Workplace Geeks
Workplace Geeks is the podcast on a mission to celebrate the most innovative workplace research in the world. Hosted by Chris Moriarty and Ian Ellison, each episode explores fascinating work with the authors themselves, capturing practical learning and business impacts. Join the Workplace Geeks to bridge the gap between academia and business as we explore the diverse elements that can affect workplace experience, employee value and business performance.
Workplace Geeks
Relationship-based workplace wisdom | with Ryan Anderson
Four episodes in and the Geeks are cooking on gas! For this one, we're joined by the wise and insanely amiable Ryan Anderson, VP of Global Research and Planning at workplace furniture giant MillerKnoll, home of Herman Miller, Knoll, and a host of other iconic design brands.
Ryan has lived and breathed workplace for over three decades in a wide range of roles. It's no surprise then that his thoughtful, considered perspectives on workplace design, strategy, experience and technology step beyond conventional wisdoms and overtraded ideas. We caught up with Ryan to talk furniture, industry research, post-pandemic strategies and how MillerKnoll's new concept of Relationship-Based Work developed after some recent research with Workplace Unlimited (and Audiem!) called Enticing Office. Highlights include:
- The Grand Rapids, Michigan furniture legacy and how it shaped Ryan’s career
- What the sector got wrong pre-pandemic, and how to do better now
- The problem with trying to solve complex workplace challenges with cookie-cutter solutions
- Key insights from Dr Nigel Oseland and Gary Raw’s Enticing Office research
- The importance of place-attachment for the 'return to office'
- Why 'life stage' and 'career stage' might be better thinking tools than generic generational classifiers
- Designing for meaningful human interaction, not just work activities
Also featuring a rich Reflection Section with the always-fabulous Esme Banks Marr (BVN Architecture) exploring age demographics, the sociology of workplace interaction and motivation theories, with a healthy level of constructive critique!
🎧 Dialogue editing by David Crackles
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Workplace Geeks is sponsored by 2468 Group ☕️
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