Work Better

Business leaders have been trying to crack the code on innovation since the beginning of time. But, Dr. Simone Ahuja has a new take on innovation. She says it’s not just about filling an unmet need in the market or solving a previously unsolvable problem. She says innovation is a recipe for engaging and retaining talent. Plus, she shares strategies for building microcultures of innovation in every organization. Simone is CEO of global innovation strategy firm Blood Orange. She’s a best-selling author. Her latest book is Disrupt-It-Yourself. She’s also the co-developer of Jugaad Innovation, a frugal and flexible innovation strategy. She’ll share the research she conducted in India that inspired Jugaad Innovation. After we talk to Simone, we will be joined by Amber Mathews, Steelcase director of Workspace Futures research in Asia and Europe. She’s spent a lot of time studying innovation within companies and how to support innovative teams. Additional resources: Connect with Simone Ahuja on her website (https://simoneahuja.com/action-plan/) and receive her worksheet Get the latest workplace design, insights and research: www.steelcase.com/subscribe Work Better podcast is hosted by Chris Congdon. Produced by Rebecca Charbauski. Creative art direction by Erin Ellison and Emily Cowdrey. Technical support by Mark Caswell and Jose Jimenez. Digital publishing by Areli Arellano and Jordan Marks. Editing and sound mixing by SoundPost Studios.

Can a robot take your job? Kevin Roose, New York Times technology writer and author of Futureproof, shares his take on how we can bring more of our humanity to work to avoid being replaced by AI. Plus, he lets us in on how a small bookstore in Oakland, California managed to thrive despite all the market forces working against it. It’s a story with a valuable lesson in why creating community at work can benefit people and business. Kevin writes and speaks regularly on many topics including automation and AI, social media, disinformation and digital wellness. His book Futureproof shines a light on how humanity is connected to the workplace. In addition to Kevin, Michael Held, Steelcase vice president of global design joins us. He wrote Will Creative AI Make Designers Redundant? He is the perfect person to help us connect Kevin’s ideas to a better workplace. Additional resources: Learn more about Kevin Roose and his book Futureproof at https://www.kevinroose.com/ Sorry, But Working From Home Is Overrated by Kevin Roose (https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/10/technology/working-from-home.html) Welcome to the Yolo Economy by Kevin Roose (https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/21/technology/welcome-to-the-yolo-economy.html) TED Talk with Kevin Roose, The Value of Humanity in an Automated Future (https://www.ted.com/talks/kevin_roose_the_value_of_your_humanity_in_an_automated_future?language=en) Will Creative AI Make Designers Redundant? By Michael Held (https://www.steelcase.com/asia-en/research/articles/topics/creativity/will-creative-ai-make-designers-redundant/) Get the latest workplace design, insights and research: www.steelcase.com/subscribe Work Better podcast is hosted by Chris Congdon. Produced by Rebecca Charbauski. Creative art direction by Erin Ellison and Emily Cowdrey. Technical support by Mark Caswell and Jose Jimenez. Digital publishing by Areli Arellano and Jordan Marks. Editing and sound mixing by SoundPost Studios.

What’s the real impact of community? NYU professor and author Eric Klinenberg’s research about a deadly heat wave in Chicago is a powerful example of just how important community is to humanity’s resilience. Eric joins us to share what he’s identified about the importance of “social infrastructure” like libraries and parks — something he says is just as important as physical infrastructure like roads and bridges. His work is foundational to how we have been re-envisioning the workplace to be more like some of the best neighborhoods and communities where we live. Eric helps us connect what he’s learned about great communities to ideas for a better workplace. Eric is a professor of social science and director of the institute for public knowledge at NYU. He’s the author of Palaces for the People: How Social Infrastructure Can Help Fight Inequality, Polarization, and the Decline of Civic Life. He’s written a number of other books as well including Going Solo: The Extraordinary Rise and Surprising Appeal of Living Alone and Heat Wave: A Social Autopsy of Disaster in Chicago. He’s been published in scholarly journals and contributed to The New Yorker, The New York Times Magazine, Rolling Stone, and This American Life. Following our conversation with Eric, we’re joined by Susana Cantu, architect and designer at Steelcase who focuses on reimagining spaces to support how work is changing. She helps connect Eric’s research and insights to the way workplaces need to be designed differently. Additional resources: Eric Klinenberg’s website and books: https://www.ericklinenberg.com/ The Atlantic: Worry Less About Crumbling Roads and More About Crumbling Libraries (https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2018/09/worry-less-about-crumbling-roads-more-about-crumbling-libraries/570721/) NYU Keynote Address by Eric Klinenberg https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zzJd0HKKTsM&t=102s Work Better Article: The New Hybrid Neighborhood https://www.steelcase.com/research/articles/topics/culture-talent/new-hybrid-neighborhood/ Get the latest workplace design, insights and research: www.steelcase.com/subscribe Work Better podcast is hosted by Chris Congdon. Produced by Rebecca Charbauski. Creative art direction by Erin Ellison and Emily Cowdrey. Technical support by Mark Caswell and Jose Jimenez. Digital publishing by Areli Arellano and Jordan Marks. Editing and sound mixing by SoundPost Studios.

We’re busting myths about how the brain works with guest Annie Murphy Paul, author of The Extended Mind: The Power of Thinking Outside the Brain. Annie shares her research into how “context sensitive” our brain actually is and why our environment matters so much when it comes to how we think and work. Plus, she shares how we need to rethink the way we create groupiness (a real scientific term) at work in the hybrid era. Annie is an acclaimed science writer who's also had work in The New York Times Magazine and Scientific American, among other publications.Her TED talk about how we learn before we're even born has been viewed nearly 3 million times. But in this episode, we’re talking about thinking and learning as grown ups at work. Following our conversation with Annie, we’re joined by Steelcase workplace researchers Patricia Kammer and Patricia Wang to connect Annie’s scientific study of the brain with the workplace today and work they’ve done this year to study hybrid workers. Additional resources: Annie Murphy Paul’s work and book The Extended Mind (https://anniemurphypaul.com/) Annie’s TED Talk, What We Learn Before We Are Born (https://www.ted.com/talks/annie_murphy_paul_what_we_learn_before_we_re_born?language=en) Hybrid worker research https://www.steelcase.com/NewHybridNeeds Get the latest workplace design, insights and research: www.steelcase.com/subscribe Work Better podcast is hosted by Chris Congdon. Produced by Rebecca Charbauski. Creative art direction by Erin Ellison and Emily Cowdrey. Technical support by Mark Caswell and Jose Jimenez. Digital publishing by Areli Arellano and Jordan Marks. Editing and sound mixing by SoundPost Studios.

Welcome to Work Better, the podcast where we think about work and ways to make it better. The rules of work are being rewritten and we’re all trying to figure it out. Host and editor in chief of Work Better magazine, Chris Congdon, introduces our first series, setting up seven weekly conversations with leading thinkers, authors, designers, and researchers whose ideas and insights can help us make sense of what’s happening and navigate the massive change around us. We’re going to talk about returning to the office, hybrid work, quiet quitting, the “Great Resignation” and so much more. Everything we’re learning points us to the need for a new vision for work and the workplace. We’re exploring how our workplaces can be more like a great community. (Read transcript: https://www.steelcase.com/research/articles/a-new-vision-for-the-workplace-transcript/) We hope you’ll join us and be part of our community at steelcase.com/subscribe. Work Better podcast is hosted by Chris Congdon. Produced by Rebecca Charbauski. Creative art direction by Erin Ellison and Emily Cowdrey. Technical support by Mark Caswell and Jose Jimenez. Digital publishing by Areli Arellano and Jordan Marks. Editing and sound mixing by SoundPost Studios.

How does a sense of community impact the brain? David Rock, CEO and co-founder of the NeuroLeadership Institute, explains that when we don’t feel part of a group, our brains actually perceive that as danger. He joins us to talk about leadership and how we can create a greater sense of community in today’s era of hybrid work. We’ll cover return to office, quiet quitting and new skills hybrid leaders need to be successful. David coined the term “neuroleadership” nearly 25 years ago. He’s spent a lot of time studying Your Brain at Work, which is also the name of one of four books he’s written. The NeuroLeadership Institute brings neuroscientists and leadership experts together using a science-based approach to advise organizations on how to build new leadership skills and capabilities. At the end of the conversation with David, sociologist and Steelcase vice president workplace insights, Dr. Tracy Brower, joins us to talk about the insights David shared and connect them back to ways to make work better. Additional resources: - Be part of our community at steelcase.com/subscribe. Get the latest workplace design, insights and research sent to your inbox. - You can find transcripts at www.steelcase.com/podcasts (Read today’s transcript: https://www.steelcase.com/research/articles/neuroscience-of-community-with-david-rock-transcript/) - Connect to the NeuroLeadership Institute (https://neuroleadership.com/) - Your Brain at Work book (https://neuroleadership.com/your-brain-at-work/) - The Secrets to Happiness at Work by Dr. Tracy Brower (https://tracybrower.com/bring-work-to-life/) Work Better podcast is hosted by Chris Congdon. Produced by Rebecca Charbauski. Creative art direction by Erin Ellison and Emily Cowdrey. Technical support by Mark Caswell and Jose Jimenez. Digital publishing by Areli Arellano and Jordan Marks. Editing and sound mixing by SoundPost Studios.

Ingrid Fetell Lee, author of Joyful: The Surprising Power of Ordinary Things to Create Extraordinary Happiness, says it’s a huge misconception that joy and work are separate. She shares her radical theory — that a few simple changes to the work environment can make a dramatic difference in how people feel and perform.

Dr. Jack Lewis, brain scientist and author of Sort Your Brain Out, translates neuroscience for everyday people. He spoke with 360’s Serena Borghero in Munich about powerful tips he’s collected over the course of 20 years to help our brains perform at their best.

Simon Sinek, bestselling author of “Start with Why,” challenges conventional business norms in his new book “The Infinite Game.” Hear why he says we’re all unwitting players, we shouldn’t focus on our competition and what so many leaders get wrong.

Kim Erwin and Jerry Krishnan, co-directors for the Institute for Healthcare Delivery Design at the University of Illinois Chicago, share how design is returning healthcare to its roots—helping patients, families and clinicians do the right thing.