Work For Humans

Farouk Dey, a higher-education leader and life-design advocate, talks about transforming student experiences at universities. He emphasizes the need for curiosity-driven exploration over rigid career paths. Farouk shares insights on the Imagine Center, which fosters integrated learning, and explains how economic shifts demand a rethink of career services. He advocates for experiential learning and making life design a priority, urging institutions to focus on developing minds rather than just careers, ultimately helping students construct their own passions.

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!

In this engaging conversation, Bill Burnett, an award-winning designer and director at Stanford's Life Design Lab, shares insights on using design principles for a fulfilling career. He discusses the importance of curiosity, reframing problems, and avoiding the sunk-cost fallacy. Bill emphasizes the need for a design mindset rather than rigid planning, advocating for small wins and enjoying the present. He also offers management advice on hiring adaptable employees and suggests rethinking work-life balance with a holistic dashboard approach.

Melanie Rosenwasser, Chief People Officer at Dropbox, discusses the company's revolutionary Virtual First model. She reveals how Dropbox combined design thinking with HR to enhance remote work. Topics include redefining productivity, the significance of treating employees as customers, and the role of intentional gatherings. Melanie also shares insights on building trust through clear goals and performance systems, along with how to embrace iteration in workplace practices. She emphasizes the need for empathy and adaptability in a rapidly changing work environment.

Stacy Barton, an experienced immersive experience designer with over 37 years in the industry, shares her insights on creativity under pressure and the transformative power of storytelling. She discusses how constraints can ignite innovation and the importance of the audience as the centerpiece of design. Barton's unique strategies for engaging customers and fostering team dynamics highlight the role of appreciation and emotional connection in the workplace. Tune in for her valuable tips on crafting immersive experiences that resonate in both business and entertainment.

Elizabeth Tippett, an employment law scholar from the University of Oregon, delves into the lingering impact of the Master Servant Doctrine on today’s work environment. They dissect how feudal ideas of control and obligation persist, influencing at-will employment and HR policies. Elizabeth highlights the historical roots of these concepts, the moral legacy intertwined with labor law, and how employer-provided benefits create dependency. They also discuss the necessity for a modern social contract to reshape labor relations for the better.

Dave Norton, founder of Stone Mantel, shares his insights on the evolution of experience design. He emphasizes that effective design focuses on how people spend their time, revealing that context trumps personality in shaping experiences. Norton discusses his work with Royal Caribbean, illustrating how design can create meaningful moments. He introduces the concept of 'time value' and how AI might scale transformational designs. Plus, he highlights the need for discomfort in transformation and the power of modularity in supporting user agency.

Dmitri Glazkov, Strategy Lead at Google Labs and creator of the Breadboard project, dives into how AI tools can enhance creativity. He explains how Breadboard and Opal allow users to build systems that think alongside them. The conversation highlights the significance of capturing tacit knowledge through AI and the contrasting growth strategies of 'dandelions' and 'elephants'. Dmitri also discusses 'lensical thinking', which embraces diverse perspectives for innovation, and emphasizes the need for uniqueness in an increasingly automated world.

Most companies chase growth by selling more things to more people, faster. Mark Adams has spent nearly 40 years proving there is another way. As Director of Vitsœ, he runs the company with one mission: to help people live better with less that lasts longer. In this episode, Dart talks to Mark about why Vitsœ resists conventional business rules, how it builds longevity and trust into everything it makes, and what it means to design a company that could outlive its founders.Mark Adams has led Vitsœ, the British furniture company known for its long partnership with Dieter Rams, since 1985. He has shaped it into a quiet revolution against planned obsolescence and short-term thinking. Rejecting titles, hierarchies, and corporate clichés, he has built a company where design, culture, and ethics operate as one system, showing that a business guided by principles rather than profit can thrive for generations.In this episode, Dart and Mark discuss:- Why Vitsœ rejects CEOs, boards, and traditional hierarchies- How longevity gets built into culture- Why Vitsœ recruits for character before skill- Why Vitsœ’s customers keep coming back- Raising over £8 million directly from customers- What “love” in customer emails really means- How Dieter Rams’ design philosophy guides Vitsœ’s decisions- Why design is really about systems, not things- What it takes to build a company designed to last- And other topics…Mark Adams is the Director of Vitsœ, the British design company best known for its long partnership with Dieter Rams and its modular furniture that grows with people’s lives. After encountering the 606 shelving system in 1985, Mark established Vitsœ UK in 1986 to bring Rams’s designs to a wider audience. He later succeeded Niels Vitsœ as Managing Director in 1993 and has led the company ever since with a quiet but radical vision: to build a business grounded in longevity, sufficiency, and trust. Mark believes companies should exist to help people live better with less, and he has spent nearly four decades proving that principle through every part of Vitsœ’s work, from design to manufacturing to culture.Resources Mentioned:Vitsœ: https://www.vitsoe.com/usGood to Great, by Jim Collins: https://www.amazon.com/Good-Great-Some-Companies-Others/dp/0066620996Built to Last, by Jim Collins and Jerry I. Porras: https://www.amazon.com/Built-Last-Successful-Visionary-Essentials/dp/0060516402Connect with Mark:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markekadams/ 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.

Matthew Gasda, a playwright and founder of the Brooklyn Center for Theater Research, teams up with Isobel McCrum, a language scientist from Microsoft, to explore the intriguing intersection of AI and art. They dive into how AI served as a dramaturg for Gazda's play, Doomers, sparking audience debates about machine-made creativity. The duo discusses the limits of AI in capturing human depth, the implications of Borges' concepts on authorship, and the evolution of theater in a tech-driven world. Can art retain its essence when machines join the creative process?