Org Design Podcast

By Amy Springer, Tim Brewer, Damian BramanisBusiness Entrepreneurship Management

Org Design Podcast episodes

July 11, 2024 Insights on Org Design from Shubha Narayanan on AI, Collaboration, and the UNSPEND Model
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In the latest episode of the Org Design Podcast, hosts Tim Brewer and Amy Springer welcome Shubha Narayanan, a partner at OrgSmith, to discuss all things organization design and workforce transformation. Shubha shares her insights on the evolving role of org design, emphasizing the importance of solving problems through people and processes rather than mere structures. She delves into her journey from working at KPMG to leading OrgSmith, highlighting the importance of aligning organizational structures with business strategies. The conversation also touches on the impact of AI on org design, the need for horizontal organizations, and the crucial role of leaders in fostering collaboration and innovation. Shubha's UNSPEND model for org design is explained, providing listeners with a comprehensive approach to tackling organizational challenges. This episode is a must-listen for anyone interested in creating agile, efficient, and scalable organizations.
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22 min
July 04, 2024 Unlocking Org Success: from Paul Tolchinsky, a founding father of modern org design
Paul Tolchinsky discusses his journey into organizational design, emphasizing the importance of human interaction and systemic thinking over traditional hierarchical structures. He highlights the need for leaders to embrace resistance, engage with employees at all levels, and create adaptive, responsive systems.
Tolchinsky advocates for leaders to ask good questions, listen, and integrate diverse perspectives to foster a more inclusive and effective organizational environment. He also mentions his new venture, Change Accelerators, aimed at leveraging experienced professionals to drive meaningful change.
18 min
June 24, 2024 Leading with Empathy: CEO Drew Sechrist on key org design decisions and navigating a down-size
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Drew Sechrist, CEO of Connect the Dots, discusses the challenges of organizational design and the importance of empathy in leadership. He shares his experience of having to lay off 20% of his company, emphasizing the importance of clear communication and support for affected team members. Sechrist also highlights the benefits of having a geographically diverse team, with operations in both the United States and Serbia, and how the company has adapted to remote work.
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38 min
April 10, 2024 Role, goal and decision clarity, and why you should never design around a person with Ron Schwartz
In the podcast interview, Ron Schwartz discusses the importance of organizational design, emphasizing the need to identify roles, goals, and decision rights. He advises against designing an organization around individuals, instead suggesting to design around what is needed to execute strategy and plans.
Schwartz also highlights the importance of open conversations in the organization, particularly when dealing with changes. He suggests that leaders should have the ability to deliberately design a conversation, considering the outcome and impact they want to have on the other person.
34 min
December 11, 2023 Growing a company from 6 to 120+ and getting thrown into Org Design with CEO Tom Douglas
Discover the secrets to creating adaptable organizations and accelerating business growth with Tom Douglas, the CEO of JMARK.
In this episode, Tom shares his valuable insights on the importance of org design, clear responsibilities, and aligning with customer and employee needs. Learn from his experiences and gain practical tips for building a successful business in today's dynamic landscape.
27 min
October 11, 2023 Unleashing the Power of Org Design: Insights from Kattie Capozza on Patterns, Connectivity, and Strategic Decision-Making
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In this podcast episode, Kattie Capozza discusses her approach to org design based on her lived experience. She emphasizes the importance of understanding cause and effect, identifying patterns, and connecting different aspects of an organization. Starting with the operating model and considering factors such as workflow, structure, talent, and business cycles can lead to more thoughtful and strategic org design decisions. Capozza also highlights the need for patience, involving employees in the design process, and providing them with choices and transparency to minimize resistance to change.
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29 min
September 18, 2023 Why Kumbaya and trust falls won't work and what's needed to avoid toxic cultures ft. Glenn Bergsma (Evolve Leadership)
In this conversation, Glenn Bergsma, an organizational and leadership development consultant from Evolve Leadership, shares his insights into organizational design. Bergsma notes that his consulting engagements often involve organizational design, which is one of the many areas of expertise that his firm specializes in.
Glenn emphasizes the importance of deep listening when identifying organizational issues. According to him, leaders need to play the video, or think ahead to future growth and scalability, to identify potential problems and areas for improvement. This approach requires leaders to be proactive and forward-thinking, which is essential in today's fast-paced and constantly changing business environment.
Another key point that Bergsma stresses is the need for organizations to develop a culture of change. He believes that companies should not rely on external consulting firms to redesign their structures, as change is happening too fast and organizations need to respond quickly. Instead, he suggests that leaders develop org design skills in-house to respond quickly to change.
Bergsma also highlights the importance of clarity in roles and responsibilities to avoid toxic cultures. He emphasizes the need for deep listening and understanding the underlying issues within an organization to identify areas for improvement. Leaders must be flexible, adaptable, and forward-thinking to ensure that their organizations remain effective and successful in the long term.
Overall, Bergsma's insights highlight the importance of deep listening, foresight, and adaptability in organizational design. By fostering a culture of change and developing org design skills internally, leaders can ensure that their organizations remain agile and responsive to change, which is critical in today's rapidly changing business environment.
29 min
August 28, 2023 Healthy Org Design Culture ft. Don McKenzie (Tribe Ventures)
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Tim Brewer (Functionly) chats with Don McKenzie (Tribe Ventures) about his experience growing organizations across Australia and the US. Then how he still prioritises org design conversations with the teams he speaks to as a venture-based investor and advisor for growing organizations.

Don covers the PAEI principles and making sure you have a "christmas tree" style org. Then most importantly, the need to create a positive and healthy org design culture that results in the team being excited about org design projects and not fearful.
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38 min
March 12, 2020 Growing (Startup) Pains and why this 100+ head CEO still interviews new hires. ft Dr. Marcus Tan (HealthEngine)
Join us are we chat with Dr. Marcus Tan, co-founder & CEO of HealthEngine: A venture backed darling of the Australian startup scene, now with over 100+ team that started in his lounge room.
Settle in for an inspiring episode as Tim & Damian explore HealthEngine's story as Marcus shares some of the lessons (and scars) he's gained along the way.
Find out more about what Marcus and his team are up to at:
https://healthengine.com.au/ • Twitter: @drmarcustan • LinkedIn: drmarcustan
🎧THE WORK DESIGN PODCAST Recorded at Spacecubed Perth, Western Australia • Hosts: Tim Brewer & Damian Bramanis • Producer: Dave Hack • Theme Music: John Okely • Voice over: Danielle Brewer • Executive Producer: Frank Llama •
Brought to you by www.functionly.com • The Work Design Podcast is dedicated to all things Org Design, Team design and job design. Join us as we together making work, work better by subscribing to the podcast, sharing it on LinkedIn.

For more on global Work Design trends head to www.functionly.com and sign up for our free monthly Work Design publication.
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29 min
March 12, 2020 Digital Transformation, Dunbar limits and Designing effective teams ft Giles Anderton (ex-Guardian)
ex-Head of Digital Transformation at the Guardian, and Principal Consultant at Cantor & Ball, Giles Anderton knows what it takes to ‘break it before you make it’.
In this podcast Tim & Damian explore Giles’ story, the effect of Dunbar’s no. on organisations and how he design teams at produce results. Listen in as they gain valuable insights on their quest to make work, work better.
24 min

About Org Design Podcast

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Leaders share real stories from organizational (org) design, workforce transformation, and managing structure change. We highlight the challenges and breakthroughs seen first hand helping…