We're joined by Bob Sutton, an organizational psychologist and best-selling author, and Rebecca Hinds, the head of the work innovation lab at Asana. Bob and Rebecca highlight the need to shift from an addition mindset to a subtraction mindset to combat workplace overwhelm. They delve into the effectiveness of combining bottom-down and top-up strategies in creating changes in the workplace. Lastly, they emphasize the importance of continuously evaluating your work practices, especially with the rapidly changing tech landscape.02:55 Understanding Corporate Overwhelm04:10 The Exhaustion of Leadership Positions06:14 The Role of Technology in Overwhelm06:24 The Impact of the Pandemic on Tech Investments08:44 The Importance of a People-First Strategy11:38 The Balance Between Bottom-Up and Top-Down Strategies11:53 The Role of Meetings and Collaboration Tools21:18 The Importance of Team Resets and Refreshes27:00 The Mythical Man Month and the Problem of Overstaffing27:29 Apple's Unique Approach to Team Management27:48 The Consequences of Overhiring in Tech28:09 The Pitfalls of Spending Money as a Substitute for Action28:37 The Human Tendency Towards Addition and Its Impact on Organizations30:05 The Problem of Rewarding Addition Over Subtraction31:02 Maintaining a Successful Subtraction Mindset40:16 The Power of Constraints in Organizational Change42:39 The Importance of Continuously Evaluating Work PracticesEpisode Resources
To learn more about our guests and their work:
- Bob Sutton)
- Rebecca Hinds)
- The Friction podcast)
- Book (available for pre-order):The Friction Project: How Smart Leaders Make the Right Things Easier and the Wrong Things Harder)
The original HBR articles:
- Are Collaboration Tools Overwhelming Your Team?)
- Meeting Overload is a Fixable Problem)
To learn more about this podcat, visit:Labs.newrulesforwork.com)
