AI is an opportunity to reimagine work. What's your strategy?
Import from wordpress feed
June 16, 2023
AI will fundamentally change how we work - and smart leaders seize the opportunity to make work more productive, valuable, meaningful, and impactful. What do they need? A work design strategy.
See publication
Tags: Design Thinking, Management, Future of Work
Return to Office Mandate: Crisis or Opportunity?
Import from wordpress feed
March 15, 2023
More and more companies demand that employees return to the office. But what do we do with them when they return? Work has been broken for a while, so why not seize this opportunity to reimagine it?
See publication
Tags: Design Thinking, Management, Future of Work
After the layoff: How smart managers lighten their team’s workload
Import from wordpress feed
March 08, 2023
Nobody likes layoffs; however, they’re a fact of corporate life. Sometimes these reductions in force (RIF) are targeted and surgical. But often senior leadership jettisons jobs across the board: every department gets the same 'haircut.' Either way, if you're a manager, you must deal with the f
See publication
Tags: Design Thinking, Future of Work, Management
Companies investing in making work better: Outliers or Trendsetters?
Import from wordpress feed
March 01, 2023
Over the last few years, I’ve noticed something unusual: some of my clients are starting significant efforts to improve the work experience of their employees - and they don’t even ask for a business case documenting the return on investment. The first one was a global healthcare company
See publication
Tags: Design Thinking, Future of Work, Management
The Secret Sauce of Corporate Entrepreneurship: Decentralization
Import from wordpress feed
January 26, 2023
2022 was a very insightful year for me and my company, Purpose Works. As I reflect on my experiences and conversations, one question kept coming up again and again: why do so many organizations fail to embrace decentralization and entrepreneurship? Last November I was pleased to attend the 14th annu
See publication
Tags: Design Thinking, Future of Work, Management
What can 'Office Space' teach us about Work Design?
Import from wordpress feed
January 17, 2023
Photo by Alex Kotliarskyi on Unsplash The 1999 movie "Office Space" has been one of my favorites for a long time. It tells the story of Peter, a disenchanted office drone, who - after being hypnotized - stops worrying about his job. What I love most about the film is how well it captures what’
See publication
Tags: Design Thinking, Future of Work, Management
Coming January 2023
Import from wordpress feed
November 26, 2022
This is Designing Work, a newsletter about Insights on making work more productive, valuable, meaningful, and impactful.
See publication
Tags: Design Thinking, Future of Work, Management
Job Design Critical to Sustainable Employee Engagement
Engagement Strategies Media
October 26, 2022
In this time of “The Great Resignation,” organizations and leaders need to create work that is intrinsically meaningful. But they often have no idea where to start. How do we create jobs that people genuinely want to do and help them become more effective and engaged in the process? Frederick Herzberg said it best: “If you want someone to do a good job, give them a good job to do.” Motivational Work Design offers a framework for creating a truly competitive work product.
See publication
Tags: Future of Work, Management
Fixing Work: A Tale about Designing Jobs Employees Love
Greenleaf Book Group
September 12, 2023
In Fixing Work, authors David G. Henkin and Thomas Bertels uncover the root causes of employee disengagement and offer practical solutions for creating more meaningful, satisfying, and productive jobs. Through an allegorical tale of a typical office with typical employees, they allow us to see ourselves in the characters while learning strategies to create better work and perform at higher levels.
Drawing from decades of research, Henkin and Bertels show us how to design work that meets our fundamental human needs for meaningfulness, autonomy, and feedback. By empowering employees with these methods, managers can create a roadmap for fixing what’s broken at their own companies.
See publication
Tags: Design Thinking, Management, Future of Work
Rath & Strong Six Sigma Leadership Handbook
Wiley
February 21, 2003
Achieve unparalleled customer satisfaction and greater profitability with this essential handbook! Six Sigma is a proven and highly effective business initiative for improving customer satisfaction and increasing the efficiency of processes. Rath & Strong's Six Sigma Leadership Handbook highlights the critical factors that make or break implementation, offers key best practices for getting it right the first time, and offers real-life examples and case studies that light the path to success. With Rath & Strong, you'll get an overview of the tools, methods, approaches, benefits, and risks that are associated with each element of the methodology.
See publication
Tags: Business Strategy, Change Management, Leadership
Work Matters S4E3: Frank Gallo - Leading in China
Import from youtube.com
July 05, 2023
See publication
Tags: Design Thinking, Management, Future of Work
Work Matters S4E2: Tonille Miller - Employee Experience Design
Import from youtube.com
June 20, 2023
See publication
Tags: Design Thinking, Management, Future of Work
Work Matters S4E1: Tony O'Driscoll - AI and the Future of Work
Import from youtube.com
June 06, 2023
See publication
Tags: Design Thinking, Management, Future of Work
Designing Work To Be Fit For Humans
Work for Humans Podcast / Dart Lindsley
December 30, 2022
Thomas Bertels spent the last two decades as a Business Architect helping struggling businesses solve structural problems: employee disengagement, inefficient teams, and low productivity. Whether working with a small company or a big player like PepsiCo, Thomas realized these issues stemmed from the same source – poor work design.
This insight led Thomas to develop what he now calls motivational work design – a systems approach to designing work that is employee-centric, improves productivity, and improves customer experiences.
Thomas Bertels is the founder of the consulting firm Purpose Works. He has worked across industries from big pharma, insurance, and top Fortune 50 companies like Johnson & Johnson and PepsiCo, and others.
In this episode, Dart and Thomas discuss:
- How work came to be so poorly designed
- How to design work that balances employee needs and company needs
- The role of HR in work design
- The role of Senior Executives in work design
- Tops-down versus Bottom-Up approaches to work design
- The role of managers in well-designed workplaces
- The balance between employee oversight and autonomy
See publication
Tags: Design Thinking, Future of Work, Management
Work Matters S3E10: Mike Moshier and David Yawman - Leadership Team Development
Import from youtube.com
December 14, 2022
See publication
Work Matters S3E9: Solange Charas & Stela Lupushor: Humanizing Human Capital
Import from youtube.com
November 29, 2022
See publication
Work Matters S3E8: Niels Pflaeging - The Beta Codex
Import from youtube.com
November 07, 2022
See publication
Work Matters S3E7 Laurent Choain - Knowledge Worker Productivity
Import from youtube.com
October 26, 2022
See publication
Work Matters S3E6: Al Cini - The Power of Alignment
Import from youtube.com
October 10, 2022
See publication
Work Matters S3E5: Bjarte Bogsnes - Beyond Budgeting
Import from youtube.com
September 26, 2022
See publication
Work Matters S3E4: Ralf Specht - Corporate Soul
Import from youtube.com
September 14, 2022
See publication
Work Matters S3E3: Oliver Crocco - Global Leadership
Import from youtube.com
August 30, 2022
See publication
Work Matters S3E2: Rachele Focardi - The Multi-Generational Workplace
Import from youtube.com
August 15, 2022
See publication
Work Matters S3E1: Sergio Caredda - The Intentional Organization
Import from youtube.com
July 27, 2022
See publication
Work Matters Season 2 Highlights (Spring/Summer 2022)
Import from youtube.com
July 14, 2022
See publication
S2E10: Kevin Wheeler - The Future of HR
Import from youtube.com
April 12, 2022
See publication
Purpose of Work: Shift in the American HR Paradigm
HRM Asia
May 04, 2023
Thomas Bertels has become one of the most visible advocates in the USA to make work more productive, valuable, meaningful, and impactful. With deep experience in HR at companies like AON and ABB as well as extensive consulting experience, Thomas started a podcast called Work Matters to host global thought leaders of the new paradigm shift. He will share the story behind his own philosophy, provide a who’s who of leading lights on new ways of working, and explain today’s American culture war over work.
See publication
Tags: Future of Work, Management
Triple Win: Designing Work that Delivers for Everyone
JIT Cafe
August 24, 2023
Frederick Herzberg famously said: "You can only do a good job if there is a good job to be done". But what makes a good job, and why should leaders care? Thomas Bertels, the founder of Purpose Works and a well known expert on process redesign, explores the power of work design to create intrinsically motivating work, resulting in improved employee engagement, productivity, and customer experience. Participants will learn how different aspects of work design shape the employees’ experience and how to incorporate these factors into designing effective organizations. Using several case studies, we will discuss how to put these ideas into practice and how to structure an effective change strategy. Enjoy guest host and author Thomas Bertals for this 1-hour video, to learn about what makes a “good job” that satisfies customers, owners, and employees.
See publication
Tags: Customer Experience, Design Thinking, Future of Work