Work Better
Steelcase
Welcome to Work Better, the podcast where we think about work and ways to make it better.
Four overarching macro shifts are fundamentally changing work and will continue to alter the landscape for years to come. Some of these shifts have been building for years, while others seem to have happened all at once. It’s the magnitude of the change, along with the pace, that is uncharted territory. First, we’re living on screen. We’re spending more time collaborating on-screen than in-person. We have more meetings than ever and most people stay at their desk for video calls instead of going to a room to connect in person. No wonder people are feeling more lonely and isolated.
We’re in the middle of an AI supercycle – a period of dramatic growth and change. People are learning how to make AI their new co-workers. It’s changing jobs and the skills we need at a dizzying pace. Sometimes that pace can be overwhelming.
Meanwhile, the number of companies setting serious carbon reduction targets jumped 102% in one year. There’s a whole new mindset about sustainability. New types of jobs are being created, roles are changing, and people need new skills—essentially a culture change. It’s all good, but it’s a lot.
Another big shift is mental health, which is on everyone’s minds. For employers it’s even more top of mind than physical health. Gen Z is coming into the workforce with higher levels of anxiety and people of all ages feel like their work-life balance is getting worse.
With all the change around us, we need workplaces to be more like thriving communities. Because communities are both places and relationships. We need places that help us build connection, trust and a sense of shared purpose. By understanding how these shifts change behavior, we can create more resilient workplaces that build community and help people perform and feel better.
This season on Work Better, we’re sharing ideas about how work is changing and why we need community more than ever. Help us spread these ideas by sharing an episode with a friend or a colleague.
Work Better is brought to you by Steelcase, a global design and thought leader in the world of work. We help people do their best work by creating places that work better. Stay-up-to-date on design, insights and research to help people work better at steelcase.com/subscribe.
Four overarching macro shifts are fundamentally changing work and will continue to alter the landscape for years to come. Some of these shifts have been building for years, while others seem to have happened all at once. It’s the magnitude of the change, along with the pace, that is uncharted territory. First, we’re living on screen. We’re spending more time collaborating on-screen than in-person. We have more meetings than ever and most people stay at their desk for video calls instead of going to a room to connect in person. No wonder people are feeling more lonely and isolated.
We’re in the middle of an AI supercycle – a period of dramatic growth and change. People are learning how to make AI their new co-workers. It’s changing jobs and the skills we need at a dizzying pace. Sometimes that pace can be overwhelming.
Meanwhile, the number of companies setting serious carbon reduction targets jumped 102% in one year. There’s a whole new mindset about sustainability. New types of jobs are being created, roles are changing, and people need new skills—essentially a culture change. It’s all good, but it’s a lot.
Another big shift is mental health, which is on everyone’s minds. For employers it’s even more top of mind than physical health. Gen Z is coming into the workforce with higher levels of anxiety and people of all ages feel like their work-life balance is getting worse.
With all the change around us, we need workplaces to be more like thriving communities. Because communities are both places and relationships. We need places that help us build connection, trust and a sense of shared purpose. By understanding how these shifts change behavior, we can create more resilient workplaces that build community and help people perform and feel better.
This season on Work Better, we’re sharing ideas about how work is changing and why we need community more than ever. Help us spread these ideas by sharing an episode with a friend or a colleague.
Work Better is brought to you by Steelcase, a global design and thought leader in the world of work. We help people do their best work by creating places that work better. Stay-up-to-date on design, insights and research to help people work better at steelcase.com/subscribe.
Episodes
Mentioned books
Nov 1, 2022 • 34min
Groupiness at Work with Annie Murphy Paul (S1:E3)
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.
Oct 25, 2022 • 5min
A New Vision for the Workplace (S1:E1)
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.
Oct 25, 2022 • 33min
Neuroscience of Community with David Rock (S1:E2)
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.
Feb 26, 2020 • 22min
Why We Need Joy at Work
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.
Aug 5, 2019 • 23min
Hack Your Brain
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.
May 30, 2019 • 33min
Simon Sinek: Playing an Infinite Game
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.
May 15, 2019 • 22min
Designing Healthcare Solutions for the Real World
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.
Feb 28, 2019 • 18min
Why Educators Are Better Together
Micro schools, team taught classes, design thinking practices. In this episode, why it’s so crucial for educators to learn from each other. Tom Vander Ark, CEO of Getting Smart and author of Better Together, joins Steelcase WorkSpace Futures researchers Aileen Strickland-McGee and Gabby Scarritt for a discussion centered around the power of networking in education.
Nov 19, 2018 • 30min
How Beth Comstock Survived the ‘F’ Word in Business
Beth Comstock, former GE Vice Chair and CMO, tells us how to thrive in the midst of failure, the “F” word in business. The self-described “changemaker in chief” shares stories from her book Imagine It Forward, how she gets her crazy ideas and what trends she’s watching right now.
Nov 8, 2018 • 28min
The Business Value of Joy
Who do you serve and what does delight look like for them? Listen in to Menlo Innovations CEO and co-founder, Richard Sheridan, as he explains how these questions have helped his team create an agile work environment filled with joy.
