Steelcase 360: Real Time

We’ve all been told at some point in our lives that hard work is the key to success. But author Alex Soojung-Kim Pang is out to dispel this myth. He says you can actually get more done and experience more “Aha!” moments if you rest and relax more often. Alex has spent the past 20 years studying people, the future of technology and its impact on work. He is a former Microsoft research fellow and professional futurist with a PhD in the history of science as well as a visiting scholar at Stanford and Oxford. He’s the author of four books including; The Distraction Addiction, Rest: Why You Get More Done When You Work Less, Shorter: How Working Less Will Revolutionize the Way Your Company Gets Things Done and, most recently, Work Less Do More: Designing the Four Day Week. When Alex talks about rest, he isn’t just focusing on sleep. He defines rest more broadly and is championing the idea that we can actually be more productive by doing less. He offers some advice for those of us addicted to the badge of busyne

Spaces communicate a lot about how you are supposed to behave. In a library, everything about the lighting and the furniture tells you to be quiet and contemplative. Or a conference room indicates where to sit and where to look. Dr. Upali Nanda has done a lot of work around the intersection of architecture and neuroscience. And she’s figuring out how to create workplaces designed to make our brains healthier. We first caught up with Upali in New York where she presented her team’s work at the United Nations General Assembly's "Brain Capital Alliance" summit hosted in the Steelcase New York City WorkLife. She is Global Practice Director of Research and a Partner at HKS, and executive director of the Center for Advanced Design Research and Evaluation which is a non-profit founded by HKS. She also teaches at the University Michigan in the school of architecture and urban planning. She has extensive experience leading research projects in design practice, focusing on the impact of design on human health and

Why do we work? It’s a simple enough question but the answer might surprise you. According to professor Barry Schwartz, it’s not just about a paycheck — which is what we’ve all been long led to believe. The fact is many people with good incomes are disengaged and unhappy at work. So what’s the problem? Barry’s research uncovers why people are unsatisfied and what factors can make us happier at work. Barry Schwartz is an Emeritus Professor at Swarthmore and a Visiting Professor at the Haas School of Business, U.C. Berkeley. He’s the author of several books including Why We Work, The Paradox of Choice and Practical Wisdom. He has also given four TED TALKS - seen by more than 25 million people. Barry’s research in his book Why We Work gets at the heart of why so many people are dissatisfied with their work today. He lays out a passionate argument about why the way society thinks about work is broken. And he has some ideas about what we can do differently to fix our approach to work and the workplace. Additio

Look around you. Is there anything nearby that makes you smile? Our guest today argues there is a distinct connection between our surroundings, our wellbeing and our mental health. She even suggests there is time we can find joy in our physical environment even if we’re not feeling happy. Ingrid Fetell Lee is the author of Joyful: The Surprising Power of Ordinary Things to Create Extraordinary Happiness, and the founder of the website The Aesthetics of Joy. She empowers people to find more joy in life and work through design. Her popular TED talk “Where Joy Hides and How to Find it” has been viewed more than 17 million times. During our conversation, Ingrid explains the difference between joy and happiness which includes why moments of joy are actually more attainable than you may think. She also helps us understand how even small changes to our workplace can make a significant difference in how we feel. Additional resources: - Learn more about Ingrid Fetell Lee’s research and books at https://aestheti

Have you ever been in a job that just sucks the joy out of your work? On the flip side, have you had a job that leaves you feeling energized and full of life? Or more likely — it’s a mix. The concept of joy and work can feel like an oxymoron sometimes — but does it have to? Adding joy into work is more important than ever because research shows the lack of joy is literally making people sick. Scott Sonenshein co-wrote Joy at Work: Organizing Your Professional Life alongside organization queen Marie Kondo. You may remember her from her Netflix show Sparking Joy. Scott is a Professor of Management at Rice University. He also wrote Stretch: Unlock the Power of Less -and Achieve More Than You Ever Imagined. During our conversation, Scott helps us apply lessons around joy to our work such as how we need to purge things from our lives that don’t spark joy. He explains why we need to tap into intrinsic motivators instead of free snacks or ping-pong tables. And he shares why leaders play a critical role creating

More than 65% of people feel no sense of community at work — and that was before the pandemic. Christine Porath studied data from 20,000 employees and after discovering the lack of community, she set out to change it. Christine wrote “Mastering Community: The Surprising ways coming together moves us from surviving to thriving.” She also wrote "Mastering Civility”. She’s a frequent contributor to the Harvard Business Review, and has written for New York Times, Wall Street Journal and McKinsey Quarterly. She’s worked with organizations like Google, the United Nations, Microsoft, and Ford. Right now, she is a visiting professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill's Business School. She makes a compelling argument with data and powerful stories for creating community in the workplace. She has connected the concept of community to engagement, retention and whether someone feels like they are thriving in their job. She also shares how her work on civility led to her most recent research on community

The University of Glasgow is the fourth oldest university in the English speaking world. It opened in 1451 and parts of campus might remind you of Hogwarts in the Harry Potter movies. Yet, in many ways, it is leading the way in higher education. In 2014, the university became the first academic institution in Europe to divest from the fossil fuel industry. And its strategy to create more accessible and inclusive education is changing lives. So how is this university that’s more than 500 years old leading the way in higher learning? Moira Fischbacher-Smith is Vice Principal of Learning and Teaching at the University of Glasgow. Her focus is on transforming how learning happens. She’s been at the university since 1995 and took the vice principal role in 2019. She is also an LGBTQ+ champion at the university and she thinks really deeply about the impact higher education can make in people’s lives and in our global community.. She’s also pretty pragmatic and has some good advice for how to bring pedagogy, tec

Do you hate meetings? Those 30 or 60 minute blocks of time that chew up your day can be frustrating. Some companies have gone so far as to try eliminating meetings completely. But sometimes those meetings make a valuable impact on your work. So we’re asking: When do meetings do more harm than good? Benjamin Laker is a Professor of Leadership at Henley Business School and since the pandemic has led research around the effectiveness of meetings and meeting-free work days. Benjamin studies the societal impact of leadership and is the author of Too Proud to Lead and Closing the Service Gap. We talked to Benjamin about his research on meetings, the four-day work week and his ideas about how to reframe the way we think about the workplace when most meetings are now hybrid. Additional resources: Learn more about Benjamin Laker’s research at Henley Business School https://www.henley.ac.uk/people/professor-benjamin-laker Read Benjamin Laker’s articles in Forbes https://www.forbes.com/sites/benjaminlaker/?sh=69e287

What does it mean when you buy a carbon neutral product? Sheri Hickok, CEO of Climate Impact Partners, helps us understand what makes something carbon neutral and, in the process, busts some myths about carbon offsets. She simplifies complicated concepts like how to measure carbon and why supporting projects that slow climate change is a necessary part of an organization’s overall carbon strategy. Sheri is a World Economic Forum Young Global Leader and joined Climate Impact Partners from GE Renewable Energy, where she was VP and CEO of the international onshore wind business. She brings lessons from the automotive industry and energy sector to her team’s work helping organizations around the world slow climate change and deliver social impact. We asked Sheri questions a lot of people are asking: Does this work really make a difference? Why should organizations support projects like this instead of going all in on reducing their own carbon emissions? Sheri shares how her team’s work fits into bigger pict

Many MBA students are taught that businesses should be created to fill a market gap. Poonam Bir Kasturi, founder of the home composting company the Daily Dump, believes in the power of business as a force for good. And she says the MBA-way is not the only way. A diversity of business models is important. She even calls her own style a little foolish. The Daily Dump designs, makes and distributes beautiful home composting products in India. Daily Dump’s purpose is to reduce waste and reduce the pressure on public waste management systems. Poonam was a TED fellow at TED India. She received the Social Entrepreneur of the Year Award from the Schwab Foundation of the World Economic Forum and a Smart Cities India Award. Her outlook on business opens up a new way to think about work and the role our companies play in doing more for the wellbeing of people and our planet. Additional resources: Learn more about the Daily Dump at https://www.dailydump.org/ Read insights about how to create more inclusive workplac

Lots of organizations make commitments around sustainability today — which is a good thing. But some are making more progress, much faster than others. So what separates the leaders from the laggards? Kara Pecknold has some ideas. She is Vice President of Regenerative Design at frog. She consults with organizations around the world to help them develop circular products, services and business models. Some people refer to her as a Swiss army knife because of how she must tap into so many skills as a designer, researcher and leader in sustainability. She explains how work she did in Rwanda led her down this path of regenerative design. She helps us understand the meaning of regenerative design and she gives us real-life examples of how companies are making an impact right now by redesigning how they do business. Additional resources: Learn more about Kara Pecknold https://www.frog.co/authors/kara-pecknold A game to apply play for solving tough sustainability challenges: http://cardsforsustainability.frog

Over the past 100 years, the office has been integral to how work gets done. It has shaped cities, cultures and how many of us, individually, behave. But the pandemic triggered a complete re-evaluation of the workplace. Jeremy Myerson says it’s time to relearn old habits and rituals and start thinking a little more like Walt Disney when we design offices in the future. Jeremy is a researcher, author and activist in workplace design and innovation. He is a director at WORKTECH Academy. If you aren’t familiar with WORKTECH, it is a global, online knowledge platform and member network that explores the future of work and workplace. He is a Visiting Fellow at the University of Oxford and Professor Emeritus in design at the Royal College of Art. He’s also published several books on workplace design including his latest, “Unworking: The Reinvention of the Modern Office.” When we think about the impact the workplace has on people, we have to consider how to create better experiences for workers. Modern office de

Caroline Casey spent a good part of her life hiding her true self. When she finally opened up to the world, amazing things happened. Her story starts when she was inspired by the Disney movie The Jungle Book. Later, she found herself on elephant-back in India which helped her kickstart an inclusion revolution in the workplace. Caroline is an Irish activist and management consultant that just so happens to be legally blind. She leads the Valuable 500 — which Steelcase is proud to be a part of. The Valuable 500 is a partnership of 500 of the most influential organizations in the world that have made a commitment to work to end disability exclusion. Caroline is bringing disability inclusion to the forefront of the diversity, equity, and inclusion in the workplace initiative. Learn how Caroline’s commitment to audacious inclusion is changing the ways people work. And hear her insights into what to do to design more inclusive workplaces (https://www.steelcase.com/research/articles/topics/design/ideas-designing-

Leadership is complicated today. Managers are under pressure to deliver business results and create relationships with employees guided by empathy. This episode, we’re learning lessons from Google’s former head of People Operations about how the relationships between leaders and employees can improve one nudge at a time. Laszlo Bock is co-founder and on the Board of Directors at Humu, a company designed to help managers create better routines and habits at scale. He previously led Google’s People Operations where he was responsible for attracting, developing and retaining “Googlers.” He’s the author of “Work Rules! Insights from Inside Google That Will Transform How You Live and Lead”. Laszlo gives us the inside track on Humu’s research into hybrid work and helps us with tips on how to go from insight to action. After hearing from Laszlo, we’ll be joined by Isabel Medellin who focuses on talent attraction and retention, along with leading DEI efforts at Steelcase. She also works with Humu to develop leader

Gen Z is on the cusp of being nearly 30% of the workforce. Today we’re talking about the power and possibility of the youngest generation at work. This is not a conversation about what’s right and what’s wrong with Gen Z. It’s about understanding – so we can all work better together. We are joined by Dr. Jean Twenge. Jean has spent her entire academic career – 30 years – studying generational differences. She is professor of psychology at San Diego State University and has authored more than 180 scientific publications and books. Her most recent book which just came out is called “generations.” In many ways, this book is her magnum opus. Its analysis is derived from 21 huge datasets that go back to the 1940s and are as recent as this year, spanning some 38 million people. Jean is also the author of iGen and Generation Me. After we hear from Jean, we’ll be joined by Keith Bujak who is a researcher at Steelcase and recently led work on Gen Z in the workplace. Additional resources: - Be part of our commun

When the pandemic sent everyone home, many teachers and students struggled. And according to Anya Kamenetz, one of the biggest reasons is because learning is a social event. This episode of Work Better, we’re focused on the work happening in our classrooms. We’ll talk about how online and hybrid learning are impacting kids and teachers. Plus, share some inspiring success stories. Anya speaks, writes, and thinks about how children learn, grow and thrive on a changing planet. She covered education for many years including for NPR, where she co-created the podcast Life Kit: Parenting. Her newest book is The Stolen Year: How Covid Changed Children’s Lives, And Where We Go Now. Before the pandemic, she wrote the book DIY U: Edupunks, Edupreneurs and the Coming Transformation of Higher Education. She also is currently an advisor to the Aspen Institute and a Co:Generate fellow working on a new initiative to end climate silence in children’s media. Stick around after we hear from Anya because Andrew Kim, director

We’re all trying to influence how people behave, according to Dr. Marcus Collins, whether it’s what people buy, how they interact with one another or how they work. Marcus calls culture the biggest cheat code ever to influence human behavior. His work as an engineer, music maker and advertising guru with cultural influencers like Beyonce and Apple have put him on a path to become a leader in understanding how to harness the power of culture within organizations. His stories from the world of pop and tech will change how you see culture in the workplace. Marcus now works as head of strategy at Wieden+Kennedy in New York and teaches at the Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan. He’s also the author of the new book For the Culture. After our interview with Marcus, Robin Rosebrugh will join us. Robin is a workplace researcher who works with Steelcase as an architecture and design manager. She’s also one of the most well-read people you’ll ever meet. Robin will talk to us about how the places we

Who doesn’t want to be happier at work? Jenn Lim has dedicated her life to bringing more joy into the workplace. Jenn is founder and author of Beyond Happiness. She is also CEO of Delivering Happiness which is a company she founded with Tony Hsieh, the late CEO of Zappos. In her book, she shares her “Greenhouse Model” for the workplace – it’s an idea she says leads to growth, purpose and business success. After our conversation with Jenn, hear from Cherie Johnson – director of global design at Steelcase about how design can help us create happier places at work. 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) - Learn more about Jenn Lim and her book Beyond Happiness at https://jennlim.com/ - Learn more about Jenn’s company Delivering Happiness at https://www.deliveringhappiness.com/ Work Better podcast is hosted by C

You are more likely to stay at your job if you have a best friend at work. You are also more likely to learn from a peer at work than your boss. Relationships in the workplace are really important. But as work changes, our relationships are changing too. Robin Dunbar, one of the world’s leading experts on friendship, will help us explore how relationships are changing in the era of hybrid work and what we need to know to make work more enjoyable. Robin is an anthropologist and evolutionary psychologist who specializes in human behavior at the University of Oxford. His most recent book is called Friends: Understanding the Power of Our Most Important Relationships. He’s famous for something called the Dunbar Number – which is how many relationships our brains can manage. After our conversation with Robin, hear from Dr. Tracy Brower, vice president of workplace insights at Steelcase. She will help us understand how the workplace can help support some of the ideas Robin has about building and maintaining rela

If you’re like most of us these days, a pension is not in the cards. Today’s guest says not to worry – Heather McGowan has a different idea about how to have a great future at work. Heather is a future-of-work strategist and author. Her new book called “The Empathy Advantage: Leading the Empowered Workforce” was just released. Heather says there are five elements that make up what she calls the “Great Reset”. She shares those with us – along with why she says “learning is the new pension.” After our conversation with Heather, Noga Lasser will join us. Noga is director of design at Steelcase and will help us connect Heather’s ideas to designing a better workplace. 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) - Learn more about Heather McGowan and her new book https://heathermcgowan.com/ Work Better podcast is host