WorkMatters

In this episode of Work Matters, Thomas and his guest Rami Goldratt explore the theory of constraints, its applications, and its impact on organizations. Rami currently serves as CEO of Goldratt Consulting. Over the years, Rami has been involved in consulting engagements with retail, automotive, textile, chemical, and service industries all around the world. Rami is considered one of the most influential leaders of the TOC body of knowledge, specifically in Sales and Marketing, where his work has become standard practice. Rami is also among the pioneers in developing and implementing TOC applications for the education system – guiding of teachers around the world in applying the TOC thinking processes for children’s education.In this conversation, we explore:The Big Idea of the Theory of Constraints- The core concept of TOC is maintaining focus on key constraints that govern the flow of work in a system.- Identifying and addressing these constraints can significantly improve organizational throughput.- While the idea is simple, implementing it effectively is not always easy.Application examples for the application of TOC- Heavy Engineering: A company manufacturing high-pressure vessels identified welding as a key constraint. By optimizing the workflow and ensuring welders had everything they needed (full kit), they increased throughput by 20%.- Airlines: Delta Airlines focused on constraints such as gate availability and pilot scheduling to improve flight operations.- Retail: Ensuring the right merchandise is at the right place at the right time can be a key constraint in retail environments.Internal vs. Market Constraints- Constraints are not always internal; market constraints, such as developing better value propositions, can also limit growth.- Exceptional value is created when an organization can remove significant limitations for their customers.Impact on Organizations- Financial Impact: Addressing constraints leads to higher throughput and a healthier bottom line.- Cultural Impact: Properly managing constraints reduces internal conflicts and disharmony.- Organizational Harmony: Aligning different sections of the organization around the key constraints creates a more harmonious and effective work environment.Challenges in Applying TOC- Bad Multitasking: Common in project-oriented environments where people switch between tasks without completing any, leading to inefficiency.- Fragmented Workflows: Over-fragmentation of work can cause synchronization issues and misaligned priorities.- Resistance to Change: Employees and managers may resist new practices and policies that TOC requires for effective implementation.Design and Scaling of Organizations- Standardization vs. Non-Standard Work: Standardizing work to reduce dependency on experts is key for scaling, especially in non-standard work environments.- Expert Utilization: Freeing up experts from non-critical tasks and focusing on training less experienced employees is essential for scaling.- Organizational Design: TOC helps design organizations that can scale seamlessly by focusing on constraints and removing bottlenecks.Relationship with Other Methodologies- TOC is complementary to other methodologies like Lean and Six Sigma. It helps identify where to focus these tools for maximum impact.- TOC provides a holistic view of the system, guiding where to apply other methodologies effectively.Overcoming Vicious Cycles- Identifying and addressing practices and policies that create recurring problems is crucial.- Example: Bad multitasking leads to longer task durations, growing backlogs, and increased pressure to release tasks quickly, perpetuating the cycle.To learn more about TOC, we recommend reading...

In this episode of Work Matters, Thomas and Tina Robinson discuss why engagement matters for leaders and how to make it personal. Tina is the founder of Work Joy, a leadership development and coaching boutique. For 25 years, Tina has played at the intersection of humans, technology, and work. In her corporate days, Tina directed global change management initiatives, overhauled HR functions, transformed team cultures, implemented workforce technology solutions, created and facilitated leadership development programs, and spearheaded complex sales operations programs for organizations such as PwC, Toyota, and SAP. As CEO of WorkJoy, Tina builds on this diverse expertise, making content engaging and relevant as a facilitator and unleashing individual potential as a coach. As a strategic advisor, she applies her systems thinking to align people, processes, and technology with business priorities, helping clients secure the executive commitment needed to drive critical outcomes. Tina is an honors graduate of the University of Virginia (BA) and University of Michigan (MBA) and is certified through the International Coaching Federation. She is a thought leader online and in print, is a sought-after and highly rated speaker at international conferences, and is a former adjunct professor at Loyola Marymount University. In this conversation, we explore:Why employee engagement matters- Engagement is the emotional and social connection employees have with their work.- High engagement leads to better performance, reduced sick days, and higher revenue.- Organizations with high engagement levels see better customer service and overall results.What is the current state of engagement - Gallup's latest survey shows engagement is at its lowest since 2013, with only 30% of employees feeling engaged.- The majority of employees (70%) feel disengaged, highlighting a significant challenge for organizations.What are common pitfalls of engagement programs- Many organizations view engagement as an output rather than an input, leading to ineffective programs.- Engagement is personal and varies from individual to individual; broad programs often fail to address these unique needs.Why and how to personalized engagement- Leaders should have personal conversations with employees to understand what engages them.- These conversations should be ongoing, not just during the hiring process.- Understanding individual motivators and needs is crucial for maintaining engagement.How leaders can facilitate engagement- Leaders should create environments that support engagement conversations.- Engagement is a two-way street, requiring both leaders and employees to communicate openly.- Leaders should be brokers, aligning organizational needs with employee desires.- Invest in training leaders to have meaningful engagement conversations.- Use engagement surveys as a tool, but ensure follow-up actions are taken based on the results.- Focus on metrics that directly contribute to business outcomes, such as turnover and retention of high performers.- Creating a psychologically safe environment is key to fostering engagement.- Trust is built through consistent, supportive interactions between leaders and employees.Engagement is a challenge but not impossible to improve with the right strategies. Personalized approaches and fostering open communication are essential. Tina emphasizes the importance of making engagement personal through better conversations.To learn more about Tina and her work- Connect with Tina Schust Robinson on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tinaschustrobinson/- Email Tina for an exploratory...

In this episode of Work Matters, Thomas talks with Bruce Rosenstein, the managing editor of the acclaimed business journal ‘Leader to Leader’ and a longtime student of Peter Drucker's work, about the relevance of Drucker's management theories in today's world. Bruce first got introduced to Drucker’s ideas in the mid-1980s while studying library management at Catholic University, where he encountered Drucker's textbook, "Management: Tasks, Responsibilities, Practices."The discussion explores some of Drucker’s most important  ideas: designing work for knowledge worker, innovation, systematic abandonment, and the role of leaders.   Despite technological advances such as AI and the internet, Drucker's timeless concepts of effectiveness and knowledge work remain applicable. Drucker's insights into being effective, originally detailed in "The Effective Executive," continue to guide leaders in various fields.Drucker was a pioneer in recognizing the importance of knowledge work in the 1950s. He also believed knowledge workers should design their own jobs, focusing on accountability, responsibility, and effective time management. The role of managers is to support employees in shaping their roles to enhance productivity and fulfillment.Drucker's concept of "the future has already happened" suggests that current innovations, such as AI and electric vehicles, will have long-term impacts that organizations need to anticipate and adapt to to stay relevant.Drucker's idea of "systematic abandonment" involves regularly evaluating and discontinuing activities that no longer serve the organization’s goals. Combining this with continuous improvement (Kaizen) can lead to innovative and efficient practices.Drucker advised leaders to understand their role in the big picture of the organization and to focus on relationships, continuous learning, and effectiveness to drive personal and organizational success.He also emphasized the importance of achievement over financial gain, suggesting that accomplishment can be a powerful motivator. Though not explicitly an advocate of servant leadership, Drucker’s ideas align with creating conditions for others to succeed.Bruce Rosenstein shares valuable insights on how Peter Drucker's timeless ideas can still guide leaders today in making work more productive and meaningful. Drucker's principles of effectiveness, innovation, and systematic improvement continue to offer valuable guidance for modern organizations.Follow Bruce on LinkedIn for daily Drucker quotes: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bruce-rosenstein/Visit Bruce’s website to learn more about his work: https://brucerosenstein.comBruce’s two books about Drucker can be found here: Create Your Future the Peter Drucker Way (https://www.amazon.com/Create-Your-Future-Peter-Drucker/dp/0071820809)Living in More Than One World (https://www.amazon.com/Living-More-Than-One-World/dp/1576759687)

In this episode of Work Matters, host Thomas Bertels welcomes Steve Crom, former chairman and partner emeritus of global consulting firm Oxygy. With over four decades of experience in transforming work and improving productivity for leading global companies, Steve shares his insights on managing across cultures and how national culture influences how work gets done. Drawing from his personal experience as well as research by Fons Trompenars, Steve offers a practical framework for understanding differences in national cultures by looking at two dimensions:  Structure (egalitarian vs. hierarchical) and focus (people-centered vs. task-focused).  He describes the four basic archetypes and explains why understanding cultural differences is crucial for global leaders to effectively manage and motivate their teams.Thomas and Steve explore the challenge of balancing global standardization with the need for local adaptation and ownership. Steve explains that while global companies benefit from economies of scale and standardized operating models, these can sometimes conflict with the unique cultural characteristics of different regions. He suggests a pragmatic approach where countries are clustered into archetypes based on similarities, allowing for a more manageable number of models that can be tailored to fit the specific needs of each cluster.Emphasizing the importance of involving local employees in the design and implementation of solutions to ensure they are culturally appropriate and effective, Steve shares an example of a sales organization operating in multiple European countries that successfully optimized local processes by first asking teams from each country to design a solution for their local challenge - and then share that solution with their European peers, inviting them to adapt what makes sense - and reject what does not. Steve concludes by discussing the practical implications for global leaders, the importance of humility and curiosity, and the value of helping people achieve their goals in ways that make sense to them, avoiding the imposition of one-size-fits-all solutions.Overall, this episode of Work Matters highlights the complexities of managing across cultures and underscores the importance of cultural sensitivity and adaptability for global leaders. Steve/s experiences and insights offer valuable lessons for anyone looking to navigate the challenges of a globalized workplace effectively.To learn more, we suggest the following article: https://www.isixsigma.com/europe/using-six-sigma-europe-cross-cultural-perspective/

In this episode, host Thomas Bertels talks to Dennis Adsit, president of AdsumInsights, about employee development. Dennis explains why leaders should prioritize developing their employees. He starts by emphasizing the significance of people development beyond the altruistic perspective. Leaders who focus on developing their teams not only leave a lasting legacy but also benefit from improved team productivity.A key point in the conversation is the lack of a coherent mental model for people development among many leaders. Dennis stresses that having a framework or mental model helps leaders systematically approach development rather than relying on random or haphazard methods, and shares his mental model for people development, which consists of five crucial elements:Intentionality: Dennis argues that leaders don't develop people directly; instead, they create the conditions that facilitate self-development. Leaders should encourage their employees to be intentional about what they want to learn and achieve. He references Reid Hoffman's concept of a "tour of duty," where employees set specific learning goals for each project or role, enabling more targeted feedback and growth.Setting Targets: The second element involves defining what good, better, and best performance looks like. This approach provides clear expectations and helps employees understand what is required to excel in their roles. Dennis recounts how Ben Horowitz's "Good Product Manager, Bad Product Manager" post remains a valuable resource because it clearly outlines the standards for success, emphasizing the importance of having a benchmark for performance.Operational Reviews as Dojos: Dennis proposes that leaders should treat operational reviews as learning grounds, akin to martial arts dojos. In these settings, employees present their progress, receive feedback, and learn from their peers. This approach fosters a culture of continuous improvement, transparency, and accountability, even in remote or hybrid work environments.Tell Your Truth: Dennis emphasizes the importance of honest feedback. He acknowledges that feedback is inherently judgmental but necessary for growth. Leaders should focus on both strengths and areas for improvement, ensuring that performance conversations are balanced and constructive. He suggests that employees should summarize their understanding of feedback and outline their action plans, which ensures clarity and accountability.Leveraging the Job for Development: The final element highlights that the job itself is the primary driver of development. Leaders should ensure that roles are challenging and provide opportunities for growth. Dennis notes that being stretched outside one’s comfort zone is crucial for development and that leaders should look for ways to keep their teams engaged and continually learning.The episode concludes with a discussion on the "generosity gene," a concept tracing back to GE’sJack Welch. This meta-skill involves a genuine delight in the success of others and is critical for effective leadership. Leaders who possess this trait are more likely to foster a supportive and growth-oriented environment, ultimately leading to a more motivated and capable team.Dennis' insights offer a comprehensive framework for leaders seeking to enhance their team's development and effectiveness. His practical advice on fostering intentionality, setting clear targets, creating learning environments, providing honest feedback, and designing challenging roles provides a valuable blueprint for leaders looking to make a lasting impact on their organizations.For more information on Dennis' work, including executive coaching and organizational consulting, listeners can visit his website:

In this episode, Thomas and Ellen Frank-Miller, the founder of the Workforce and Organizational Research Center (WORC), explore the topic of job quality. Ellen explains the mission of WORC - creating an economy where every worker has a job worth having, and shares insights from a comprehensive review of over 3,000 peer-reviewed articles on managerial and organizational science. She highlights key job characteristics such as perceived support from the organization, supervisors, and coworkers, as well as autonomy, wages, benefits, and opportunities for representation. These factors are strongly correlated with human capital metrics like turnover intention, engagement, and burnout, which in turn affect financial performance.Exploring the linkage between frontline job design quality and business results, Ellen shares findings from a study funded by the Ford Foundation’s that looked at human capital management in private equity. Contrary to the initial belief that human capital management in private equity focuses solely on executive search, the study revealed that value creation often depends on roles at the bottom of the org chart. Ellen shares an example where a private equity firm had to focus on improving job quality for truck drivers to retain them and support business expansion, underscoring the critical role of frontline workers in achieving business success.The conversation also touches on the challenges of measuring and improving job quality, especially since factors like turnover and engagement don't appear directly on financial statements. Ellen introduces the Worthwhile Jobs Index, a diagnostic tool developed by WORC to help companies identify strengths and opportunities in their human capital. This tool provides a quick, actionable assessment of job quality, allowing companies to track progress over time and correlate improvements with financial performance. She also points out that while there is ample evidence supporting the benefits of high-quality job design, many organizations struggle to invest in this area due to capacity constraints and a lack of prioritization. She emphasizes the need for a shift in perspective, treating workforce issues as operational problems that can be systematically addressed.She stresses that improving job quality requires a holistic approach and a commitment to understanding and addressing the needs of workers at all levels of the organization, and  suggests several resources for leaders looking to improve job quality. Ellen concludes with encouraging leaders to start small, focus on achievable changes, and communicate effectively with their workforce to build momentum for larger improvements. She highlights the importance of senior leadership support in driving these initiatives and the need for a proactive, data-driven approach to job quality.To learn more about Ellen and WORC, please visit https://www.worcimpact.comThe following links provide additional information about the work Ellen and her team are doing and why private equity firms are starting to pay attention. https://impactalpha.com/the-next-frontier-of-private-equity-value-creation-better-jobs-for-frontline-workershttps://impactalpha.com/blackstones-embrace-of-employee-ownership-signals-a-shift-in-private-equity-and-in-the-power-of-workers/ 

In this episode host Thomas Bertels welcomes Jeff Wald to discuss his book, "The End of Jobs." Jeff is the founder of WorkMarket, an enterprise software platform for managing freelancers, as well as several other tech companies. An active angel investor, startup advisor, and speaker, he previously held leadership roles in Financial Services with Barrington Capital Group, Glen Rock, and JP Morgan.We explore the forces driving the growth of on-demand work and the challenges preventing many companies from leveraging gig work to optimize their  cost structure, including clarity of the regulatory environment. We also talk about the factors determining whether a job should be full time or contract: ramp-up time, need for institutional knowledge, level of organizational integration required, and duration of the work, and unpack why certain industries - like manufacturing - aren't set up for gig workers. We discuss how the adoption of AI and robotics will impact the overall job market. Jeff argues that over time, there will be no net loss of jobs but actually lead to more jobs being created, but that we will see a huge shift in the way services are imagined, delivered, and charged. In closing, Jeff predicts that on-demand work will continue to grow and eventually could account to 30% of the job market, barring significant regulatory reforms. For more on Jeff's work and his books, visit his website https://www.jeffwald.com.

In today's Work Matters, Thomas talks with Dart Lindsley, head of Global Process Excellence for People Operations at Google. He previously led the HR Transformation Planning and Analysis organization at Cisco Systems and is the host of the popular "Work for Humans" podcast. In this discussion, Dart unpacks what makes the middle manager role so challenging. He explains how managers are pulled in two different directions: balancing the needs of the business versus the needs of the team. By not equipping managers to deal with both sides of that equation, companies miss a significant opportunity for improvement. Dart shares how managers can source work that maximizes value for both the business and their team by treating work as a product in a multisided marketplace. He advocates for managers to become a broker to win work from the organization that matches team members' competencies and interests and to allocate that work across the team to improve the day-to-day experience of work. Thus, the middle manager evolves into a designer - crafting a work product that is increasingly desirable and satisfying for his/her team that also delivers increased value to the company. Dart reveals how managers can preserve the degrees of freedom - for themselves and their teams - while staying in alignment with the organization's strategic direction. By not bragging about personal over-achievement and focusing on process excellence, a manager can instead "lead from the sewer" and become someone that gets things done. Dart acknowledges the sacrifice it takes to make much of the work "illegible" but says true success for a manager lies in seeing the team thrive in the short-term in order to reap long-term benefits like more freedom for everyone and increased career advancement for team members.He highlights the competencies of an effective middle manager which include establishing trust horizontally, being straightforward and true to your word, and not being threatening, or overly ambitious. By putting the success of your peers above personal advancement, a manager can design and deliver work that team members love that also benefits the organization. He stresses the need for managers to remain focused on the strategic direction of the company and also be an exemplary model of change in that direction. For more on Dart and his "Work for Humans" podcast, visit dartlindsley.com. You might also enjoy the first appearance of Dart on our podcast, where he talks more about the idea of work as a product (Season 2 episode 1). Here is the link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QKrZw1nqK2I. 

In this episode of Work Matters, Thomas Bertels welcomes Todd Cherches to discuss Visual Leadership. Todd is the CEO of BigBlueGumball, a leadership development and executive coaching firm. He is also an award-winning professor and lecturer at NYU and Columbia University and the author of "VisuaLeadership: Leveraging the Power of Visual Thinking in Leadership and in Life."He defines visual leadership as applying visual thinking and visual communication to the practice of leadership. By painting a picture, leaders help people see what they're saying and create mental movies to increase understanding throughout the world of work.Todd unpacks tools from his book, “VisuaLeadership,” and stresses the importance of getting the best out of people, not the most. In doing so, leaders build engagement, passion, and purpose which contribute to higher intrinsic motivation and performance. He breaks his tools into four categories which include:visual imagery – explaining though pictures, props, drawings, or anything you could take in through the eyemental models and frameworks - simplifying and compartmentalizing the complexmetaphors and analogies – using the familiar to make the invisible visiblestorytelling with a bonus for humor -  good for lightening the mood, boosting engagement, and reducing stressFrom there, Todd describes his Passion and Skills Matrix which demonstrates how leaders can help employees find their “sweet spot” where both are high for maximum engagement and performance, and unpacks his R&R tool - providing teams with the resources they need and removing roadblocks.Drawing on his own experience with a horrible boss, Todd reveals the secret for how to become more effective at giving feedback: clarity, empathy, listening, passion, and purpose. He describes why providing employees with autonomy is critical to increasing engagement and fostering innovation while stressing the importance of hiring self-disciplined employees.Todd concludes by noting how essential visibility, voice, and value are to make employees feel seen, heard, and connected. To learn more about Todd’s coaching work, visit http://www.bigbluegumball.com/. You can order his book, VisuLeadership, on Amazon using this link: hhttps://www.amazon.com/VisuaLeadership-Leveraging-Visual-Thinking-Leadership-ebook/dp/B0868SV3QY.

In today's Work Matters, Thomas talks with Gordon "Gordy" Curphy about effective teamwork. Gordy is the Managing Partner at Curphy Leadership Solutions, where he helps business leaders implement major change initiatives, develop and promote leadership, and build high performing teams. With over 30 years of leadership expertise, Gordy has written numerous articles and 25 books, including the number one selling textbook, "Leadership: Enhancing the Lessons of Experience (11th Ed.)." He is also the architect of the Rocket Model, a framework for building high performing teams. Gordy starts off by differentiating between a "group" and a "team" before discussing the Rocket Model and why it is filling critical gaps in previous leadership models. Gordy brings teams and their organizational context to the forefront and shares his eight components for team effectiveness.  Context: What are our critical assumptions? Mission: Why are we here? Talent: Do we have the talent we need?Norms: What are the rules? Buy-in: Are we all committed to success?Resources: Do we have the resources needed? Courage: How do we work through disagreements?Results: Are we achieving our goals?Revealing that 95% of leadership models don't take teambuilding competency into account and only one out of five teams are high performing,  Gordy stresses the importance measuring leadership effectiveness. He explains how his Team Assessment Survey tool provides benchmarking data that allows teams line of sight into their performance so they can have the right conversations. Gordy concludes by sharing what today's leaders can do to make teamwork more effective including measuring their performance and learning teambuilding tools. Spotlighting examples from current military operations, Gordy explains how highly trained, self-contained, and specialized units like the Navy Seals operate with more autonomy for greater impact. He advises this is a good model for modern workplaces - and remote work - because it allows teams to be more agile, responsive, and adaptive without top-heavy support. To learn more about the Rocket Model of effective teamwork, go to www.therocketmodel.com. To learn more about Gordy's and his work, visit www.curphyleadershipsolutions.com. 

In today's Work Matters, Thomas Bertels discusses Transformational Leadership with Faisal Hogue. Faisal is an advisor, entrepreneur, thought leader, and technology innovator who has developed 20+ commercial business and technology platforms. He is the founder of SHADOKA and NextChapter and has worked with GE, MasterCard, American Express, PepsiCo, and many other leading organizations. Faisal is also the bestselling author of "Reinvent," "Everything Connects," and "Lift."In this conversation, Faisal unpacks what he means by transformational leadership and why it's critical to succeeding in today's world. Noting that humans developed more individualist empowerment during the pandemic, he stresses the need to both lead and collaborate differently now.He shares the characteristics of transformational leadership and reveals that process matters more than results and outcomes. They include:emotional intelligence - using empathy to inspire and influencerepeatable processes - providing transparency into how individual work impacts organizational missionemerging technology - tapping into AI to unlock humanity's potentialFaisal emphasizes the importance of experimental learning and cites examples from the pandemic - like QR code menus and Zoom meetings - that collectively changed behavior patterns. With both of these, we saw a reduction of costs and an increase in productivity that otherwise might not have been discovered.He reveals what transformational leaders can do to help employees do their best work including having a beginner's mind, embracing an empathetic approach, and crafting solutions to influence and inspire. Stressing the importance of a balanced mindset, Faisal points out that people need flexibility and freedom to feel comfortable, connected, and creative. Once these are on board, he says, employees are increasingly productive and contribute more to the mission.And lastly, Faisal concludes that by lifting yourself, you lift others. Today's transformational leaders should take a devotional practice to the pursuit of adding value. When they can translate the organizational "why" into threads that connect with people, they'll inspire and enable others to do their best work. To learn more about Faisal and order his bestselling books, visit: https://faisalhoque.com/

In today's Work Matters, Thomas welcomes Dr. Anna Tavis, Clinical Professor and Chair of the Human Capital Management Department at NYU School of Professional Studies. She previously held senior HR roles with Motorola, Nokia, United Technologies, and AIG, and is the co-author of "Humans at Work" (with Stela Lupushor).Anna unpacks the major trends shaping the future of work, including the rapidly evolving relationship between humans and technology. She shares how realigned organizational skillsets, structures, processes, and cultures will emerge from this shifting dynamic. She discusses how AI will lead to increased efficiencies, improved performance and sophistication, and also replace how a majority of the existing workforce makes its living. Pointing out that AI democratization will challenge the stratified, hierarchical structures of current organizations, Anna cautions that there should be a commitment to solve problems on behalf of the majority of humans - not the elites nor the machines. She examines the changing role of the manager, compensation structures, and HR in the future of work. With coaching, digital assistance, and built-in AI, humans will be able to invest more in visionary solutions and strategic, entrepreneurial approaches. Anna shares successful examples of innovative organizations - like Microsoft and Airbnb - who have mastered technology enough to put culture and humans first. Anna concludes by discussing her forthcoming book, "The Digital Coaching Revolution", which highlights examples from sports and healthcare. With AI in many hands, human coaches - like Ted Lasso - are freed-up to focus on strategic, team building activities and take their squads to the next level. Anna advocates bringing this digital coaching model into the workplace to improve performance and effectiveness. 

In today's Work Matters, Thomas welcomes Ron Ashkenas, Principal at Ashkenas Consulting and Partner Emeritus at Schaffer Consulting, to discuss simplifying organizations. Ron is a thought leader in business change and transformation and the author of numerous books and HBR articles including "Simply Effective." He unpacks the symptoms of overly complex organizations that show they are ripe for simplification. They include working harder and harder with little progress, difficulty and delay in reaching objectives, people-heavy processes, and ineffective meetings. From there, Ron confides that the first step to simplification is admitting you have a complexity problem. He describes the four sources of organizational complexity - structure, behavior, processes, and product proliferation - and how best to address them. Explaining the difference between good and bad complexity, Ron reveals the typical obstacles to simplifying an organization and shares strategies for overcoming each. He uses relevant examples from large-scale simplifications to demonstrate the benefits of undertaking the process for companies, leaders, and employees. And lastly, Ron concludes by explaining what organizations can do to create a culture of simplification and imbed it into their DNA. He emphasizes that it is a process, not the goal, and one that should always support the business objectives of increased customer satisfaction, revenue, and employee engagement. Link to "Simply Effective" on Amazon: https://a.co/d/aqlx6pp

In today's Work Matters, Thomas talks innovation with Greg Larkin, the CEO of Punks & Pinstripes, a network for rebel corporate executives and start up founders. He is the author of the international best-seller ‘This Might Get Me Fired' and shares his expertise for overcoming organizational obstructionism to drive innovation. Greg unpacks the great misnomer about innovation requiring advanced technology and shares how understanding organizational psychology and obstructionism are more essential to success. Through examples of both a winning and losing launch, he illustrates that an executive willing to ask the right questions and tell hard truths is the make-or-break ingredient. Revealing that most innovations don't cross the finish line, Greg describes the five types of obstructionists in each company (skeptics, cops, traditionalists, territorialists, and capitalists) and provides strategies for overcoming each. He explains how, just like in sports, the key success factor is being able to see your opponent's moves in advance and call the best play in response. Greg confides that most CEOs hate the obstructionism in their organizations and advises how to best target innovation to overcome decline and keep up with competitors. He adds that leaders must be willing to have difficult conversations with investors about near-future losses while innovating for long-haul gains. The conversation concludes with Greg sharing how his hierarchy for work requirements has inverted with experience and why this led him to start Punks & Pinstripes. Now in his forties, he has created a community for other rebel executives to find their tribe, make an impact, and achieve status and success - in that order. Greg's Website and Book Info: https://www.thisisgreglarkin.comPunks & Pinstripes Website: https://www.punksandpinstripes.com

In today's Work Matters, Thomas Bertels welcomes Joe Batista, Chief Creatologist, and former Dell and Hewlett Packard executive. Joe is an innovative business and technology leader who shares how to unlock unseen assets within organizations to create value for customers. With real-world success stories, he unpacks strategies for compressing the distance from ideas to results using core competencies, data, and alignment of interests. He reveals his game-changing approach which includes curiosity, safaris, and think days spent exploring the streets of NYC with execs. Joe discusses why being a triple-double player is necessary and how technical tools, collaborative communication, and business acumen are essential. He emphasizes that a creatologist must wear many hats (coach, advisor, cheerleader) and highlights that focusing on customer outcomes and creating a center of gravity between your brand and the client are critical to success. Joe encourages leaders to cultivate these capabilities by creating space for a "free-range chicken” who can see beyond existing structures to identify untapped assets and create value for customers. Throughout the episode, he also reflects on his own experience crafting his role and carving out a unique nice for himself.

In today's Work Matters, Thomas talks with Joe Spadaford, President of J Francis Consulting, about his experience implementing work design in financial services. Joe held senior leadership roles at Citibank, First National Bank of Chicago, First Chicago Trust Company, Axa, Computershare, and AST. He shares the lessons learned when transforming large operating departments and organizations through motivational work design, and unpacks the indicators that demonstrate an organization would benefit from work design: poor performance, high-turnover, low customer satisfaction, and inability to scale. Revealing the benefits of work design, Joe explains the key ingredients for a successful transformation: leadership commitment, cross-functional coordination and collaboration, and employee buy-in. He also discusses the evolving role of AI and HR in business and how each impacts the effectiveness of work design.Joe then takes us on a typical implementation journey from start to finish: assessing the current state, defining objectives, forming a design team, piloting and refining the design, and full deployment. He concludes with detailing the results of a successful work design effort: higher employee engagement; reduced turnover; improved productivity; increased customer satisfaction; reduced costs; and freed-up time for managers.

In today's episode, Thomas talks with Tristin Brisbois about intrapreneurship - how to create a successful innovative venture within a large company. Tristin is the director of PepsiCo's Advanced Personalization Ideation Center, where she is building personalized digital solutions. Providing a peek into Pepsico's Aspire2Be app which uses face scan technology to reveal the biological age of consumers, she shares her experience of bringing personalization to consumers at scale, creating a frictionless experience that's accessible, engaging, and enjoyable. She outlines the factors that contribute to successful intrapreneurship in large organizations (sponsorship, guiding boards, resourcing). Tristin shares the typical obstacles for corporate intrapreneurs and how to overcome them. She details her approach to attract talent, shares lessons learned, and reveals how being patient, putting ego aside, cross-team collaboration, and a supportive guiding board contributed to her success.

In today's episode, Thomas talks with Elisabeth Swan, Continuous Improvement Consultant, Co-Founder of the Just-in-Time Café podcast, and Bestselling Author of "Picture Yourself a Leader." Recently named by the PEX Network as one of the top 50 thought leaders in operational excellence, Elisabeth Swan has consulted in the business process performance industry for over 30 years. She advises local nonprofits and guides Fortune 100 companies through Lean Transformations and improvement efforts generating millions in savings. She shares how executives can build leadership capacity in themselves and boost change capability within their employees. With relatable examples from clients and her book, Elisabeth unpacks the leadership principles (consideration, expansion, thoughtful speech, adaptation, and respect) that help people effectively manage change within organizations. She discusses the behaviors and attitudes (clarity, curiosity, openness, inclusion, listening) that leaders can embrace to improve the working conditions of others and offers practical advice for navigating change in the real world of work. The conversation concludes with examining the role of automation in change management and how process improvement principles can ease the pain points and contribute to more lasting success. To learn more about Elisabeth’s work, visit https://elisabethswan.com. 

In today's episode, Thomas talks with Bryan Sander about customer experience design. Bryan is the Head of Customer Experience, Digital Product, Analytics, Market Research, and BI at AAA’s National Office - and a CXPA Board Member. Bryan reveals the main challenges to the customer experience today and how younger consumers are demanding a more values-driven approach. Sharing his digital transformation experience, Bryan explains why cross-functional thinking and agile management practices are key to creating a superior customer experience. He unpacks how the customer experience and employee experience are connected and the importance of listening in both. Discussing the rising role of AI, Bryan advises that viewing robots as a co-pilot would help 'take robots out of people' and allow humans to do more creative, higher functioning tasks. And finally, he recommends leaders "ride the trains" to ensure they experience the customer journey firsthand to better understand and improve it. 

In today's episode, Thomas talks with Dave Bookbinder, a business valuation expert, author of two books, and the host of the 'Behind the Numbers' podcast and TV show. Dave emphasizes that employees are not an expense but assets, and unpacks the implications for business leaders. Sharing how the value of human capital is traditionally determined, he discusses best practices to increase enterprise value and explains why culture, engagement, and appreciation are critical to maximize the return on individuals. And lastly, he describes how the transition to a knowledge economy requires a different approach to intangibles. To learn more about Dave and his work, visit https://www.newroi.com or  @TheDaveBookbinder .