• Transforming Work with Sophie Wade

  • By: Sophie Wade
  • Podcast

Transforming Work with Sophie Wade

By: Sophie Wade
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  • Summary

  • Sophie addresses current business conditions and explores ways to navigate the disruption. She shares informative insights and interviewing leading innovators who are providing or benefiting from transformative solutions that will allow companies to emerge with sustainable models, mindsets, and business practices. Find out how to transition to more effective, productive, and supportive new ways of working—across locations, generations, and platforms—as we harness these challenging circumstances to drive significant, multidimensional changes in all our working lives.
    © 2021 Transforming Work
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Economics Management Politics & Government
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Episodes
  • 139: Dan Bladen & Dave Cairns - The Rhythm and Flow of People, Work, Place, and Space

    139: Dan Bladen & Dave Cairns - The Rhythm and Flow of People, Work, Place, and Space
    Jan 31 2025
    Dan Bladen, CEO and co-founder of Kadence, and Dave Cairns, Future of Work Strategist at Kadence, each discuss aspects of the evolving dynamics of modern workplaces and spaces. Dan shares insights from Kadence’s journey developing workplace technology and breaking down and rebuilding work to facilitate workflow and rhythm for distributed workers. Dave highlights the benefits of data-driven understanding of people flow and space utilization as well as intentional gatherings. They recognize flexible hybrid models’ acceptance and leaders’ increasingly purposeful coordination. TAKEAWAYS Dan Bladen Interview [01:22] Dan explains his background in theology, music, and technology. [02:57] Growing up with engineers, hardware, and gaming encouraged Dan to build computers. [05:04] Traveling around the world in 2012, connectivity and charging are basic needs. [05:40] Dan co-founds Chargify to make wireless charging a game changer as WiFi did for connectivity. [06:41] Dan notices offices were already half-empty as people start ‘agile working’ in the 2010s. [07:25] The business of checking an employee into a hot desk while also charging their laptop. [08:06] Strong growth stops with the pandemic, then a Fortune 50 company asks to use Chargify’s software to enable safe office-based work. [09:36] The checking-in capability leads to a business pivot to workplace coordination software. [11:02] Dan isn’t enthralled, but the market is large and 90% of companies are going hybrid. [12:20] Dan sees the potential of hybrid work to benefit from more work-life balance. [12:44] Finding rhythm with your family and your team and having a contract with your employer. [13:35] In the past, people had to act predictably as spaces were static. [14:36] Kadence philosophy breaks down the ‘work stack’—starting with the ‘why’ of work—vision and values [15:13] Moving from performative inputs to quantitative outputs. [16:10] Work defined by time not place—so what is the work ‘operating system’? [18:08] Kadence starts as desk-booking software and becomes a hybrid work management platform. [20:05] The hybrid shift is influenced by market conditions and economic pressures. [21:00] Data shows the best-performing companies are hybrid. [21:40] Servant leadership is rising and thinking about culture and the next generation. [22:51] Over 50% of hybrid companies now organize regular in-person events. [23:16] Time to trust is accelerated during face-to-face times of togetherness. [23:29] Leaders must be intentional about when and where they gather their teams. Dave Cairns Interview [24:32] Dave discusses how deep friendships build up live and asynchronously. [25:33] The mismatch between real estate supply and demand that Dave notices in 2019. [26:10] Pandemic shifts remind Dan of his poker-playing time when he was working remotely. [27:37] Merging two experiences, learning more about the nature of work, beyond office space. [28:07] Learning from many sources for the first time that office spaces pre-COVID were half empty. [29:30] Dave’s content resonates with people struggling with their working lives and rigid policies. [30:36] Many workers feel forced into office attendance without a clear reason. [32:23] Canada has a quieter acceptance of hybrid work compared to the U.S. [33:19] New York seems to have the most polarized views on remote and in-office policies. [36:17] The mismatch between work policies/mandates and actual employee behaviors. [37:26] Employees often coordinate informally and inefficiently, giving organizations no insights. [38:27] Most firms still lack clear data on how their offices are actually being used. [40:30] Some leaders demand full office occupancy despite low attendance rates. [41:06] Gathering granular data to understand people flow and office space utilization. [42:06] High lease costs, renewals or financial pressure are key factors to drive real change. [43:19] Proactive companies learn workflow and people coordination before downsizing space. [46:04] Leaders are balancing executive mandates with employee flexibility to achieve results. [49:31] Companies recognize hybrid’s importance but lack the knowledge to execute well. [51:56] IMMEDIATE ACTION TIP: Have an intentional gathering strategy. Accept that teams can make some of their own decisions. Figure out how your office spaces, your workspaces, if you have any, are being used. RESOURCES Dan Bladen on LinkedIn Dave Cairns on LinkedIn Kadence’s website QUOTES “Now there's this opportunity for people to be more unpredictable and spaces to be flexible.” – Dan Bladen. “So the only way to measure if that work was getting done was by measuring and observing the quality of the outputs.” – Dan Bladen. “We started rebuilding it [work]. And really it boils...
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    55 mins
  • 138: Darcy Marie Mayfield - Benefit from Remote Workers by Codifying Culture and Engineering Serendipity

    138: Darcy Marie Mayfield - Benefit from Remote Workers by Codifying Culture and Engineering Serendipity
    Jan 24 2025
    Darcy Marie Mayfield is a specialist in culture architecture and experience design. Darcy shares her experiences in hospitality at Airbnb and designing systems to codify and scale company culture at early fully remote organizations. She discusses how initiatives like Tulsa Remote have revitalized cities by attracting remote workers and fostering local collaborations. From engineering serendipity to creating consistent rituals and empathetic leadership, Darcy offers actionable insights into creating inclusive, connected thriving communities and environments for remote and distributed workers and teams. TAKEAWAYS [01:27] Darcy’s early and enduring passion is hospitality and helping people feel they belong. [02:34] At Airbnb, Darcy pilots early remote work initiatives to explore flexible work models. [04:06] Darcy leaves Airbnb as they lack remote work flexibility and moves to a rural area. [04:23] TaxJar’s leadership wants to take the company fully remote, so Darcy joins for the challenge. [05:10] The vision is to build a strong company with a strong product and strong profits while people enjoy their lives. [06:00] Darcy works with academic researchers to study and codify culture in a fully remote organization. [06:56] How do you architect culture where there are no physical walls? [07:40] Codifying culture for scale involves understanding the founders’ DNA and origins. [08:56] Deep listening sessions to co-create with employees and reveal how values show up. [09:20] Transitioning from an SMB to a mid-market culture means balancing collaboration with structure. [11:16] During the pandemic, TaxJar’s remote model enables significant growth and low attrition. [12:05] Darcy wants to help people and prove remote working works, but it gets exhausting. [14:06] To normalize family-friendly environments, TaxJar’s CEO has to set the example. [15:00] They are proud of having top talent who are really empathetic. [16:29] At Stripe, Darcy observes strong identity tied to the office causing hybrid work challenges. [18:26] Redesigning hybrid work, prompting leaders to model flexibility and track energy patterns. [19:56] Understanding offsites, her team considers how to include remote participants equitably. [20:34] Why to create experiences for remote workers that rival office-based interactions. [22:18] Darcy describes Tulsa Remote and attracting remote workers to boost economic growth. [23:34] The benefits of industry diversification and reverse the brain drain for Tulsa. [24:33] Why people choose to move to Tulsa and partnering to solve local problems. [25:09] “Engineering serendipity” to connect remote workers with local communities. [26:28] Piloting a workation program that fosters deep connections between participants and locals. [28:10] The pilot program results in nine out of twelve participants moving to Tulsa. [29:28] Darcy personalizes participants’ experiences connecting them with relevant locals. [32:59] How other cities have increasing willingness to benefit from digital nomads. [34:17] The opportunity to create a blueprint for “sister cities” ready to create consistent, impactful remote work experiences. [37:20] Madeira Friends aim to show the long-term economic benefits of attracting digital nomads. [39:26] IMMEDIATE ACTION TIP: To improve hybrid and remote outcomes, lean into cultural architecture. One, name channels to evoke desired behaviors. Two, cultivate consistent rituals. Three, give yourself permission to experiment. RESOURCES Darcy Marie Mayfield on LinkedIn Darcy on Instagram Tulsa Remote QUOTES "How do you architect culture when there’s no physical walls?"​ "Codifying culture allowed us to emotionally and intrinsically move our culture from an SMB culture to a mid-market culture because that’s where our customers were going."​ "Words make worlds. Use words that emote the behavior you want to see."​ "Remote workers bring not just economic benefits but also a diversification of skills and innovative ideas to communities."​ "Leaders must set the tone—if a leader is going to take a walk in the middle of the day, then everybody else will follow."​ "It’s about designing the connections and programming so people feel like they belong so much earlier and so much more often."​ ​
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    44 mins
  • 137: Sophie Wade - Reframing Change to Integrate, Design, and Upskill for AI at Work

    137: Sophie Wade - Reframing Change to Integrate, Design, and Upskill for AI at Work
    Jan 18 2025
    Show host Sophie Wade welcomes 2025 focusing on the natural dynamic of modern work to facilitate executives’ and employees’ abilities to adapt. She outlines three priority areas for the year ahead, recommending how to adjust for and integrate AI as a core component of our tech-driven business and work. Highlighting research and examples, Sophie focuses on: human-AI collaboration, designing work for agility, and upskilling employees rapidly in the flow of work. Sophie emphasizes the principles of modern work: learning, intention, flexibility, and empathy, as well as systems thinking to help us recognize the full ramifications of our inventions and actions. TAKEAWAYS [00:42] Sophie sets the stage for 2025, focusing on adapting to rapid change. [01:29] Embracing change is essential. Rigid work structures conflict with human nature. [02:40] Work norms evolved based on prevailing possibilities and were not healthy or sustainable. [03:25] Flexibility and adaptability are natural and essential human traits. [03:58] Customization in work and products recognizes our individuality and different needs. [04:40] Human-centric approaches and tools foster creativity and problem-solving. [05:18] Early rigid work environments suppressed autonomy and innovation. [06:18] Modern work requires collaboration and proactive preparation for change. [07:20] Adapting to change thoughtfully can reveal the best evolutionary pathways. [08:44] Systems thinking helps anticipate and manage the ripple effects of innovation. [09:43] Modern work requires intentional action to navigate interconnected global systems. [11:10] AI integration is transforming the workforce into blended human-AI collaboration. [12:21] Leaders must identify opportunities for AI to complement humans and our skills. [14:05] Flattening hierarchies and skills-based work systems boost agility and engagement. [15:18] Internal talent marketplaces promote cross-functional use of employees’ skills. [16:37] Upskilling is critical for addressing skill gaps and maintaining competitiveness. [18:04] Continuous learning must be integrated into workflows for successful transformation. [18:35] Approaching change with intention, flexibility, and empathy reduces friction and boosts outcomes. [19:27] Empathy-centered leadership enables multigenerational and distributed teams to thrive. IMMEDIATE ACTION TIP: Incorporate learning, intention, flexibility, and empathy into workplace strategies. RESOURCES Sophie Wade on LinkedIn Sophie’s company Flexcel Network SophieWade.com QUOTES “We can lean into our natural capacity to adapt if we reframe what we’ve been used to and why.” “Work is in flux, nothing is set in stone, and adaptability is essential all along the way.” “Human-centric approaches and tools foster creativity and problem-solving because we are not machines and aren’t good at pretending to be.” “How you approach change, and specifically the significant ongoing changes occurring in and across our professional world, affects your ability to flex and adapt.” “Adapting to modern work requires continuous learning as a core habit, integrated into workflows and supported as part of daily operations.” “Empathy-centered leadership is critical, recognizing that each person has different skills, adapts at a different pace, and may encounter hiccups along the way.” “Internal talent mobility isn’t easy or obvious to operationalize, but it is necessary to keep pace with the faster evolution of modern work.” “Systems thinking recognizes that our actions are not independent or isolatable but always have ripple effects on others—and reciprocally on us.” “AI integration is enabling the emergence of a collaborative, blended human-AI workforce that complements uniquely human skills.”
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    20 mins

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