It’s reorg season…again. And for many companies, it always is. Every 12 to 18 months, another wave of layoffs, leadership swaps, and org chart redraws rolls through the system. And yet, little changes. Strategy stalls. Trust erodes. Work doesn’t get better, just messier. So why do so many organizations keep reaching for the reorg lever first?

This week, Rodney and Sam unpack the seductive logic (and systemic failure) of reorgs as a change strategy. They dig into why structure work always feels like the fastest, most visible move a leader can make and why it so rarely delivers. Along the way, they explore the very real fallout of these moves on culture, trust, and performance, and offer smarter starting points for those considering a shake-up.

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Mentioned references:

00:00 Intro + Check-In: What feature is really important in your living space?

03:27 The Pattern: Orgs trapped in a cycle of endless reorgs

05:15 The fastest, most visible sign of change a CEO can show to a board or investors

09:55 Structure work should always come last, but most people do it first

12:22 Reorgs to hit a number come at the expense of workflow, culture, and strategy

19:07 Stop changing the structure without touching the ways of working

22:19 Fundamental components of structure work

25:14 How The Ready approached it’s own reorg

26:34 Fallout of bad reorgs on your team and culture

31:17 Companies underestimate the stress of reorgs on individuals

34:40 Hot takes: org structure in the age of AI; legal OS around restructuring

38:15 Idea 1: Use reorgs to recalibrate roles back to defaults

39:42 Idea 2: Value flow map your company before considering a standard reorg

42:53 Idea 3: Test new structure in parts of phases, not everything all at once

44:30 Idea 4: Accept that some centralization is required

47:50 Wrap up: Leave us a review and share the show with your coworkers!

Sound engineering and design by Taylor Marvin of ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Coupe Studios⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

The extended leadership team (those just below the C-suite) often finds itself stuck between translating strategy and triaging dysfunction. They’re tasked with cross-functional execution, but are rarely equipped, empowered, or aligned to pull it off. And in most organizations, this group is caught in a cycle of managing up, managing down, and managing chaos all around—with very little time or clarity left to lead.

This week, Rodney and Sam take a closer look at what’s really going on with extended leadership teams, why they matter so much, and what gets in their way. From power dynamics and peer competition to vertical incentives and missing cross-functional glue, they pull apart the system that makes this group so hard to organize—and so critical to transformation. They also share field-tested tactics that can turn this underutilized layer into an OS-upgrading powerhouse.

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Let's work together: ⁠⁠⁠https://www.theready.com/working-together⁠⁠⁠

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Mentioned references:

00:00 Intro + Check-In: What is one of your favorite low tech work hacks?

02:53 The Pattern: The extended leadership team is trapped between strategy and execution

05:17 The C-suite’s peace comes at the expense of chaos in the extended leadership team

09:04 Silos and competition between departments

12:52 Functions don’t truly understand what other functions contribute

15:40 The true work of the extended leadership team

21:40 External pressure on GenX and Millenial leaders reinforces the status quo

27:56 Idea 1: Identify shared purpose of your extended leadership team

30:45 Idea 2: Top missions for cross-functional leadership teams

35:21 Idea 3: Chartering a leadership team “role” for shared participation and ownership

37:52 Wrap up: Leave us a review and share the show with your colleagues

Sound engineering and design by Taylor Marvin of ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Coupe Studios⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

For years, the conversation around remote work has been stuck in binary debates. Home vs. office? Productivity vs. flexibility? Control vs. chaos? But what if we zoomed out and asked a better question: What kind of future is possible if people could actually work from anywhere?

This week, Rodney and Sam sit down with Raj Choudhury (Harvard Business School professor and author of The World Is Your Office) to explore what happens when companies stop fixating on location and start designing for freedom, trust, and real human needs. From engineering serendipity to reimagining hybrid models, they unpack how truly distributed work changes everything: how we meet, how we lead, how we grow talent, and how we build a more equitable future.

Learn more about Raj and his work by following him on LinkedIn and reading his new book: The World Is Your Office: How Work from Anywhere Boosts Talent, Productivity and Innovation.

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Let's work together: ⁠⁠https://www.theready.com/working-together⁠⁠

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Mentioned References:

00:00 Intro + Check-In: What’s your favorite aspect of being able to work from anywhere?

03:49 Central focus: How do organizations access distant talent?

08:20 How work from anywhere is different from work from home

11:08 Rethinking in-person days

19:23 The data doesn’t support RTO mandates

24:13 Dispelling productivity concerns

27:15 Unlocking digital twins in the workplace

34:05 Small towns being competitive for talent

38:04 AI’s role in work from anywhere

45:09 Where to look ahead for the next 5 years

47:10 Wrap up: Leave us a review and share this show with a coworker!

Sound engineering and design by Taylor Marvin of ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Coupe Studios⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

In a year marked by tighter budgets, leaner teams, and growing uncertainty, more organizations than ever are choosing to go it alone. DIY transformation feels safer, cheaper, more in control. But that instinct to do more with less is often the very thing that stalls progress. Because without the right structure, support, and space, most internal change efforts don’t just slow down… they spin out.

This week, Rodney and Sam pull apart the decision to “DIY” major organizational change. They explore why so many teams default to doing it themselves, what makes internal transformation efforts so hard to sustain, and the subtle power dynamics that turn strategic remits into order-taking. Along the way, they dig into what it really takes to get change moving—from alone on the inside or with a partner.

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Let's work together: ⁠https://www.theready.com/working-together⁠

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Mentioned references:

00:00 Intro + Check-In: What is a DIY victory or failure you’ve had recently?

03:51 The Pattern: DIY Transformation tends to be “try, fail, repeat”

05:27 Why people decide to DIY change work

11:40 Orgs are designed to fight change

15:32 The deck is stacked against internal OD/OE/transformation teams

19:43 You don’t know what you don’t know

23:43 Challenges of trying to change your coworkers

27:00 Lack of authority and power kneecap real progress

32:10 Hidden financial and org costs of DIY change

37:44 Idea 1: Contract for a CLEAR remit, REAL customer discovery, and actual solution design

42:35 Idea 2: Don’t start with the whole project, start with a smaller leverage point

44:59 Wrap up: Leave us a review and share the show with your coworkers!

Sound engineering and design by Taylor Marvin of ⁠⁠⁠⁠Coupe Studios⁠⁠⁠⁠.

We talk a lot about doing less to get more—but in practice, most organizations end up doing the opposite. When priorities pile up, and nothing gets removed or finished, the result is a familiar kind of chaos: too many projects, too little focus, and an endless loop of adding more in hopes of getting unstuck.

This week, Rodney Evans and Sam Spurlin unpack one of the most common organizational dynamics they see: the “more-is-more” trap of priority overload. They dig into why deprioritizing anything at work feels so psychologically and politically fraught, how identity and sunk costs keep teams clinging to low-impact efforts, and ways for leadership teams to prioritize at a org wide level, not just assemble a laundry list of everyone’s pet projects.

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Ready to start changing your organization? Let's talk! https://www.theready.com/working-together

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Mentioned references:

00:00 Intro + Check-In: What’s a molehill you’re willing to defend until the end?

03:52 The Pattern: We prioritize everything and nothing gets done

06:01 John Cutler’s 4 Jobs of Prioritization

10:08 Why it’s so hard to stop doing lower value things

18:35 Difference altitudes of priorities

22:23 Where leaders mess up prioritization

25:11 Continuous steering version of priorities

33:05 Idea 1: Use a variant of WSJF for your own variables

37:21 Idea 2: Shift from saying “no” to “not right now”

39:27 Idea 3: Visualize your work to “see” deprioritization

41:26 Idea 4: Openly talk about conflicting priorities

44:00 Wrap up: Share the show with your coworkers!

Sound engineering and design by Taylor Marvin of ⁠⁠⁠Coupe Studios⁠⁠⁠.

Despite an explosion of frameworks, toolkits, and “best practices,” the success rate of organizational change hasn’t improved in over a decade. For all the decks, comms plans, and transformation initiatives being sold, most companies still find themselves stuck, repeating the same plays and hoping for different results.

This week, Rodney Evans welcomes back Michael Bungay Stanier—best-selling author, host of the new podcast Change Signal, and longtime friend of the show—who’s on a mission to cut through the noise and find what actually works. They explore why change still feels so weird, the real leverage points for shifting individual and organizational behavior, and whether it’s finally time to retire “change management” as we know it.

Get a copy of Michael's change quadrants he talks about in this episode here: Michael's quadrants.

Learn more about Michael:

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Ready to start changing your organization? Let's talk! ⁠https://www.theready.com/working-together⁠

Want future of work insights and experiments you can try delivered to your inbox? ⁠Sign up here⁠.

Follow us on your favorite platforms for more org design nerdery:

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Mentioned references:

Timestamps:

00:00 Intro + Check-In: Do you have a non-work related goal that you’re working towards right now?

9:59 Michael’s journey to un-weird change

14:49 Michael’s individual and organizational unlocks for change

21:24 Importance of strong foundational habits to succeed in change work

25:37 Understanding of power dynamics in change work

33:27 Outdated change mindsets to let go of

38:38 Rodney and Michael’s takeaways

40:28 Wrap up: Leave us a review and share the show with your coworkers!

Sound engineering and design by Taylor Marvin of ⁠⁠Coupe Studios⁠⁠.

In this miniseries, we’re exploring Depthfinding—an easy-to-grasp framework designed to help leaders and teams solve their gnarliest cross-functional challenges.

This week, Rodney and Sam reflect on what they’ve learned over the course of this eight-part miniseries—about the framework, their own Midnight Zones, and what it means to navigate complexity amidst uncertainty. They share how their thinking has evolved since launching the series, when Depthfinding is most useful (and when it’s not), and why every organization eventually has to ask: Who are we designing for?

The end of the miniseries isn’t the end of Depthfinding. Now it’s time for you to dive in.

Download the Depthfinding guide⁠ to get the template and examples of how to use it.

Want to learn more about Depthfinding? Head here: ⁠theready.com/depthfinding⁠

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Mentioned references:

00:00 Intro + Check-In: What is the warning label on the back of your box?

04:26 Depthfinding’s impact on our work

08:19 New discoveries from the miniseries

13:50 Limitations of Depthfinding

16:34 Troubleshooting consultants stuck in one zone

22:14 What’s next for Depthfinding

25:14 What’s next for the podcast

27:11 Wrap up: Leave us a review and share the show with your colleagues

This episode's theme music is ⁠Yaggadang by BG & Coyote Radio⁠.

Sound engineering and design by Taylor Marvin of ⁠Coupe Studios⁠.

In this miniseries, we’re exploring Depthfinding—an easy-to-grasp framework designed to help leaders and teams solve their gnarliest cross-functional challenges.

This week, Rodney and Sam dive into one of the most pivotal (and misunderstood) aspects of the framework: stewardship. Depthfinding is built on the idea that organizations are like oceans, not aquariums. That means leaders have to show up in an entirely new way—not as a boss, a hero, or a disciplinarian, but as someone responsible for the ongoing health of a complex system.

Embracing stewardship can be an uphill battle thanks to the ghosts of leadership past and the inner work required to show up well in complexity. But when facing down uncertainty, building the conditions for resilience and learning to steward across each Depthfinding zone offers a new way forward.

Get the PDF Rodney and Sam talk about in this episode

Download the Depthfinding guide to get the template and examples of how to use it.

Want to learn more about Depthfinding? Head here: theready.com/depthfinding

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Mentioned references:

00:00 Intro + Check-In: What is an underrated condiment?

03:46 Stewardship is how to put Depthfinding into action

08:32 Leadership ghosts of the industrial age: Henry Ford and the org chart

15:10 Leadership ghosts of the information age: Jack Welch and cult of personality

20:11 De-centering leaders and re-centering the organization for the future

23:50 Stewardship in the Midnight Zone playbook

28:13 Leaders modeling Midnight Zone moves is critical

30:29 Stewardship in the Twilight Zone playbook

35:46 Stewardship in the Sunshine Zone playbook

38:13 Stewardship in the Sky playbook

43:40 Wrap up: Leave us a review and share this episode with your colleagues!

This episode's theme music is Yaggadang by BG & Coyote Radio.

Sound engineering and design by Taylor Marvin of Coupe Studios.

In this miniseries, we’re exploring Depthfinding—an easy-to-grasp framework designed to help leaders and teams solve their gnarliest cross-functional challenges.

This week, Rodney and Sam zoom out. Because here’s the truth: the experience the last few months in the U.S.? It’s not an exception. It’s the environment we’re working in now.

From top-down compliance crackdowns to the resurrection of five-layer approval chains, we’re watching organizations double down on control just as the world demands more adaptability. Many teams feel stuck waiting for the storm to pass—without realizing that this is the weather now.

In this episode, we unpack what’s going on, what it means to lead when volatility is the default, and how to stop standing still and get moving.

Download the Depthfinding guide to get the template and examples of how to use it.

Want to learn more about Depthfinding? Head here: theready.com/depthfinding

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Follow us on your favorite platforms for more org design nerdery:

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Mentioned references:

00:00 Intro + Check-In: What’s a notable wildlife encounter you’ve had?

05:03 Understanding the moment we’re in

07:01 Efficiency in principle vs execution

11:31 Broad cuts that don’t acknowledge complexity

14:57 Midnight Zone churn

19:29 Big sky mandates that are a distraction from real work

28:18 Navigating the changing sky within your organization

34:11 Compounding crises are likely, plan for uncertainty

38:34 Parting thoughts

39:33 Wrap up: leave us a review and send us your questions!

This episode's theme music is Yaggadang by BG & Coyote Radio.

Sound engineering and design by Taylor Marvin of Coupe Studios.

Rebroadcast note: With everything happening in the world right now, we're taking a quick break from our miniseries to reshare this episode about layoffs. Because sometimes large layoffs are necessary, but they shouldn't be the norm and those being let go should still be treated like humans, rather than a line on a spreadsheet. If you listened the first time around, share this episode with someone in your network who might need it (especially if they're a government employee 😬). We'll be back in two weeks with a brand new episode.

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We won’t mince words: Layoffs suck. They heap very real stress and chaos onto very real people’s lives. And as we’ve seen reported lately, big waves of layoffs are hitting several companies—and thousands of people—hard right now. This pile of not-good news sparked some questions for us, like: Why are layoffs a go-to cost-cutting lever? What pre-layoff org design decisions put employers and employees in this gnarly position? And why does every CEO letter announcing mass layoffs sound like it was written by the same robot?

In today’s episode, Aaron and Rodney, who’ve been on both sides of the layoff aisle, spend time with these queries and dig into:

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Mentioned references: