new ways of organizing and metrics that prioritize care, such as aligning pay structures with human values and learning-focused organization development. He argues for a transition towards an interdependent world, driven by new perspectives, relationship dynamics, and an exploration of our fundamental humanity.
"I think at the centre of it, is a new recognition of who we are as human beings."
In the first episode of series 2, creative studio Accept & Proceed’s founder David Johnston meets with Indy Johar, architect and co-founder of Dark Matter Laboratories.
The duo discuss Sikhism, running Dark Matter Labs, the values and rationale behind running a business in an untraditional way and reconfiguring the ‘normal’ structures that exist within a company.
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