Aleksas Drozdovskis

How many methods do you believe collaborative teams need? In Asana's 2023 State of Collaboration Technology report, Rebecca Hinds, PhD writes: "A whopping 74% of knowledge workers are craving more standardization – saying that they prefer that everyone in their organization use the same set of core collaboration technologies." The report then lists the optimal number of technologies by category for driving productivity. For example, it says teams work best with 2 communication tools: one for synchronous calls and one for async updates. The same is true for collaboration methods. The sweet spot is: - 3 Decision-making methods - 4 types of well-defined meetings Standardization frees the energy that the team needs to take on all the creative, innovative tasks they wish they could focus on when instead they're trying to figure out where things are, why they're meeting, or how to get a decision made. Now I'm curious: for your area of expertise, what are the optimal number of methods or processes a team should standardize on? And what other types of standardized agreements do the teams in your world find freeing? You'll find Asana's report here: https://lnkd.in/gXra95bw

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OpenAI appears to have adopted the adage: it’s easier to ask for forgiveness than permission. Copyright issues have plagued the #AI pioneers since day one. Now, they’re providing content owners with the ability to include or exclude their work from the company’s development. While OpenAI’s tools’ progression may slow down, they have already been trained using others’ work. It’ll be interesting to see how this plays out, but I can’t help wondering, is this effort just too little too late? #transformation

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Thanks to Anjli Raval and the Financial Times for including our research and consulting in their latest article on re-engineering #performancemanagement. “Traditional performance management never worked, where you set goals at the start of the year and review them at the end. We are in a dynamic world where things are changing constantly,” says Ben Wigert, director of research and strategy at Gallup’s workplace management practice. Bosses should aim for “one meaningful feedback conversation a week”, he suggests. Managers can discuss an employee’s priorities, what support they might need, recognise good work, check in on their wellbeing or have a difficult conversation to ensure a problem does not get worse. “This is the key to doing well. It’s an ongoing process and conversation where constant adjustments are made to goals. All of this then ends up in the end of year review where nothing should be a surprise.” Readers may balk at the idea of such frequent interactions, but if managers are more in tune with their employees, perhaps workplace relationships and team performance would improve. And if things are not working out, there is earlier warning.

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ZDNET’s David Gewirtz interviewed Adobe’s Senior Director of Ethical Innovation, Grace Yee, which was published in the May 14, 2024 article, “How Adobe manages AI ethics concerns while fostering creativity.” It’s a good read.  1️⃣ The article references Adobe’s AI Ethics principles, which are published in four pages at https://lnkd.in/gXGSEu4p 2️⃣ Adobe’s #innovation efforts around #AI embody the following ethics principles: #responsibility, #accountability, and #transparency 3️⃣ Adobe conducts AI Impact Assessments, which is a best practice in #AIgovernance 4️⃣ Adobe has policies about when AI-generated images can be used #impactassessment #guardrails #riskassessment #AIimpactassessment #GenAI

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“What we are seeing is the coming into being an integrated digital art market which has both end-points where new work by major artists can be both seen by—sometimes—millions of people, and bought by collectors. That possibility has opened doors for artists of a previous generation of digital art for whom the fragmentation of digital art has meant both creative opportunity but also a terrible fragility in the preservation and market-access of their work.” #artandtechnology #arttech #digitalart #artNFTs #contemporaryart #digitalownership #futureofcollecting #futureoftheartmarket  

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I am so excited to help announce the 2024 Core77 Design Awards! 🎸 As the Jury Captain for the Sustainability category, I had the privilage of selecting a rock-star team to review student and professional entries. Immense gratitude to Erik Haug of Earth Finance, Inc., Charlie Neshyba-Hodges of ArtCenter College of Design, Zoé Bezpalko of Autodesk and Barry Waddilove ex-Electrolux for joining the team and giving your time and expertise to celebrate these designs! ✨ And now - the winners! Professional: Butlr - The AI Data Platform for Anonymous People Sensing. Butlr Fuses AI and Body Heat Sensing Technology to Shape The Future of Sustainable Buildings for Working and Living. Butlr's technology prioritizes privacy and human dignity, with a sensor designed to be discreet and easily switch off. The Heatic sensor offers easy installation, scalability, and a user-friendly interface that uses low-resolution thermal data to accurately track people's movements while respecting privacy, ultimately aiming to create responsive buildings that prioritize individual well-being. You have to check them out! https://www.butlr.com And for the Student Catagory… 🥁 Pyri - from Imperial College London & Royal College of Art leb by Richard “Blake” Goodwyn In response to the high cost and time required for current early wildfire detection solutions, Pyri was designed to be cost-effective, easy to build, integrate into existing practices, and require minimal maintenance for communities lacking wildfire infrastructure. It builds on the UNEP’s advocacy for a shift in spending towards prevention and preparedness in response to the increase in wildfires caused by climate change and human activity. Looking across catagories - many of the winners featured #sustainabledesign concepts & I’m excited to propel these principals forward to scale the positive impact designers can make on the environment and society at large! #circulardesign #circulareconomy #sustainability #industrialdesign

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KAHNEMAN ON NARROWING DECISIONS PREMATURELY A thought leader in the way decisions are made, our late Daniel Kahneman once said: "An experienced decision-maker will know not to narrow decision-making prematurely. My key recommendation is to view decisions as a product that gets manufactured in a certain way in an organization." In regard to Strategy, this tells us two things: 1. Strategy Formulation is a multi-staged process, same as a MANUFACTURING PROCESS, leading to the final product: a Strategy whose implementation is FEASIBLE, and leads to a VIABLE new business. 2. Throughout the Strategy Formulation process's stages, we should NOT PREMATURELY ASSESS whether the decisions we make within each stage lead to a feasible and viable Strategy. That is something that we should do at the exit of the process, the final Quality Check of our product: the Strategy. If the validation is OK, we advance into the Strategy Execution process, otherwise we go back to square one and improve or fine-tune our stages' decisions. See the diagram below for illustration, employing the Strategy Formulation stages of the Strategy Clockwork, which we explain, clarify, and practice in the Explaining Strategy course (May 15 - June 19). Also read: THE STORY GOES ON https://lnkd.in/d5WAdMXV MODELING STRATEGY https://lnkd.in/euSMkqaV STRATEGY IS A CYCLE, NOT A LINEAR PROCESS https://lnkd.in/dd3UVEyP THE OPEN STRATEGY PROCESS https://lnkd.in/d6iKpEDJ

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OPERATOR ☯️ HIERARCHY Unified Evolution Complexity The dissertation "The Operator Hierarchy" by Gerard Jagers op Akkerhuis introduces a groundbreaking theory that seeks to unify our understanding of the evolution of complexity across physical particles, living organisms, and artificial intelligence. The core concept, the OPERATOR HIERARCHY, is an innovative framework that organizes nature's systems through cyclical SELF-ORGANIZATION patterns, offering novel insights into the definitions of life, death, and future evolutionary steps. At the heart of this theory lies the idea of CLOSURE, particularly STRUCTURAL CLOSURE, which signifies a system's ability to maintain its boundaries and functions autonomously. This closure is pivotal in distinguishing true natural units, such as atoms, molecules, and cells, from mere aggregates. Classical concepts like ARISTOTLE's Scala Naturae and MENDELEEV's periodic table get advanced by incorporating modern scientific discoveries in physics and biology. By linking the emergence of complex systems through a chain of evolutionary steps, the operator hierarchy predicts future operators and suggests a PERIODIC TABLE for these evolutionary transitions. Fitting within the realms of TELEODYNAMICS and computational evolution, the operator hierarchy aligns with Stuart Kauffman's concept of AUTOPOIESIS and the emergent properties of self-organizing systems. Teleodynamics extends the principles of thermodynamics and self-organization to living systems, emphasizing the role of intrinsic purposiveness and goal-directed processes. The operator hierarchy’s focus on self-sustaining closures fits seamlessly within this framework, highlighting how complex systems emerge and sustain themselves through internal dynamics and interactions with their environment. Furthermore, the operator hierarchy resonates with the concept of RULIAD, a computational universe proposed by Stephen Wolfram where all possible computations define the fabric of reality. In this context, the operator hierarchy can be seen as a map of these computational pathways, where each operator represents a specific configuration of matter and energy achieving closure through computational rules. This perspective provides a computational lens to understand the evolutionary steps that lead to increasing complexity, aligning physical, biological, and artificial systems within a single theoretical framework. One of the most significant contributions of the operator hierarchy is its application to BIOFEEDBACK and HEALING for the human nervous system. The theory's focus on hierarchical organization and self-organization can inform more effective biofeedback mechanisms, targeting specific neural circuits and enhancing overall system stability. Gerard’s work embodies the essence of omnology, integrating diverse fields into a cohesive framework that bridges the gap between fundamental particles and complex organisms. This is the way! 〰️ #OperatorTheory #Omnology

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Disruption by design: Evolving experiences in the age of generative AI Designing experiences with generative AI is enabling more personalization and automation and transforming content creators into content curators. https://lnkd.in/eKrMFzBF

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I'm always on the lookout for future of work research, and when Lorenz Graf-Vlachy sent me his latest paper about how multi-CEOs (think Elon Musk running Twitter, Tesla and SpaceX at the same time or Jack Dorsey running Twitter and Square simultaneously) came to be and how they legitimised those appointments I was fascinated! What do you think? Should someone hold two CEO jobs at the same time? #leadership #ceo #futureofwork

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I am a big fan of Capgemini Research Institute. They produce very interesting reports, especially on #GenAI. However, and a big "but" coming your way, the diversity of the sample pool surveyed (they do work with large sample sizes) is disappointing with it being largely a eurocentric opinion or voice. Full disclaimer, I haven't read the entire repository of reports in their library but just today I read two reports on AI. The first was on software and GenAI and of the 13 countries surveyed, 8 countries were in Europe and if you include UK then 9 . Another report on the use cases for genAI only had N America and Europe. I get it the reports are being prepared for their audience - their clients, and the information in the report does have value; but to exclude a big chunk and I mean with a capital B is glaring. If you know of any other industry reports being produced that is far more inclusive/representative or speaks of initiatives and pilots happening in emerging markets, in Africa and South America do add it in the comments section.

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Headline: "CMO Roles Are Under Siege!" As we navigate through the dynamic landscape of B2B organizations, it's evident that seismic shifts are reshaping our traditional structures and functions. The convergence of roles within executive leadership teams is a clear indication of this transformation. Recent research underscores the obsolescence of siloed approaches, particularly evident in the amalgamation of sales and marketing functions into a cohesive Go-To-Market (#GTM) organization. Today, GTM teams are required to seamlessly blend various customer-facing roles to effectively pursue new client acquisitions and drive expansions and renewals. A recent article by Fortune's "Leadership-C-Suite" team (#CMO roles are under siege) highlighted the diminishing role of Chief Marketing Officers (#CMOs), indicating a significant shift in responsibilities towards Chief Operating Officers (#COOs) within Fortune 500 companies. This shift underscores the demand for cross-functional expertise and a deep understanding of market dynamics among COOs, as they increasingly take charge of internal affairs while immersing themselves in customer experiences and marketing domains. The debate on the ideal leadership for GTM is multifaceted. In Latané Conant (she/her) book, "No forms. No spam. No cold calls" she suggests a fusion of sales and marketing leadership under the CMO's purview (Chief Market Officer), a viewpoint embraced by notable companies like Johnson & Johnson, Hyatt Hotels Corporation, and Uber, who have eliminated the standalone CMO role altogether. Fortune's observations on companies like Etsy, Walgreens, UPS, and Wells Fargo further reinforce the trend of redistributing marketing oversight to executives in strategic, operational, and business unit roles. This restructuring aims to ensure that growth strategies encompass market research, customer insights, product strategy, acquisition, and marketing strategy, among other critical functions. It's evident that traditional ELT structures no longer suffice in driving the growth agenda effectively. #CEOs require a second-in-command who can champion growth strategy comprehensively, focusing on metrics such as bookings and margins rather than just revenue or EBITDA. This transformation is essential to aligning our leadership team with the demands of the evolving business landscape and maximizing our growth potential. Therefore, I urge us to consider reevaluating our executive leadership team's composition and functions. Embracing a growth-oriented, research-backed approach will not only position us for success but also ensure that we remain agile and responsive to the evolving needs of our market and customers. Let's seize this opportunity to transform and emerge as a stronger, more adaptive leadership team. Transformation is incredibly hard, our team can help. 

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Struggling to get your team rowing in the same direction? Drifting apart from once-close friends or family? Stuck in a rut with your partner? What if you could apply the same innovative design strategies that companies like Apple and Google use to create awesome products ... but to cultivate deeper, more fulfilling relationships in all areas of life? That's the power of Conscious Relationship Design (CRD). It adapts cutting-edge design methodologies to the messy, wonderfully human realm of personal AND professional relationships. With CRD's toolkit, you can: ✨ Build #empathy and emotional understanding ✨ Brainstorm creative #solutions to relational roadblocks   ✨ Prototype fresh #dynamics, #habits and #processes ✨ Continuously optimise how you all #interact and #connect Whether you're looking to get your team synced, strengthen family bonds or rekindle intimacy, CRD provides a systematic approach. In my latest piece, I unpack the CRD Application Model which contains tools like: 📐 Empathy Maps for grasping core needs and motivations 💡 Ideation tools to spark innovative possibilities  🔄 Iterative refinement for continual improvement It's an engaging, fun, human-centered framework for proactively designing the relationships that truly matter most. Ready to transform your key connections? Give the full article a read and get started redesigning your relational dynamics today. #DesignThinking #Relationships #WorkplaceRelationships #Empathy #Communication #PersonalGrowth #TeamDynamics #ConsciousRelationshipDesign

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Why try to publish in a prestigious journal when the odds are against getting in? Especially since you can post on LinkedIn or Medium, where there are no editors guarding the gate, and there are lots of potential readers. The reason is this: When anyone can post anything on a site, there's nothing prestigious about it. Publishing in prestigious places is an elemental piece of #thoughtleadership. Our Alan Alper recently had a great conversation with the editor-in-chief of one such prestigious management journal: Abbie Lundberg of MIT Sloan Management Review. Abbie explains what they look for, what’s on their radar screen and where they’re going. It's our latest “Everything Thought Leadership” podcast + video episode. Thanks Abbie and Alan. And thanks again John Buday for the video production. #thoughtleadership #b2bpublishing #contentmarketing

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The word “love” isn’t one we expect to hear used in the corporate world to describe successful business models. But in my experience working with companies across industries and product categories, it may be the only word that matters. #business #corporate #leadership #enterprise

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How ready is your organization for the cultural shift required for an AI-driven digital workforce? You have probably faced the challenge of cultural #transformation, only to see initiatives fall short. With 70-80% of these efforts failing, it's clear that we need a different approach—one that focuses on the #human elements of transformation. In our work we have found again and again that true cultural transformation begins with the individual. Recognize and support those in your organization who are ready to innovate and transform. These cultural champions—your innovators and early adopters—can create a ripple effect that influences the broader organization. 🌀 Here’s a strategic #framework for #culture that has worked for us at LUMAN: 👤Define New Archetypes: Identify roles like "Intrapreneur" or "Innovation Catalyst" to inspire new ways of thinking. 👣Establish Principles: Embed values and beliefs that guide decision-making at every level. 🗣️Tell Stories: Use real-life examples to illustrate and reinforce desired behaviors. 👥Codify Language: Develop memorable phrases that encapsulate your cultural norms and repeat them consistently. 🎇Utilize Symbols: Visual cues, from logos to mascots, can subconsciously reinforce the new culture. 🫂Create Rituals: Regular, measurable behaviors that embody the new culture. Cultural transformation is a journey, requiring vision, effort, and perseverance. On tough days, the vision of a thriving, innovative organization will give you strength. Focus on building a coalition of willing individuals who can drive and sustain change. Let’s create organizations where #innovation thrives and cultural transformation is not just a goal but a reality. Are you ready to lead this quest? Let’s connect and explore how we can transform together. #CulturalTransformation #AI #Leadership #Innovation #PersonalDevelopment #OrganizationalChange #ExecutiveLeadership https://lnkd.in/d9uRG2vz

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Have you ever considered People Experience (PX) as a subscription product? During my time as a Head of People & Ops in a start-up, I began experimenting with product principles, design thinking, and agile to work more strategically and effectively But, my experimentation was disjointed and only partially successful, for 2 main reasons: 1. I didn't actually have a defined approach to PX design and was using tools and methodologies in a fragmented way 2. I hadn't defined (or even considered) the "PX Product" I was simply taking learnings from the other business areas I was responsible for (Product, Brand and Ops) and trying to apply them to work more efficiently in "HR" But it wasn’t until I stepped back from the operational role that I could fully define my approach My research led me to amazing People people like Lauren Gomes, Marie Krebs, JooBee Yeow, PhD, and Jessica Z., who helped me articulate what I now call: People Experience as a Product PX as a Product is all about understanding our customers (employees and internal stakeholders) and “shipping” people product features and increments that meet their needs and drive business growth The next leap came from Jessica’s book, Built for People, which framed PX as a SUBSCRIPTION product💡 Instead of viewing PX features as isolated one-time products, think of the whole People Experience as a subscription. Here’s why: 💡 Continuous Value: Just like a subscription product or service, PX must deliver ongoing and increasing value to ensure employees “renew” their commitment every day, month and year "When you join a company and ‘buy into’ the employee experience, you continue to make that purchasing decision regularly. Each month you stay is another month you subscribe. The month you hand in your notice, you sever that subscription." - Jessica Zwaan, Built for People So, to keep employees subscribed: 🎯 Understand their needs and pain points 🚀 Deliver consistent and increasing value 😍 Create experiences that engage and delight I LOVE this way of thinking, it's what led me to create the "People First. Product Led" PX Design operating system for People teams 🤘🏻 It's an evolving and maturing approach to People / HR and I am super excited to see where we can take it! How do you ensure your PX delivers ongoing value? Share your thoughts below! #peopleops #peopleexperience #HR #startups

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Designing Strategic Conversations is a critical leadership skill that is often overlooked. It's not just about meeting facilitation, but rather advancing conversations to shape Moments of Impact. Lisa Kay Solomon and Chris Ertel discuss this essential skill in their book, Moments of Impact, which is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year! As leaders, we must ask ourselves key questions like "What do I want this conversation to advance?" "What do I want people to know, feel and do long after this conversation?" "What is the culture I want to build by the choices that I make?" These questions are crucial to shaping the Moments of Impact that we encounter. I read Moments of Impact 10 years ago, and it transformed the way I approach conversations. If you're looking to design your Moments of Impact and lead with purpose, I highly recommend this book. Check out Lisa and Chris's podcast episode below to hear more about their passion for shaping conversations. Link to podcast episode: https://lnkd.in/eS22dybX

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Last week, I met with the head of a company who showed keen interest in my book Why Polymaths?". He posed a provocative question: "So, it's great that polymaths exist, and I understand their uniqueness and value. But why should the rest of the world care?" A valid question indeed! Fortunately, I had a ready answer. My response wasn't the same as the one I gave two years ago in my previous book, where I focused on the ability of polymaths to innovate and tackle complex problems. That aspect still holds true. However,  𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐚𝐝𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐀𝐈 𝐡𝐚𝐬 𝐜𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐨𝐥𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐩𝐨𝐥𝐲𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐚 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐲 𝐧𝐞𝐰 𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭. What is this new perspective? I had the answer, as I am currently finishing writing my next book. This upcoming book, based on my observations of the interaction between AI and polymaths and my involvement in the Future of Work and AI ethics, illuminates this very question. It will be a captivating read, I promise! The working title: "𝐀𝐈, 𝐏𝐨𝐥𝐲𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐅𝐮𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐤:  𝐄𝐦𝐛𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐡𝐢𝐟𝐭 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐌𝐨𝐧𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐜 𝐭𝐨 𝐏𝐨𝐥𝐲𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐜 𝐀𝐩𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐚𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐬".   Coming soon! #whypolymthsbook #ai #polymath #aipolymath #futureofwork #futuresthinking #hr

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