Eric Anicich was a USC professor with 18 consecutive journal article rejections on his desk. Not knowing where to turn to professionally, he decided to do something completely different. He signed up as a Postmates driver in the gig economy. As he completed hundreds of rides, Eric went from rejection to research, crafting an investigative project on work, identity, and the highs and lows of the gig economy.

Dr. Anicich is an associate professor of management and organization at USC’s Marshall School of Business. His research on the forms and functions of social hierarchy within groups and work has been published in several prestigious outlets, such as the Harvard Business Review, the New York Times, and leading academic journals like the Academy of Management Review and Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

In this episode, Dart and Eric discuss:
- Eric’s research on the gig economy
- The negative effects of the gig economy on employees and their life narratives
- What a holding environment is and why every job needs one
- Shaping personal identity through work
- Algorithmic management vs. human management
- When a hierarchy helps at work and when it hurts
- Exploring the possibility of multiple company cultures within one organization
- The challenges, opportunities, and hidden power of middle management
- And other topics…

Dr. Eric Anicich is an associate professor of management and organization at USC’s Marshall School of Business. His research on the forms and functions of social hierarchy within groups has appeared in Forbes, CNN, the New York Times, TIME, The Wall Street Journal, Harvard Business Review, and others. He has also been published in leading academic journals, including the Academy of Management Review, Organization Science, Psychological Science, and Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Eric received his Ph.D. from Columbia Business School, MSc from the University of Oxford, and BA from Northwestern University. He was recognized as Poets & Quant’s “Top 50 Undergraduate Business Professors” in 2021.

Resources Mentioned:
“Dehumanization Is a Feature of Gig Work, not a Bug,” by Eric Anicich: https://hbr.org/2022/06/dehumanization-is-a-feature-of-gig-work-not-a-bug
The Anatomy of Genres, by John Truby: https://www.amazon.com/Anatomy-Genres-Story-Forms-Explain/dp/0374539227
Working, by Studs Terkel: https://www.amazon.com/Working-People-Talk-About-What/dp/1565843428
“The myth of the flat start-up,” by Saerom (Ronnie) Lee: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/smj.3333

Connect with Eric:
USC Marshall School of Business: https://www.marshall.usc.edu/personnel/eric-anicich
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/eric-anicich-4340a918/
Harvard Business Review: https://hbr.org/search?term=eric%20m.%20anicich 

Work with Dart:
Dart is the CEO and co-founder of the work design firm 11fold. Build work that makes employees feel alive, connected to their work, and focused on what’s most important to the business. Book a call at 11fold.com.

Matt Higgins was a struggling teen, working at McDonald’s for $3.75/hr to put food on the table for his ailing mother. When he saw the pay increase offered to college students, he decided to do something unorthodox; he dropped out of high school, got his GED, and enrolled in college. Adults tried to talk him out of it, but Matt knew this was the right choice for him.

This was Matt's first "burn the boats" moment, but it wasn't his last. In fact, Matt believes this burn-the-boats mindset has defined his career, and has led him to places like Shark Tank, Harvard Business School, and beyond. Today, he joins us on Work For Humans to discuss the Burn the Boats philosophy.

Matt is the co-founder and CEO of RSE Ventures, a private equity firm that incubates and invests in enterprises like the International Champions Cup, RESY, and the Drone Racing League. He is the recipient of the Ellis Island Medal of Honor, a current executive fellow at Harvard Business School, and the author of Burn the Boats.

In this episode, Dart and Matt discuss:
- How backup plans subvert our potential
- Emotional intelligence and intuition in decision-making
- Using anxiety to drive us
- Assessing opportunity costs
- Extracting value from negative situations
- Acting early and taking risks for greater results
- Elon Musk and Twitter
- And other topics…

Matt Higgins is an operator, investor, business builder, and co-founder and CEO of RSE Ventures. Matt Began his career as the youngest press secretary in New York City, later becoming an executive for the New York Jets and the Miami Dolphins. As CEO of RSE Ventures, Matt and co-founder Stephen Ross have helped establish enterprises like the International Champions Cup, RESY, and the Drone Racing League.

Matt received his bachelor’s degree from Queens College and his JD from Fordham University. He was a guest shark on ABC’s Shark Tank and is an executive fellow at Harvard Business School. In 2019, Matt received the Ellis Island Medal of Honor for making it his mission to share his wealth of knowledge with those less fortunate. Matt recently published his first book, Burn the Boats, to continue to inspire others to toss Plan B overboard and go all in on Plan A.

Resources Mentioned:
Burn the Boats, by Matt Higgins: https://www.amazon.com/Burn-Boats-Overboard-Unleash-Potential/dp/006308886X  

Connect with Matt:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matt-higgins-rse/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mhiggins/?hl=en
www.BurntheBoatsBook.co

Work with Dart:
Dart is the CEO and co-founder of the work design firm 11fold. Build work that makes employees feel alive, connected to their work, and focused on what’s most important to the business. Book a call at 11fold.com.

Over the last century, the world of work has changed extensively. We’ve experienced growth in the service sector, increased participation of women and minorities, and the rise of automation and technology – yet, oddly enough, many HR practices haven’t evolved much or at all. Melissa Swift, the Transformation Leader for North America at the Mercer consulting firm, believes that it’s time to update HR to finally meet the demands of today’s workplace.

Melissa Swift is a recognized authority on humanistic workplace transformation and the author of Work Here Now: Think Like a Human and Build a Powerhouse Workplace. As the Transformation Leader for North America Mercer, she helps C-suite executives and organizations reinvent the employee experience, drive performance, and create a sustainable competitive advantage.

In this episode, Dart and Melissa discuss:
- Uncovering the dark history and roots of HR practices
- The evolution of traditional and agile HR models
- Work Here Now, by Melissa Swift
- The danger of excessive customer centricity
- Mapping customer journeys alongside employee journeys
- Research findings on what makes work pleasant or unpleasant
- The competing demands and complexities of the CPO role
- The impact of unrealistic expectations in the age of technology
- Pitfalls of a cost-centered approach to work
- And other topics…

Melissa Swift is a recognized authority on humanistic workplace transformation and the author of Work Here Now: Think Like a Human and Build a Powerhouse Workplace. She is the Transformation Leader for North America Mercer, an HR and wealth management consultancy that helps C-suite executives and organizations reinvent the employee experience, drive performance, and create a sustainable competitive advantage.

Across her diverse career, Melissa has founded a research institute on leadership of the future for Russell Reynolds Associates, launched two ESG practices at Deloitte, and conducted landmark carbon credit trades for Deutsche Bank. Her research has been published in Harvard Business Review and The Wall Street Journal, and her insights have been quoted in Newsweek, The Washington Post, The Economist, and more. She has also been featured as one of Twitter’s “20 Digital Transformation Leaders to Follow” and named a “Top Influencer on the Future of Work” by Onalytica.

Resources Mentioned:
Work Here Now, by Melissa Swift: https://www.amazon.com/Work-Here-Now-Powerhouse-Workplace/dp/B0BVX6J4V1
The No Asshole Rule, by Robert Sutton: https://www.amazon.com/The-No-Asshole-Rule-audiobook/dp/B000NOKBYS
Mapping Experiences, by James Kalbach: https://www.amazon.com/Mapping-Experiences-Complete-Alignment-Blueprints/dp/1492076635
The Anatomy of Genres, by John Truby: https://www.amazon.com/Anatomy-Genres-Story-Forms-Explain/dp/0374539227
Humanocracy, by Gary Hamel: https://www.amazon.com/Humanocracy-Creating-Organizations-Amazing-People/dp/B08F2RZ6VH

Connect with Melissa:
LinkedIn:

Work with Dart:
Dart is the CEO and co-founder of the work design firm 11fold. Build work that makes employees feel alive, connected to their work, and focused on what’s most important to the business. Book a call at 11fold.com.

Alain Thys is an experience architect who has positively impacted half a billion customers and over 350,000 employees worldwide. Working with top brands such as Adidas, ING, Mercedes, and Deloitte, Alain and his team have created and implemented innovative work experiences that drive business profits – without sacrificing employee and customer experiences.

Alain is the former Managing Partner of Futurelab and founder of Alain Thys & Co. His company implements experiences that improve profitability by engaging teams around a common purpose, enriching customer lives through meaning, and differentiating brands from the competition.

In this episode, Dart and Alain discuss:
- Turning company vision into experiences for employees and customers
- Designing work that motivates good employee behavior
- Building custom solutions for customers
- Finding and attracting the right employees for your business
- The biggest mistakes in customer programs
- Anticipating and meeting future customer needs
- The challenges of CRMs, and potential AI solutions
- Key factors that drive stakeholders and shape their experiences
- And other topics…

Alain Thys is an experience architect who has impacted over half a billion customers and over 350,000 employees worldwide. With his team, he has created and implemented new work experiences to help drive business profit for clients like Adidas, Audi, Mercedes, Reebok, and Toyota. His book, So You Want To Be Customer-Centric? is an executive action guide that helps businesses focus on customers without sacrificing profitability.

In Belgium, Alain served as the Managing Partner of Futurelab and Advisory Board Member of BrightFish, after which he founded Shalima Ventures and Alain Thys & Co. Alain’s company implements experiences that boost revenue by engaging teams around a common purpose, enriching customer lives through meaning, and differentiating brands from the competition.

Resources Mentioned:
So You Want To Be Customer-Centric? , by Alain Thys: https://www.amazon.com/You-Want-Customer-Centric-Profitable-Relations/dp/1463785143

Connect with Alain:
www.alainthys.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alainthys 

Work with Dart:
Dart is the CEO and co-founder of the work design firm 11fold. Build work that makes employees feel alive, connected to their work, and focused on what’s most important to the business. Book a call at 11fold.com.

Industrial capitalism has treated workers like marionettes breaking down work into discreet, disconnected, repeatable actions. It loves uniformity and people who do what they're told. Seth Godin’s new book, The Song of Significance,  challenges us to break free of these limiting mental models, many of which are still baked into how we work.

Seth Godin is an author, entrepreneur, and marketing expert whose past clients include AOL, Microsoft, Penguin, and Random House. His 20 bestselling books, Ted Talks, personal blog, and altMBA program have empowered millions of professionals to drive meaningful change at work.

In this episode, Dart and Seth discuss:
- The Song of Significance
- Choosing and creating jobs of value instead of production
- Eliminating drudgery from work
- How the industrial revolution shaped work, education, and society
- The power of small connections and communities in marketing
- False proxies in the hiring process
- The hiring method that lowers turnover and increases productivity
- Criticizing work instead of the worker
- And other topics…

Seth Godin is a highly influential author, entrepreneur, and marketing expert whose achievements have transformed how we think about business and personal development. His company, Yoyodyne, created the first ethical commercial email and was later sold to Yahoo!, where Seth became the VP of Direct Marketing. He later founded several other successful companies, working with clients such as AOL, Microsoft, Penguin, and Random House.

Seth has written 20 bestselling books translated into more than 35 languages, including Permission Marketing, Purple Cow, and, most recently, The Song of Significance. His TED Talks and personal blog have amassed millions of views, and his online workshop, altMBA, has empowered thousands of professionals to drive meaningful change in their industries. He is also the founding editor of The Carbon Almanac, a global almanac on climate created by hundreds of volunteers from over 40 countries.

Resources Mentioned:
The Song of Significance, by Seth Godin: https://www.amazon.com/Song-Significance-New-Manifesto-Teams/dp/0593715543
The Ministry for the Future, by Kim Stanley Robinson: https://www.amazon.com/Ministry-Future-Kim-Stanley-Robinson/dp/0316300136
The Carbon Almanac, by Seth Godin and The Carbon Almanac Network: https://www.amazon.com/Carbon-Almanac-Its-Not-Late/dp/B09XBYL7J3 

Connect with Seth:
Blog: https://seths.blog/
AI Bot: https://seths.blog/bot/
Seth’s latest book: https://seths.blog/song/ 

Work with Dart:
Dart is the CEO and co-founder of the work design firm 11fold. Build work that makes employees feel alive, connected to their work, and focused on what’s most important to the business. Book a call at 11fold.com.

Is joy too much to ask of work? Viral trends like the Great Resignation and Quiet Quitting have made it seem like work and life are at odds. Having studied the sociology of work for over two decades, Dr. Tracy Brower believes employees can find agency and happiness in the workplace – especially when employers create the right conditions.

Dr. Tracy Brower is an author, award-winning speaker, and Ph.D. sociologist with over 25 years of experience studying work and fulfillment. She is the author of The Secrets to Happiness at Work and Bring Work to Life by Bringing Life to Work. Her work has been translated into 16 languages and is featured in Forbes, Fast Company, TEDx, The Wall Street Journal, and Fortune.com, among others.

In this episode, Dart and Tracy discuss:
- The importance of agency in the workplace
- Common myths about work and organizations
- Valuing all types of work, and recognizing unique contributions
- Creating intentional relationships at work
- How employees can find purpose in their work
- Creating the right growth opportunities for employees
- The challenges of middle management
- Employees as a Market of One
- Assertive agency vs. aggressive agency in competitive markets
- And other topics…

Dr. Tracy Brower is an author, award-winning speaker, and Ph.D. sociologist dedicated to studying work-life fulfillment and happiness. She is the Vice President of Workplace Insights and has over 25 years of experience helping global clients reach their business goals. She is also the author of The Secrets to Happiness at Work and Bring Work to Life by Bringing Life to Work.

Tracy holds a Ph.D. in sociology, a Master of Management in Organizational Culture, and a Master of Corporate Real Estate with a workplace specialization. Her work has been translated into 16 languages and featured in Forbes, Fast Company, TEDx, The Wall Street Journal, and Fortune.com, among others.

Resources Mentioned:
The Secrets to Happiness at Work, by Tracy Brower: https://www.amazon.com/Secrets-Happiness-Work-Purpose-Fulfillment/dp/1728230896
“Middle Managers Have It Bad,” by Tracy Brower: https://www.forbes.com/sites/tracybrower/2023/03/26/middle-managers-have-it-bad-5-things-they-need-most/?sh=1d577c89617d
Lean In, by Sheryl Sandberg: https://www.amazon.com/Lean-Women-Work-Will-Lead/dp/0385349947

Connect with Tracy:
www.TracyBrower.com
Steelcase.com: https://www.steelcase.com/research/articles/topics/wellbeing/happiness-work-lessons-home/
Forbes: https://www.forbes.com/sites/tracybrower/?sh=7ea5a9c35185 

Work with Dart:
Dart is the CEO and co-founder of the work design firm 11fold. Build work that makes employees feel alive, connected to their work, and focused on what’s most important to the business. Book a call at 11fold.com.

Jim Kalbach wrote the book on the jobs to be done research methodology (JTBD). Jim argues persuasively, that JTBD is way more than a tool for understanding what customers really want from a product. When used right, it can be the organizing principle that gets every part of a company pointing in the same direction, all towards satisfying customer needs. 

In this episode, Dart and Jim discuss:
- Applying the Jobs to Be Done theory and methodology to business
- Understanding and identifying the unmet needs of a marketplace
- Promoting innovation by focusing on problems, not solutions
- Jobs to Be Done in HR to find the right work for employees
- Social, emotional, and differential factors that affect product market fit
- Developing product lines to meet different circumstances
- The Jobs to Be Done tools that help teams align their focus
- And more…

Jim Kalbach is an author, speaker, and instructor in innovation, design, and the future of work. After consulting for large companies such as eBay, Audi, Sony, and Citrix, Jim became Co-Founder and Principal at the JTBD (Jobs to Be Done) Toolkit, an online resource with learning, training, and content on human-centered business. He is also the current Chief Evangelist at Mural, the leading online whiteboard.

Jim lived in Germany for 15 years, where he founded the European Information Architecture conferences and the leading UX design event, IA Konferenz. In 2013, he moved back to the United States and wrote Mapping Experiences and The Jobs to Be Done Playbook, among other publications. He is also the former editor of Boxes and Arrows and a former advisory board member of the Information Architecture Institute.

Resources Mentioned:
The Jobs To Be Done Playbook, by Jim Kalbach: https://www.amazon.com/Jobs-Be-Done-Playbook-Organization/dp/1933820683
Mapping Experiences, by Jim Kalbach: https://www.amazon.com/Mapping-Experiences-Complete-Creating-Blueprints/dp/1491923539
Jobs to Be Done toolkit: https://www.jtbdtoolkit.com/
The Experience Economy, by Joseph Pine: https://www.amazon.com/Experience-Economy-New-Preface-Authors/dp/1633697975

Connect with Jim:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kalbach/
www.JTBDtoolkit.com 

Work with Dart:
Dart is the CEO and co-founder of the work design firm 11fold. Build work that makes employees feel alive, connected to their work, and focused on what’s most important to the business. Book a call at 11fold.com.

From the layout of the supermarket to the colors and packaging of products, companies are constantly shaping and adapting to a mix of human nature and changing consumer trends. In this episode, we apply this perspective to the workplace and explore what we can do to design work that people want.
 
Paco Underhill is a researcher, speaker, and expert on consumer trends, working with clients like Microsoft, McDonald's, Adidas, and Estee Lauder. He is the founder and former CEO of Envirosell, Inc. His New York Times bestseller, Why We Buy, has been translated into 27 languages and deemed a guide to consumer behavior for over two decades.

In this episode, Dart and Paco discuss:
- Paco’s books, How We Eat and Why We Buy
- Observational research behind retail and consumer behavior
- The 6 things you must consider when discussing work or retail
- How to attract the right customers and employees
- The shopping models of the future
- Creating smoother workdays and happier employees
- How to collect the right data to improve a workplace
- And other topics…

Paco Underhill is the founder and former CEO of Envirosell, Inc., a market research and consulting company that helped invent the science of shopping. As a researcher, speaker, and expert on consumer trends, Paco has tailored retail environments to customers, working with clients like Microsoft, McDonald's, Adidas, and Estee Lauder.

Paco has lived in a multitude of cities and worked in 50 countries as a speaker, presenter, and consultant. He is a regular contributor to The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times. His New York Times bestseller, Why We Buy, has been translated into 27 languages and deemed a guide to consumer behavior for over two decades.

Resources Mentioned:
How We Eat, by Paco Underhill: https://www.amazon.com/How-We-Eat-Brave-World/dp/1982127090
Why We Buy, by Paco Underhill: https://www.amazon.com/Why-We-Buy-Science-Shopping-ebook/dp/B001QA4SY2
“A Veteran Researcher Looks at the Subject of Shoes,” by Paco Underhill: https://www.therobinreport.com/a-veteran-researcher-looks-at-the-subject-of-shoes/
The Experience Economy, by Joseph Pine: https://www.amazon.com/Experience-Economy-New-Preface-Authors/dp/1633697975

Connect with Paco:
www.pacounderhill.com

Work with Dart:
Dart is the CEO and co-founder of the work design firm 11fold. Build work that makes employees feel alive, connected to their work, and focused on what’s most important to the business. Book a call at 11fold.com.

Platform businesses like Uber, Etsy, and Airbnb bring together customers who have complementary needs to a place where they can exchange value with one another. But a thriving platform can't be forced into existence. It must be cultivated like a garden. From ensuring fairness and trust, balancing innovation with regulation, and curating rights to intellectual property, these businesses must orchestrate a living system.

Today we are joined by Alex Komoroski. Alex is an expert in platform businesses with over a decade of hands-on experience as a leader and product manager, designing some of the most influential platforms, and thinking deeply about the principles underlying their success. He is an avid writer on project management, web standards, the power dynamics and creation of platforms, and other topics.

In this episode, Dart and Alex discuss:
- The structure and function of platforms in business
- The power dynamics of providers
- Embracing uncertainty at work instead of fearing it
- Employees as free agents
- Building a flourishing ecosystem around a platform
- Loosening boundaries at work
- The rules for creating effective communities
- The importance of play at work for creativity and innovation
- And other topics…

Alex Komoroske is an expert with over a decade of experience in project management and platforms, exploring the world of platform businesses and the keys to their success. As a former director and project manager for Google, Alex led the Google Chrome web platform product management team. He is the current Head of Corporate Strategy for Stripe.

Alex graduated from Harvard University, where his thesis focused on the emergent paradynamics of Wikipedia’s user community. He is an avid writer of various term papers, articles, blogs, and other publications on project management, web standards, and the power dynamics and creation of platforms.

Resources Mentioned:
The Doorbell in the Jungle, by Alex Komoroske: https://medium.com/@komorama/the-doorbell-in-the-jungle-cca22fbd78d0
The Flux Collective: https://read.fluxcollective.org/
The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences: https://www.pnas.org/
Talent Wants to Be Free, by Orly Lobel: https://www.amazon.com/Talent-Wants-Be-Free-Should/dp/0300166273
Next Now: https://www.next-now.org/

Connect with Alex:
www.komoroske.com 

Work with Dart:
Dart is the CEO and co-founder of the work design firm 11fold. Build work that makes employees feel alive, connected to their work, and focused on what’s most important to the business. Book a call at 11fold.com.

As an international correspondent for NPR, Gregory Warner has lived and worked in some of the highest conflict areas in recent memory. He has climbed mountains with smugglers in Pakistan for This American Life, descended into illegal mineshafts in the Democratic Republic of Congo for Marketplace's "Working" series, and lugged his accordion across Afghanistan on the trail of the "Afghan Elvis" for Radiolab. On one occasion, while covering the terror attacks in Nairobi, he found himself in the middle of a coup. To save his own life, he had to hide in a large vase until the fighting subsided.

Greg was named a Poynter Fellow in Journalism at Yale and received a Peabody Award for his journalism work. His podcast, Rough Translation, was named one of the New York Times’s Top 10 podcasts of 2021. Last season, he ran a series of surprising stories about workplaces and work cultures around the world. Today, he joins us on Work For Humans to discuss those stories.
 
In this episode, Dart and Gregory discuss:
- The power of storytelling through a local’s perspective
- Cultural norms, societal pressures, and value clashes around the world
- Chinese workers protesting work through slacking
- How crisis, government, and our parents shape workplace culture
- South Korea’s work trend of adopting English first names
- How countries brand themselves, and how this trickles down to work
- The exportation of Silicon Valley's work culture
- Jobs like truck driving that can push one into solitude
- The danger of hearing from a narrow set of international voices
- And other topics...

Gregory Warner has been an international correspondent for NPR for over a decade. As the host and creator of the NPR podcast Rough Translation, he has lived around the world and in conflict zones like Afghanistan, Ukraine, and Rwanda. Gregory was named a Poynter Fellow in Journalism at Yale and has received various awards for his journalism work, including a Peabody Award. Rough Translation unpacks cultural norms, issues, and shifts close to home from a continent away. The podcast has received multiple awards from the Overseas Press Club and was named one of the New York Times’s Top 10 podcasts of 2021.

Resources Mentioned:
Rough Translation podcast: https://www.npr.org/podcasts/510324/rough-translation
Slackers@Work: A Song for the Exhausted podcast episode: https://www.npr.org/2022/05/31/1102281666/slackers-work-a-song-for-the-exhausted
Outliers, by Malcolm Gladwell: https://www.amazon.com/Outliers-Story-Success-Malcolm-Gladwell/dp/0316017930

Connect with Gregory:
Around the World in 85 Days substack: https://aroundtheworldin85days.substack.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/radiogrego/ 

Work with Dart:
Dart is the CEO and co-founder of the work design firm 11fold. Build work that makes employees feel alive, connected to their work, and focused on what’s most important to the business. Book a call at 11fold.com.