Work For Humans

The 3 Needs of Self-Determination Theory: What People Really Want from Work | Richard Ryan

In the 1970s, Richard Ryan and Ed Deci ran experiments on what rewards do to motivation. They found that people did what they were asked, but were less motivated by rewar

Humanity-Centered Design: Who Is Your Product Really For? | Don Norman, Revisited

At 86, Don Norman decided his life’s work was not enough. While his books made gadgets easier to use, they could not fix a world in crisis. So he looked back on his years

200 Episodes of Work for Humans: The Life-Changing ROI of Podcasting | Jason Ames

Dart Lindsley wanted to publish a book, but agent after agent turned him down despite the quality of his work. Finally, one told him why: he wasn't famous. So he cli

Radical Respect: How to Say What You Mean Without Being a Jerk | Kim Scott, Revisited

In her first job out of college, Kim Scott thought managing Russian diamond cutters would be simple: pay them well and the rest follows. It wasn't. They wanted a pic

Pay for Performance: How Compensation Becomes a System of Control | James A. Seechurn

James Seechurn spent over a decade building compensation programs on a simple premise: design the incentive right, and you'll get the behavior you want. But his firs

Dangerously Incompetent: How AI and Robots Are Deskilling the Workforce | Matt Beane, Revisited

In robotic surgery, a device good enough to let the surgeon operate alone makes the resident, the future expert, optional. Matt Beane saw this pattern everywhere technolo

Employees Are Family: How John Chambers Played Hardball at Cisco Without Getting Ruthless

Under John Chambers, Cisco grew from $70 million to $47 billion, completed 180 acquisitions, and became the most valuable company in the world. He built the company on on

7 Rules for Gaining Power and Influence at Work | Jeffrey Pfeffer, Revisited

Jeffrey Pfeffer has spent decades showing that people-first companies outperform, and just as long watching that evidence lose to habit. His answer is blunt: whether you&

Positive Discipline at Work: Why People Do Better When They Feel Better | Alanna Beebe

Parents come to Alanna Beebe's classes hoping to change their kid. But by the second week, most of them realize the person who needs to change is them. Soon after, t

How Companies Create Bad Performers | Elena Aylott, Revisited

When Elena Aylott was asked to lead HR at Oriflame Cosmetics, she initially saw the function as administrative and feared becoming a “chief firing officer.” Instead, she

How Sabbaticals Can Change Your Career | DJ DiDonna

DJ DiDonna had built the kind of career many people would be reluctant to walk away from. He cofounded a growing company, built a life around work, and had every reason t

What We Get Wrong About Work | Barry Schwartz, Revisited

We’ve spent decades designing work around the idea that people need incentives to perform. But what happens when the systems designed to motivate people actually get in t

When Career Success Feels Unfulfilling | Megan Hellerer

Megan Hellerer had done everything she was supposed to do. She went to Stanford, graduated with a 3.9, and dutifully climbed the ladder at Google. But the life that looke

The Core Value Equation: Building Culture That Scales | Darius Mirshahzadeh, Revisited

Darius Mirshahzadeh built the company he'd always wanted. In just three years, he grew it from a one-person operation into one of the fastest-growing companies in th

The Missing Discipline for Better Work | Chris Metcalfe

After years building software products, Chris Metcalfe crossed into People & Culture and noticed something surprising. Organizations invested enormous effort into underst

Jobs to Be Done: A Better Way to Understand Customers | Jim Kalbach, Revisited

Most companies obsess over products, but Jim Kalbach believes they're asking the wrong question. Customers don't buy products because of what they are. They "hi

Designing Better Work With Product Thinking | Vanessa Monsequeira

Vanessa Monsequeira spent years leading change initiatives and helping organizations roll out new systems. Again and again, she saw that the hardest part wasn't conv

Beyond HR: The Rise of Human Development | Bob Aubrey, Revisited

Dr. Bob Aubrey has spent decades advancing the field of human development across Asia. With experience spanning 25 countries and six continents, he founded and chairs the

Teal Organizations: A Better Way to Organize Work | Matthew Spaur

Most organizations are built around hierarchy, clear reporting lines, and top-down control. But a growing number are experimenting with a different way of organizing work

Experience Design: Creating More Meaningful Work | Abraham Burickson, Revisited

Twenty years ago, Abraham Burickson and his collaborators asked a simple question: what if a work of art were designed for just one person? Instead of creating experience