Boundaryless Conversations Podcast is an ongoing exploration of the future of Platforms & Ecosystems.
Here we explore new perspectives about how we organise at scale in a rapidly changing world.
From Boundaryless SRL
Hosted by Simone Cicero and Shruthi Prakash
The podcast Boundaryless Conversations Podcast is created by Boundaryless SRL. The podcast and the artwork on this page are embedded on this page using the public podcast feed (RSS).
In this episode, we welcome Tom Nixon, author of Work with Source, to explore the powerful yet often overlooked idea of “source” - as the person who first conceives and commits to a creative initiative - and the impact such a role has on organizations.
Drawing from his extensive experience advising founders and mission-driven projects, Tom helps us unpack what it truly means to hold the role of source - beyond conventional leadership, and as he puts it, “being the author of the story that unfolds.”
Together, we explore how organizations can enable a deep human dimension behind all authentic ventures, and work towards a truly regenerative and evolutionary way of organizing.
While many conversations around leadership focus on structure, roles, or decision-making, this episode looks at a deeper assessment of where creative initiatives truly begin - and how they should maintain coherence as they evolve. Tom Nixon introduces us to the subtle but powerful idea of “source” as the unique origin point from which meaning, direction, and integrity flow.
We explore how the source perspective can help us navigate complexity, and why the source is simply not a “genius hero” figure, as we presume.
He also helps us unpack more regenerative, emergent, and resilient ways of working together. So, for listeners looking to understand the creative dynamics that often hide behind hierarchical organizational structures - and why honouring the human in a project is highly strategic - this conversation is a source of guidance.
Key Highlights
👉 The idea of source reframes leadership as a creative, intuitive role - the one who first sees and commits to a new possibility.
👉 Beneath formal org charts and policies lies the creative field - an energetic structure established by the source, which can’t be captured by governance documents but is deeply felt.
👉 Many people think the “source” is a visionary genius who always knows what to do - but that’s a myth. In reality, being the source means holding the responsibility for the creative edge, often with doubt and uncertainty.
👉 Regenerative organizing calls for living systems thinking - where purpose drives structure and growth emerges organically rather than being imposed top-down.
👉 Being the source is not about authority or control, but about holding the original impulse with integrity and enabling others to contribute meaningfully.
👉 Recognizing who holds the source in a project helps clarify roles, resolve tensions, and unlock greater flow and coherence within teams.
👉 Working with source calls for deep listening, intuition, and the courage to protect the original impulse - even when it's not yet fully understood by others.
Topics /chapters
(00:00) Working with Source: Acknowledging the Creative Hierarchy - intro
(00:51) IntroducingTom Nixon
(02:37) Introduction to Source Work
(06:29) Overlapping Creative Hierarchy and Organizational Hierarchy
(09:52) Managing Hierarchy in Evolving Organizations
(16:09) Ownership of the Source
(19:33) Managing system thinkers and complexity mindset to coexist with intelligent creation
(26:34) Shaping a Founders Mindset for a Balanced Business
(37:13) Source’s Impact on a Brand Story
(46:04) Sources and their Ownership
(51:41) Breadcrumbs and Suggestions
Remember that you can always find transcripts and key highlights of the episode on our website: https://www.boundaryless.io/podcast/nixon-tom
Episode recorded on Apr 01, 2025
Find out more about the show and the research at Boundaryless at https://boundaryless.io/resources/podcast/
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What does it take for organizations to truly harness the power of AI - not just as a buzzword, but as a transformative force for strategy, culture, and execution? In this episode, Anindya Ghose - Professor at NYU Stern, and one of the world’s leading voices at the intersection of AI, economics, and platforms - joins us to explore what it means to adopt AI intentionally and ethically.
Anindya presents his “House of AI” framework to cut through the AI hype. This grounded, end-to-end framework helps organizations align their data, models, and ethics for meaningful impact.
He also shares his insights on how AI is shifting the nature of management itself - and why the true differentiator in an AI-enabled world will be people, not technology.
We go beyond surface-level AI conversations to explore what it really means to embed it within an organization - not just as a tool, but as a force that reshapes how decisions are made, work gets done, and leadership is defined.
Anindya is a globally recognized AI advisor who has transformed the journey of over 60 companies worldwide. As the author of Tap and Thrive, he also brings a rare blend of corporate insight and academic depth, helping us break down how AI can elevate both business and human potential.
We explore how AI is pushing organizations to rethink core assumptions, what are the cultural and structural implications of AI, how does AI take shape in organizational structure, and why it’s important to also see AI as a powerful positive force. This is not an episode to miss, as we explore the tensions around AI and how they can be turned into meaningful opportunities.
Key Highlights
👉 AI transformation starts with intentionality, requiring organizations to align their data, business context, and strategic goals before deploying any tools or models.
👉 Data engineering is 70% of the work, and without clean, structured data, even the most advanced AI will fail to deliver meaningful results.
👉 The House of AI framework provides a step-by-step path that moves from data readiness to modelling and ends with ethical, transparent storytelling.
👉 AI adoption requires organizations to answer four core questions - descriptive (what happened), predictive (what will happen next), causal (why), and prescriptive (what should we do).
👉 AI is evolving from a decision-support tool into a force of production, fundamentally altering how workflows operate and how organizations create value.
👉 Fairness can be built into AI through data debiasing, but ethics largely remains a human responsibility shaped by incentives, governance, and cultural values.
👉 Competitive advantage will depend less on technology access and more on the people, mindsets, and ability to act on insights quickly and responsibly.
Topics /chapters
(00:00) Effective Adoption of AI in the Enterprise - Intro
(00:58) Introducing Anindya Ghose
(03:11) House of AI Framework - Getting Real with AI
(11:16) Intentionality of Adopting AI
(14:07) Changing the conversation around AI’s Positivity
(18:52) AI’s new regime in radical disruption
(23:34) How is AI altering the culture of Management in Organizations?
(29:54) Preparing for AI Dominated Organizations
(33:16) The Future of Competition in an AI-Driven Market: Openness vs. Differentiation
(39:16) How will Organizations Differentiate?
(42:15) Is it a Winner Takes All Market
(44:08) Breadcrumbs and Suggestions
Remember that you can always find transcripts and key highlights of the episode on our website: https://www.boundaryless.io/podcast/ghose-anindya
Episode recorded on Mar 05, 2025
Find out more about the show and the research at Boundaryless at https://boundaryless.io/resources/podcast
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What separates organizations that thrive in uncertainty from those that struggle? In this episode, Luca Dellanna - management consultant, researcher, and author - explores how companies can move beyond theoretical decision-making to ensure real-world execution and resilience.
In this episode, Luca unpacks key concepts like ergodicity, antifragility, and the role of behavioral dynamics in shaping organizational effectiveness. Stating how “Decision-making is only as good as execution,” he emphasizes the need for organizations to create systems that surface problems early and drive real adaptation.
He also challenges the notion that architecture alone can ensure antifragility, suggesting that qualitative insights, cultural alignment, and leading by example are all essential in building adaptable organizations.
In this episode, Luca provides a reality check on common management approaches, indicating why many organizations fail to turn strategy into action.
He highlights why leadership by proclamation is ineffective without visible commitment, how organizations often create misaligned incentives, and why cultural shifts require more than just top-down mandates. Drawing from real-world examples, he also shares how true organizational change comes from daily, repetitive micro-level decisions.
Tune in, as we discuss how to avoid the cost of irreversible consequences, and instead structure for long-term wins that build anti-fragile organizations prioritizing survival over performance.
Key Highlights
👉 Decision-making alone isn’t enough, organizations must ensure that strategies translate into real execution and adaptation.
👉 Ergodicity matters because businesses that fail to consider irreversible consequences risk long-term failure by optimizing for short-term gains.
👉 Leadership signals shape culture, as policies and incentives alone won’t drive change.
👉 Antifragility requires surfacing problems early since organizations that proactively address challenges become stronger.
👉 Cultural transformation happens through action, not communication, since top-down mandates fail unless reinforced with direct engagement and behavioural consistency.
👉 Small, deliberate interventions drive systemic change, as focusing on a single key habit can transform an entire organization.
👉 The best organizations blend structure with human insight, as architecture and incentives provide a foundation, but qualitative understanding and direct engagement ensure real impact.
Topics /chapters
(00:00) Building Antifragile Organizations Through Daily Action - intro
(00:59) Luca Dellanna Introduction
(02:45) Ergodicity Overview
(05:54) Creating Constraints and Excelling through Friction
(07:45) Designing Systems that are Anti-Fragile
(10:18) Enabling Ergodicity
(27:45) Cultural Truths about Anti-Fragility in Modern Organizations
(48:35) Breadcrumbs and Suggestions
Remember that you can always find transcripts and key highlights of the episode on our website: https://www.boundaryless.io/podcast/Dellanna-Luca
Episode recorded on Feb 10, 2025
Find out more about the show and the research at Boundaryless at https://boundaryless.io/resources/podcast
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As AI reshapes industries at an unprecedented pace, Louis-David Benyayer, associate professor at ESCP Business School and a leading researcher and strategist at the intersection of AI, digital transformation, and knowledge work, joins us on this podcast to discuss what it means for the consulting, education, and knowledge work industries.
In this episode, Louis helps us explore how Generative AI has the potential to go much beyond automating tasks and fundamentally shifting business models in two very key industries: Consulting and Professional Education.
He emphasizes that "AI will likely not replace human expertise but amplify the best experts. " He also states that hybridizing humans and technology allows for deeper insights and more significant impact.
During the episode, Louis-David shares tangible examples from his experience of how these industries are evolving: consulting firms moving away from traditional billable hours toward subscription-based and modular services and universities looking to redefine their role in a world where knowledge is highly accessible, among others.
He also highlights how AI amplifies expert consultants while commoditizing baseline knowledge and explores why the most skilled professionals benefit from AI’s evolution.So, if you’re a consultant, educator, or customer looking to interpret and navigate the complex landscape shifts due to AI, this episode is a must-listen.
Key Highlights
👉 AI is transforming consulting and education, not just by automating tasks but by reshaping business models.
👉 Expertise is more valuable than ever, as AI commoditizes basic knowledge. The best consultants and educators will leverage AI as a tool to enhance their impact.
👉 Having a framework isn’t enough - expertise matters. The Blue Ocean Strategy, for example, has been around for decades, but applying it effectively in real business scenarios requires deep expertise. Similarly, AI can generate insights, but knowing how to act on them is what creates value.
👉 Human decision-making remains critical in strategy, as AI can optimize known processes but cannot redefine markets, make trade-offs, or drive transformative change.
👉 Universities must rethink their core value, as knowledge becomes freely available. The future of education lies in curated learning, human interaction, and critical thinking.
👉 Soft skills will be the true differentiator in a world where AI can handle hard skills. Emotional intelligence, facilitation, relationship-building, and navigating human dynamics will become even more essential in consulting and education.
👉 The future of knowledge work is hybrid, blending AI-powered efficiency with human creativity, expertise, and leadership. The challenge is not whether to use AI, but when and how to integrate it effectively.
Topics /chapters
(00:00) GenAI and The End of Consulting as We Know it - intro
(00:57) Louis-David Benyayer Introduction
(06:20) Is it the end of consulting?
(11:36) How do you Operationalize the future of Consulting with GenAI
(16:57) Human Expertise in AI
(21:33) Is GenAI meant for lazy companies?
(38:42) Should Universities re-think it’s fundamental purpose?
(44:41) Hybridization between Humans and Tools
Remember that you can always find transcripts and key highlights of the episode on our website: https://www.boundaryless.io/podcast/Benyayer-Louis-David/
Episode recorded on Feb 06, 2025
Find out more about the show and the research at Boundaryless at https://boundaryless.io/resources/podcast/
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In an era where go-to-market strategies are evolving rapidly, Asher Mathew—a veteran in partnerships, ecosystems, and business transformation—makes a case for the strategic role of partnerships in modern business.
Asher unpacks how partnerships extend beyond traditional sales and marketing, influencing product development, customer acquisition, and even service delivery. Sharing how “intentionality in design” is at the core of partnership strategy, he explains how organisations can align themselves with customer needs.
So, whether you’re a startup or an enterprise, this episode will serve as a perfect playbook for leveraging partnership as a key growth multiplier rather than just another channel.
Asher, co-founder of Partnership Leaders, has long-standing experience in how modern organizations design partner strategies to enhance product adoption, customer reach, and business scalability.He highlights the importance of identifying core business strengths to determine which capabilities to build, buy, or partner for; and how to balance both horizontal and vertical partnerships.
He takes us through different models that serve different objectives, and indicates why it’s important for companies of all sizes to develop structured partner programs for scalability.
If you’re keen on learning how companies could use partnership strategies to function at scale, and get a sneak peek into the future of partnerships, tune in, as Asher shares everything there is to know.
Key Highlights
👉 Partnerships are a strategic growth lever, not just a sales channel, and modern businesses must integrate them across product development, marketing, sales, and customer success
👉 Successful partnerships require intentional design, as organizations must decide what to build, buy, or partner for, ensuring alignment with their core strengths and market positioning.
👉 Customer-driven partnerships create the most impact because instead of targeting potential partners first, companies should engage customers to understand which collaborations will bring real value.
👉 Different partnership models serve different objectives, and businesses can leverage referrals, reselling, co-selling, or OEM agreements based on their goals and market dynamics.
👉 Balancing horizontal and vertical partnerships is key, as hyperscalers like AWS and Google Cloud offer broad reach while niche vertical partnerships provide deep industry access and differentiation.
👉 Organizational structures must evolve to support partnerships, and as businesses scale, a dedicated partnership function helps prioritize, manage, and grow strategic relationships.
👉 AI and platform ecosystems are reshaping partnerships, as companies transition from traditional partner tiers to dynamic, data-driven collaborations that enhance efficiency and growth.
Topics /chapters
(00:00) How to Structure your Partnership Strategy - intro
(00:25) Asher Matthew Introduction
(02:24) Are Partnerships for all Businesses?
(05:31) Gaps to be addressed in Organizations
(11:49) Partnerships Function in Organizations
(13:44) Implications of Partnerships on Organizational Structure
(18:52) Balancing Hyperscalers and Vertical Partnerships
(29:41) Business Models of Partnerships
(31:35) The Mental Model for Selecting Partners
(33:31) Risks in Partnership Strategies
(35:44) Partnering vs. Purchasing your customers
(37:58) What’s New in Partnerships?
(41:57) Breadcrumbs and Suggestions
Remember that you can always find transcripts and key highlights of the episode on our website: https://www.boundaryless.io/podcast/mathew-asher
Episode recorded on Jan 24, 2025
Find out more about the show and the research at Boundaryless at https://boundaryless.io/resources/podcast
Get in touch with Boundaryless:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/boundaryless_
Website: https://boundaryless.io/contacts
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/boundaryless-pdt-3eo
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In a world where products and organizational design often take centre stage, Helge Tennø —a long-time strategist and innovation advisor focused on customer-centric transformations— makes the case for redefining and delivering customer value.
In this episode, he challenges the conventional reliance on engagement and sales metrics and highlights the importance of measuring real customer value, driving behavioural and strategic change - thus linking customer impact directly to business success.
Using a customer-centric four-stack framework that aligns Experience, Data, Strategy, and Culture, he offers a wealth of insights on rethinking organizational design and navigating the future of AI-driven customer experiences.
As a prolific writer and practitioner voicing customer-centricity for over two decades, Helge has guided several organizations worldwide in creating meaningful value for customers.
In this conversation, he helps us visualize what it means to step out of purely product-centric perspectives, outdated measurement systems, and rigid internal structures.
Taking real-world examples, he explores how organizations can build a clear chain of measurement, tracking the real impact of engagement, behavioural shifts, and ultimately, business value.
This episode is not missing, as we also touch upon the future of customer centricity, which breaks free from traditional customer journeys – and captures the complexity, helping organizations become intuitive and human-centred.
Join us as we refocus on what truly matters: placing customers at the heart of every organization.
Key Highlights
👉 Customer-centricity is not just a mindset shift but a structural transformation, requiring organizations to embed customer needs into strategy, measurement, and ways of working.
👉 Traditional customer journeys often fail to capture complexity—organizations can instead explore designs that suit their specific requirements and aid their decision-making.
👉 Ownership in a customer-centric organization must evolve—teams should focus on owning customer outcomes rather than just products to drive meaningful impact.
👉 Rethinking measurement is crucial—organizations must stop assuming that more engagement equals success and start tracking behavioural change and long-term value creation.
👉 AI and modularization will redefine customer interactions, potentially enabling customers to self-configure their own experiences—but most businesses lack the right data to support this shift.
👉 Innovation should be embedded within daily operations, rather than being treated as a separate function or ceremonial event, to drive continuous transformation at scale.
Topics /chapters
(00:00) Bringing Customers Back to the Heart of Business
(00:56) Introducing Helge
(03:41) The importance of being a customer-centric organization
(06:37) Key Elements of a Customer Centric Transformation
(09:54) Line of Sight between Employees and Value
(13:57) Evaluating True Value
(17:15) Orchestrating Business Value in Complexity
(21:59) Driving Ownership in a Customer-Centric Organization
(26:44) Enabling Customer Based Metric System
(30:44) Technology and Modern Tool Integrations for Data Analysis
(34:57) AI and customers self-designing their experiences
(44:50) What’s the space for simplicity, aesthetics, and design?
(49:15) What’s the rebundling that’s going to put customers in the center?
(53:19) Keeping Leaders Grounded in the Chaos
(57:32) Breadcrumbs and Suggestions
Remember that you can always find transcripts and key highlights of the episode on our website: https://www.boundaryless.io/podcast/tenno-helge/
Episode recorded on Jan 21, 2025
Find out more about the show and the research at Boundaryless at https://boundaryless.io/resources/podcast
Get in touch with Boundaryless:
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Website: https://boundaryless.io/contacts
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Amid technological advancements and shifting organizational landscapes, former CTO of ThoughtWorks, Rebecca Parsons, takes this episode to build the bridge between technology and business impact.
Challenging a common fear in the ecosystem of “technology being commoditized”, she explores how it can transcend industries to become a core enabler of differentiation if it’s integrated with a deeper sense of understanding user experience and needs.
This episode offers a wealth of knowledge and delves into themes such as creating outcome-driven governance models, building unbiased technology, and driving sustainable architecture.
As the co-author of “Building Evolutionary Architectures”, and a thought leader in software technologies for decades, Rebecca has had a front-row seat to the transformation of every company into a technology company.
Highlighting the unique nature of software—its “softness” and malleability to learn and adapt—she emphasizes that the future of competitive advantage lies in deeply understanding users and building meaningful relationships beyond the software itself.
In the episode, she also points to compelling reflections on the democratization of tools, the integration of sustainable practices, and the challenges of navigating AI’s energy-intensive demands - leaving you curious and thoughtful about the future.
Join along as she sets the tone on how to build an organization that’s ready for the complexity of a tech-first future.
Key Highlights
👉 Technology is no longer a supporting function but a central enabler of business strategy, shaping how organizations differentiate themselves in an increasingly commoditized landscape.
👉 Legacy systems can act as both anchors and accelerators for innovation, depending on how organizations navigate their integration with evolving business models.
👉 The future of competitive advantage lies in understanding users deeply, building trust, and creating meaningful relationships beyond the software itself.
👉 Balancing short-term pragmatism with long-term vision is critical for organizations, requiring principle-based frameworks that adapt to changing market and technological landscapes.
👉 Continuous delivery and evolutionary architecture enable organizations to respond to rapid change while minimizing risks, fostering a culture of adaptability.
👉 Ethical technology practices are no longer optional, as bias and inclusivity issues have tangible impacts on user trust, market share, and regulatory compliance.
👉 Sustainability in technology is gaining traction, with green engineering and energy-efficient practices becoming business imperatives amidst growing demands from AI and other resource-intensive innovations.
Topics /chapters
(00:00) Why Every Company Is Now a Technology Company—and What It Means for the Future - intro
(00:57) Introducing Rebecca Parsons
(03:17) The role of technology in organizations
(08:11) Building a Competitive Advantage through Technologies
(16:55) Leading with a Human-Centered-Approach through Democratization of Technology
(21:17) Long and Short Term Vision in Technology
(26:16) Organizational Approach of Technology Capabilities
(34:01) Creating Coherence in Organizations
(41:32) Technological Integration and Organizational Implications
(47:57) Sustainability for Business Resillience
(52:14) Breadcrumbs and Suggestions
Remember that you can always find transcripts and key highlights of the episode on our website: https://www.boundaryless.io/podcast/parsons-rebecca
Episode recorded on Dec 03, 2024
Find out more about the show and the research at Boundaryless at boundaryless.io/resources/podcast
Get in touch with Boundaryless:
Twitter: twitter.com/boundaryless_
Website: boundaryless.io/contacts
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/boundaryless-pdt-3eo
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In a world of interconnected complexities, where futures can often feel bleak, there’s Tim Leberecht, founder of House of Beautiful Business, integrating beauty where we least expect it - business.
In this episode, he shares how beauty goes beyond aesthetics and speaks to truth, alignment, and the reminder of what humanity is capable of at its best.
Tim highlights the tension many organizations face: on the one hand, movements pushing for visionary changes in value creation, like regenerative economics, participatory design, and co-ops; and on the other, reverting to short-term pragmatism, cutting programs such as DEI initiatives - and, how all of this is inherently a political stance that the organization is taking.
This conversation covers multiple themes - how organizations can avoid homogenization, especially at the time of AI; poly-opportunities to tackle the poly-crisis, decentralizing power, and much more.
As the author of “The Business Romantic”, Tim has always encouraged businesses to actively design spaces for imagination, emotional connection, and alternative ways of thinking.
He explores the importance of fostering rituals like storytelling and resonance inside organizations that can serve as cultural anchors and inspire collective meaning.
Taking the example of how energy, mindfulness, and spirituality are now taking center stage in organizations, he states how often, qualities that are hard to quantify can lead to creating a holistic impact.
He further advocates for businesses to use technology intentionally for optimization while ring-fencing spaces for human creativity, cultural diversity, and the exploration of “what cannot be measured.”
Key Highlights
👉 Beauty in business is not just aesthetic but a way to reconnect with truth, humanity, and the best of what we are capable of, especially in times of crisis and uncertainty. 👉 Organizations must move beyond binary thinking, embracing ambiguity, complexity, and decentralized systems to thrive in a rapidly changing world. 👉 The poly-crisis we face demands a shift toward poly-opportunity—amplifying positive, interconnected forces like regenerative leadership, planetary citizenship, and emotional diversity. 👉 Businesses are inherently political as they shape relationships, value creation, and labor organization; denying this limits their potential to foster meaningful change. 👉 Technology, especially AI, risks driving homogenization and transactional relationships, but businesses must protect spaces for diverse human creativity and imagination. 👉 Feminist philosophy offers a path for businesses to operate in alignment with life, focusing on seasonality, ambiguity, and resistance to systems of control and violence. 👉 Rituals, storytelling, and emotional experiences are essential tools for building resonance, fostering cultural transformation, and generating hope within organizations.
Topics /chapters
(00:00) Finding the Beauty in Business
(00:57) Introducing Tim Leberecht
(10:17):47 How can Organizations enact positive change?
(18:36) Imbibing a “Beauty in Business” mindset
(25:02) Bringing Diversity in Homogenized Research
(29:54) Feminism and the Complexity Mindset
(37:33) Building Organizations that Decentralize Power
(41:13) Poly-Opportunity to tackle the Poly-crisis
(45:12) Closing Thoughts and Breadcrumbs
Remember that you can always find transcripts and key highlights of the episode on our website: https://www.boundaryless.io/podcast/leberecht-tim
Episode recorded on Dec 03, 2024
Find out more about the show and the research at Boundaryless at boundaryless.io/resources/podcast
Get in touch with Boundaryless:
Twitter: twitter.com/boundaryless_ Website: boundaryless.io/contacts LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/boundaryless-pdt-3eo
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A visionary community leader and co-founder of Civic Square, Immy Kaur, joins us on this episode, to drive home some ground breaking thoughts on systemic transformation in our everyday living.
With deep insights drawn from over a decade of experience, Immy challenges conventional thinking about organizing at scale and highlights the urgent need to reimagine how we live, work, and relate to one another.
Touching on the power of unlearning assumptions about systems and authority, she simplifies it for us stating, "we as people build our systems and processes, and to change them, we don’t need permission."
Known for her ability to connect systemic thinking with tangible, participatory action, Immy Kaur helps us visualize how neighborhoods are a strategic site for change—"big enough and small enough" to demonstrate value creation, while fostering agency in communities.
In this episode, she explores critical themes like the fragility of existing systems, and why outdated economic models require a shift. Drawing from frameworks like Doughnut Economics, she unpacks how local, modular prototypes can demonstrate pathways toward systemic change.
She takes us through rethinking value and metrics beyond financial systems, prototyping of modular solutions to tackle systemic lock-ins and so much more.
Tune in and discover how we can reimagine everything through participatory systems to navigate the complex challenges of our times.
Key Highlights
👉 Neighborhoods are strategic sites for change as they are small enough to demonstrate deep systemic transformation while being large enough to inspire scalable solutions.
👉 Unlearning systems is the first step to fostering collective agency and unlocking new possibilities for civic innovation.
👉 Effective transformation requires balancing systemic redesign, practical action, and radical imagination.
👉 Material scarcity and ecological limits become opportunities for creativity, pushing us to innovate within planetary boundaries.
👉 Organizations and communities must rethink value, moving beyond financial metrics to embrace multi-capital approaches that prioritize social, environmental, and care-based economies.
👉 Genuine change involves shifting agency to communities, empowering them to co-lead their transitions and transformations.
👉 Modular, tangible prototypes can demonstrate what systemic alternatives look like, enabling practical steps toward change while inspiring imagination.
Topics /chapters
(00:00) The Power of Making and Remaking - intro
(00:49) Immy Kaur’s introduction
(02:03) Immy Kaur’s Journey and Building Civic Square
(21:23) What defines a civic body?
(32:18) New frameworks, metrics, and institutional forms for creating value
(47:19) New Upcoming Collaborations and Institutional Agreements
(57:32) Breadcrumbs and Suggestions
Remember that you can always find transcripts and key highlights of the episode on our website: https://www.boundaryless.io/podcast/kaur-immy
Episode recorded on Nov 12, 2024 Find out more about the show and the research at Boundaryless at boundaryless.io/resources/podcast
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One of the most revered names in research and design, Erika Hall, Co-founder of Mule Design, joins us on this podcast to challenge the role of research as we know it.
In this episode, she shares deep insights into the challenges of navigating research in complexity, and, on the backbone of systems thinking, offers thought-provoking perspectives addressing the growing tensions between investor-driven narratives and evidence-based practices.
She brings forth some hard truths on how organizations cherry-pick data to justify decisions; and uses this to help us understand why a genuine research mindset is one where you’re comfortable being proven wrong.
This conversation is a powerful reminder that organizations need to embrace curiosity, to stay grounded and relevant. As the author of ‘Just Enough Research’, Erika, has been a revered design consultant, specializing in asking the hard questions to find the right answers.
She takes this episode to show that speed does not equate to better decision-making, emphasizing the need for organizations to focus on thoughtful alignment and genuine learning.
She explores themes such as the performative nature of modern business practices, the disconnect between financial storytelling and real-world impact, the difference between delegation and democratization, and how organizations can navigate all this in an interconnected ecosystem.
Tune in and learn how to ask the right questions and build an organization that’s based on evidence. Key Highlights
👉 Organizations need to embrace research as an anti-authoritarian practice that fosters curiosity and challenges assumptions.
👉 Speed in decision-making is often performative. Slower, thoughtful preparation can lead to better outcomes and long-term agility.
👉 Modularity and decentralization in organizations require clarity in decision-making and alignment. Delegation of tasks is not the same as true democratization of power.
👉 Financial narratives often drive organizational behaviors, leading to misaligned incentives and decision-making that prioritizes appearances over reality.
👉 Systems thinking and psychological safety are crucial for fostering functional, adaptive teams that can navigate complexity and uncertainty effectively.
👉 Organizations should prioritize incremental improvements and long-term value creation over chasing trends and disruptive innovation for its own sake.
Topics /chapters
(00:00) Decisions, Not Data: Why Research needs Organizational Readiness - intro
(00:43) Introducing Erika
(01:50) Evolution of Research
(08:06) Impact of Portfolios, Modularity, and Ecosystemic Approach on Research
(13:04) Organizational Structure, Coherence, and Control
(18:39) The right approach for building capabilities
(26:06) Pillars of designing a research-backed organization
(32:05) Functioning in complexity with coherence
(42:47) Researching an Ecosystem of Interactions
(49:38) Synthetic User Interviews
(53:31) Breadcrumbs and Suggestions
Remember that you can always find transcripts and key highlights of the episode on our website: https://www.boundaryless.io/podcast/hall-erika
Episode recorded on Nov 22, 2024
Find out more about the show and the research at Boundaryless at https://boundaryless.io/resources/podcast Get in touch with Boundaryless: Twitter: https://twitter.com/boundaryless_ Website: https://boundaryless.io/contacts LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/boundaryless-pdt-3eo Music Music from Liosound / Walter Mobilio. Find his portfolio here: https://blss.io/Podcast-Music
A popular practitioner of the systemic approach to business, Jennifer van der Meer, founder of Reason Street, joins us on this episode to explore the intersection of business models, capital structures, and ecosystemic value creation. Highlighting how “in business, the challenge is to move beyond the constraints of financial logic and design for broader, systemic impacts that prioritize the health of ecosystems, communities, and bioregions,” Jen challenges to think beyond the existing frames.
While tracing the evolution of business models through distinct eras, she reiterates her belief that business modeling is a creative process where new narratives need to be created that redefine how value is created and distributed. It’s an eye-opening conversation and an important one to remember in an age when businesses are designed to merely meet investor expectations of financial returns rather than take a holistic approach. Starting from Netscape’s IPO in the 1990s, Jennifer highlights the pivotal moments that shifted the focus from static business plans to the dynamic models of today. As an Assistant Professor at Parsons School of Design and an advisor and consultant, Jen always advocates designing purpose-driven systems aligned with larger societal and ecosystemic goals. In the conversation, we touched upon multiple themes, such as the inheritance that financial logic projects on business models, how to look beyond financial capital (and the constraints making it difficult), and the new perspectives likely needed to start designing for a regenerative future. Tune in and join us as we stretch existing business model thinking frames.
Key Highlights 👉 Business models should be seen as dynamic, narrative-driven frameworks that evolve with societal and technological shifts rather than static plans. 👉 Designing for surplus rather than value capture allows organizations to prioritize contributions to ecosystems and communities over financial returns alone. 👉 Integrating multiple forms of capital—social, environmental, and intellectual—creates a more holistic business strategy. 👉 Platform cooperatives and alternative ownership structures demonstrate how shared value creation can reduce reliance on traditional financial logic. 👉 AI and blockchain technologies offer transformative opportunities, but their true potential lies in enabling community-driven innovation and operational efficiencies. 👉 Organizations must embrace bioregional learning ecosystems to address complex challenges and tailor strategies to their unique social, cultural, and ecological contexts.
Topics /chapters (00:00) Beyond Existing Business Model Frames - Intro (00:44) Introducing Jen (02:05) Evolution of Business Models (07:34) Orientation into ages, frames, and types of Business Models (17:31) Capital Structures and it’s impact on Business Models (21:09) Beyond Financial Capital and Measuring Investments (25:55) Impact of Digital Public Infrastructures (28:16) New Business Approaches and Key Innovations (33:45) Driving Other Forms of Capital (39:14) Speeding the adoption rate of concious business models (43:13) Bringing Diversity in Systems of Value (48:12) Breadcrumbs and Suggestions Remember that you can always find transcripts and key highlights of the episode on our website: https://www.boundaryless.io/podcast/jen-van-der-meer Episode recorded on Oct 23, 2024
Find out more about the show and the research at Boundaryless at https://boundaryless.io/resources/podcast
Get in touch with Boundaryless: Twitter: https://twitter.com/boundaryless_ Website: https://boundaryless.io/contacts LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/boundaryless-pdt-3eo
Music Music from Liosound / Walter Mobilio. Find his portfolio here: https://blss.io/Podcast-Music
Roger Martin, one of the world’s most influential business thinkers and former Dean of the Rotman School of Management, joined us on this episode to talk about all things strategy.
He breaks down how organizations can keep up with the dynamism and complexity of it all: the evolution of strategy across the decades, digital transformation, decentralization’s impact, and the latest frontier, the rapid adoption of AI and LLMs. He challenges traditional approaches to strategy and impact measurement metrics like OKRs, stating, “Strategy is what you do, not what you say." In this candid conversation, he also dispels the angst surrounding AI taking over strategy roles in organizations, highlighting why AI and LLMs are valuable for rapidly synthesizing information but lack the capacity for generating unique, strategic insights that require human judgment and creativity. Join us for this conversation filled with insights. Known for his practical approach, Roger Martin—who’s authored many bestselling books, including “Playing to Win”—has guided thousands worldwide to make clear, actionable choices that drive competitive advantage. In the conversation, we also touch upon themes of risk-taking and the importance of empowering leaders to think strategically at every level of the organization. He argues that teams should be able to challenge ideas and push boundaries, all of which are vital for sparking real innovation. Key Highlights 👉 Leaders should act as strategic coaches, guiding teams to align with bigger goals and fostering a culture of proactive decision-making. 👉 Finding the right balance between centralization and decentralization empowers teams with autonomy while maintaining a unified direction. 👉 Constructive tension within teams drives innovation by encouraging open challenges to ideas, leading to breakthrough solutions. 👉 Embracing intelligent risk-taking is crucial; it allows organizations to grow and adapt rather than playing it safe and missing out on opportunities. 👉 Avoiding one-size-fits-all frameworks is crucial; each organization’s strategy should be uniquely tailored to its specific context. 👉 AI and LLMs serve as powerful tools for rapid analysis and synthesis but cannot replace, human strategic judgment. Topics /chapters (00:00) Doing Strategy in a World of Ruthless Change - intro
(00:55) Roger Martin
(02:48) Strategy Evolution over 20 Years
(07:21) Centralization vs Decentralization: Where to Apply in the Organization?
(16:03) Fragmented Decision Making and Creating Boundaries in Strategy
(24:20) Building Entrepreneurship in Organizations
(35:09) Collaboration vs. Competition in a High Resource Environment
(39:37) Creating Shared Value
(46:37) AI, LLMs, and the future of Strategy
(57:52) Breadcrumbs and Suggestions Remember that you can always find transcripts and key highlights of the episode on our website: https://www.boundaryless.io/podcast/martin-roger/ Find out more about the show and the research at Boundaryless at https://boundaryless.io/resources/podcast Get in touch with Boundaryless: Twitter: https://twitter.com/boundaryless_ Website: https://boundaryless.io/contacts LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/boundaryless-pdt-3eo Music Music from Liosound / Walter Mobilio. Find his portfolio here: https://blss.io/Podcast-Music
Have you ever wondered how visualizing complex futures can help you take actions and decisions today? Fabien Girardin and Nicolas Nova, pioneers of the practice of Design Fiction, take us on a journey into it to explain what it is for and what comes beyond it.
This episode reveals what it means to create tangible expressions of potential futures while considering its complex relationship with technology, global trends, and societal implications.
They share real-world examples of scenario building and discuss how to operationalize future thinking in organizations through the use of co-creation, AI, and other tools.
Fabien and Nicolas have spent decades guiding small and large organizations to envision and prepare for future scenarios. They are now working to expand the design fiction practice beyond its initial decades of practice.
Their work has helped organizations move beyond abstract predictions by engaging with diegetic and relatable prototypes, creating thousands of tools for strategic reflection. Taking the example of the “IKEA Catalog for the Future,” they highlight how everyday objects can become evocative representations that make future concepts more accessible.
This episode will serve as a comprehensive guide to visualizing imagination, including insights into AI's potential role as a creative accelerator in building such prototypes.
Tune in to discover actionable methods to help you navigate the complexities of the future before it happens.
Discount Code for Listeners!
Fabien and Nicolas have been kind enough to offer all our listeners a 20% Discount for the Manual of Design Fiction Book (Paperback Edition):
Discount Code: BOUND-7BDS4
Link to the shop with discount: https://books.girardinnova.com/discount/BOUND-7BDS4?redirect=%2Fproducts%2Fthe-manual-of-design-fiction
Disclaimer: this is not an affiliate link, Boundaryless doesn’t monetize your book purchase.
Key Highlights
👉 Design Fiction shifts future thinking from abstract complexities to tangible prototypes, making it easier for organizations to grasp the potential impact of future scenarios.
👉 Using mundane, everyday objects is important to bring complex technological and societal changes to life while making it more relatable.
👉 Building a "Design Fiction muscle" involves integrating future thinking as a regular practice within organizations rather than relying on occasional workshops.
👉 AI is transforming future prototyping by accelerating the process and providing a larger perspective for creative explorations.
👉 To stay ahead of disruption through continuous improvement, it’s important for organizations also to involve diverse perspectives.
👉 Design Fiction can go beyond product and service prototypes to also reimagine organizations themselves.
Topics /chapters
(00:00) Quote
(00:53) Guest Introduction
(02:17) Introduction to Design Fiction
(06:12) Changes of Design Fiction over the decades
(10:56) Methods in deploying Design Fiction
(15:36) Being “Diagetic”
(18:27) Use Cases, Competitive Advantage, and Motivations for Design Fiction
(21:03) Operationalizing Design Fiction Capabilities
(27:05) What’s the hard part in adopting Design Fiction
(30:56) AI in Design Fiction
(37:09) The Implications of Design Fiction
(41:52) Future of Design Fiction
(45:00) Breadcrumbs and Suggestions
Remember that you can always find transcripts and key highlights of the episode on our website: https://www.boundaryless.io/podcast/Girardin-Nova
Episode recorded on Oct 01, 2024
Get in touch with Boundaryless:
Find out more about the show and the research at Boundaryless at https://boundaryless.io/resources/podcast
Music
Music from Liosound / Walter Mobilio. Find his portfolio here: https://blss.io/Podcast-Music
Philippe De Ridder, co-founder and CEO of Boards of Innovation joins us for a conversation on the Autonomous Age and the Age of Creative AI.
In this episode, he discusses his popular opinions on how AI will enable unprecedented productivity gains across industries and impact all business arenas, starting from knowledge work.
He also shares his perspectives on the fusion of AI and human creativity and how organizations can leverage it to redefine workflows, product development, customer research and overall business strategies.
We explore how yesterday’s creator will become tomorrow’s curator and why it is essential always to keep humans at the core -- especially with AI innovation.
As a popular innovation consultant, Philippe is a veteran who has worked with both Fortune 500 companies and agile startups, helping them craft bold strategies for the future.
In the episode, he challenges us to think about how innovation, often heralded as a core human endeavor, is increasingly being automated. From using AI to generate product ideas to testing them with synthetic consumers, he highlights the shift towards real-time innovation and its impact on markets and organizations.
Talking about how AI is reshaping decision-making in innovation and across various business functions, he highlights the importance of adopting a "future-back" approach, where companies envision their role in a radically changed world and work backward to integrate necessary capabilities today.
As leaders face several societal implications and tough decisions due to the increasing integration of AI across the organization, this episode can serve as a backbone upon which they can strategize.
Tune in, as this episode will stretch your idea of what AI can achieve already today in your organization. Simply mind blowing.
Key Highlights
👉 Innovation, often considered a highly human-driven process, can now be automated mainly with AI, from generating product ideas to testing them with synthetic consumers in real-time.
👉 AI-driven tools enable rapid product development, drastically reducing timelines from months to minutes, allowing organizations to innovate continuously.
👉 In the future, leadership will need to navigate a world where not just teams but even products operate autonomously, requiring a shift in how control and strategy are managed.
👉 Organizational structures must evolve, as traditional, siloed departments will struggle to adapt to a world where processes and decisions happen almost instantly.
👉 The role of humans is shifting from creators to curators, as AI becomes more involved in decision-making.
👉 As AI revolutionizes business functions, companies must move beyond efficiency gains and focus on reimagining their workflows and operating models from the ground up.
Topics /chapters
(00:00) Title - intro
(00:58) Philippe De Ridder Introduction
(02:14) Can Innovation be automated?
(11:23) AI in Qualitative Research
(14:28) Autonomous AI integrating in Organizations
(22:19) AI Systems guiding Organizational Strategy
(33:25) Autonomous Functions and the Age of Abundance
(38:23) Consumer Participation in Autonomous Products
(41:55) Socio-Technical Impact
(47:54) Perception of Value
Remember that you can always find transcripts and key highlights of the episode on our website: https://www.boundaryless.io/podcast/ridder-philippe
Episode recorded on Sep 12, 2024
Get in touch with Boundaryless:
Find out more about the show and the research at Boundaryless at https://boundaryless.io/resources/podcast
Music
Music from Liosound / Walter Mobilio. Find his portfolio here: https://blss.io/Podcast-Music
John Cutler, a veteran thought leader and practitioner in product management, joins us for the first episode of Season 6 of the Boundaryless Conversations podcast.
John is popularly known for his work on product development, collaboration, and systems thinking, and has worked with some of the most advanced product-centric organizations like Toast, Amplitude, and Zendesk.
Based on his wealth of experience, John runs a thought-provoking newsletter, “The Beautiful Mess”, where he shares deep insights and revolutionary ideas in product and organizational development.
During this podcast, we touched on how a founder’s belief systems shape product strategies and organizational structures, the differences between single-product versus multi-product companies, and how it’s important to consider the various frames through which one designs an organization’s dynamics.
John also covers the implications of rapid growth versus maturity in organizations and how technology, particularly AI, is reshaping product and organizational thinking.
Throughout the conversation listeners will also get some special nuggets on what he looks for, when he first meets with leaders and entrepreneurs and this shapes the work in the related organizational context.
This episode - one of the best ones yet - is full of insights on the challenges faced by organizations as they scale, and it’s a precious reminder to avoid being elitist in driving organizational change.
Tune in for a rich discussion and don’t miss out on the shifting paradigms in organizational structure and product leadership.
Key Highlights
👉 Successful product management requires navigating diverse leadership belief systems and adapting to organizational messiness.
👉 In organizational design, we often get stuck in certain perspectives, such as treating teams like architecture. To build a better organization, it’s crucial to challenge these and explore different frames—such as the political or community dynamics.
👉During rapid growth, efficiency often takes a backseat to speed. As companies plateau, introducing standardization and modularization becomes essential for achieving agility.
👉AI can remove cognitive limitations, enabling teams to recontextualize data and serve customers in a more personalized manner, thus breaking traditional barriers in product management.
👉Autonomy must come with accountability to ensure teams remain aligned with organizational goals.
👉In B2B SaaS companies, it's important to shift from viewing individual features as separate products and understand that the entire company is the product.
Topics /chapters
(00:00) Understanding why the Company is the Product - Intro
(00:40) The Beautiful Mess
(01:57) Onboarding Entrepreneurs
(11:15) Managing Organizational Messiness
(23:09) Alignment in a broad portfolio
(30:25) Where do you start designing an organization?
(39:56) Modulating a customer-centric approach
(44:09) Tech Impact on Organizational Design
(50:53) Breadcrumbs and Suggestions
Remember that you can always find transcripts and key highlights of the episode on our website: https://www.boundaryless.io/podcast/cutler-john
Episode recorded on Sep 6, 2024
Get in touch with Boundaryless:
Find out more about the show and the research at Boundaryless at https://boundaryless.io/resources/podcast
Music
Music from Liosound / Walter Mobilio. Find his portfolio here: https://blss.io/Podcast-Music
We want to invite you to listen to our show, the Boundaryless Conversations Podcast, on its upcoming Season 6.
On this podcast, tech insights meet deep dives into geopolitics, culture, and policymaking, exploring the fabric of tomorrow's world.
Here you can listen to stories from people at the forefront of innovative product and platform development and learn about building resilient and adaptive organizations that can stay ahead through change.
The Boundaryless Conversations Podcast will help you stay informed, avoid echo chambers, and be the change-maker in your organization.
The new series of the podcast is coming up on October 1st.
Subscribe to our channel on Youtube @Boundaryless-pdt-3eo and drop us a review
In the meantime, remember to think Boundaryless!
We reviewed all the 20 episodes from Season 5, and shared some much needed look back and key highlights.
While the learnings are an abundant treasure trove, we handpicked a few and categorized them into 4 sections:
This wrap-up is a quick look back into what happened all season, and will give you a peek what to expect for the next one. We hope that these episodes have brought you value in re-imagining ecosystems as you know it, and trust that you will continue to support us in the seasons to come.
Topics /chapters
(00:00) Season 5 Wrap-Up - Intro
(00:43) Dystopian aspects of current socio-technological trends
(05:11) Visions that resist the dominance of powerful technological forces
(10:52) Doctrine and organizing for a multiplicity of teams and products
(15:41) Visionary perspectives that think beyond the rules and push boundaries
(22:50) What's Next: Embrace a Boundaryless Future
Remember that you can always find transcripts and key highlights of the episode on our website: https://www.boundaryless.io/podcast/season5-wrap-up
Get in touch with Boundaryless:
Find out more about the show and the research at Boundaryless at https://boundaryless.io/resources/podcast
Music
Music from Liosound / Walter Mobilio. Find his portfolio here: https://blss.io/Podcast-Music
James Currier, co-founder of NFX and veteran venture capitalist, joins us as our final guest for Season 5 of the Boundaryless Conversations podcast.
In this gripping discussion, we go through the current and future states of Venture Capital and startups, the role and impacts that AI will have in these ecosystems, and the incumbents' seemingly dominating position in this market.
James takes us through NFX’s investment strategy and breaks down what it means to be living in a world of AI omnipresence. He covers how AI impacts investment size and deals and shares key ideas about integrating startup solutions into the customer’s workflow as a key defensibility - and thus value - driver.
Tune in for fascinating and deep insights into the future of ventures.
Currier is a five-time Founder and an angel investor in companies such as DoorDash, Lyft, and Patreon. Before becoming an investor, he co-founded Tickle, one of the internet’s first successful user-generated companies.
With his deep understanding of the mechanisms driving innovation and growth in the tech industry and his passion for mentoring founders, he shares a wealth of knowledge on this podcast episode.
One of the key elements of our conversation is the significant advantages that incumbents hold in the future of markets impacted by AI in various industries. He touches upon some tried and tested strategies that help startups create sustainable competitive advantages, whether they operate in traditional or emerging industries. James also shares his thoughts on the risks and opportunities of emerging markets such as China and India.
This episode is really packed with strategic insights. Key Highlights
👉 AI is not a revolutionary new platform but a powerful addition to existing technologies, driving productivity and creativity.
👉 If incumbents leverage their established infrastructures and resources, they have a significant upper hand in the AI race.
👉 Incumbents are likely to capture a much greater share of the AI-driven market than they did during the mobile revolution.
👉 True defensibility of a startup lies in embedding products into customer workflows and creating network effects rather than relying on intellectual property.
👉 The future of venture capital is shifting towards smaller and more frequent exits rather than billion-dollar unicorns, challenging traditional investment models.
👉 A government’s increased involvement in tech industries could potentially stifle innovation, leading to slower progress and bureaucratic challenges for startups.
👉 Looking beyond the glamour of being a startup founder or a VC is realizing that it involves a significant emotional and financial sacrifice. Topics /chapters
(00:00) Funding Ventures through the GenAI Age - Intro
(00:59) Introducing James Currier
(06:10) Protagonists of the Investment Market
(09:38) AI impacting the consumer and business landscape
(12:52) What’s the Investment Strategy for AI companies?
(18:47) The Consumer Side
(24:07) Changes in incumbents
(26:38) Global Transitions in VC Investments
(32:10) Invariant Heuristics in a company’s fund-raising capability
(41:55) Breadcrumbs from James Currier
Remember that you can always find transcripts and key highlights of the episode on our website: https://www.boundaryless.io/podcast/currier-james
Episode recorded on May 10, 2024
Get in touch with Boundaryless:
Find out more about the show and the research at Boundaryless at https://boundaryless.io/resources/podcast
Music
Music from Liosound / Walter Mobilio. Find his portfolio here: https://blss.io/Podcast-Music
“Viable System Model” expert Mark Lambertz joins us on today’s podcast to help us unfold organizing in complex ecosystems.
Mark, a long-time Agile practitioner and a renowned expert on the Viable System Model has a deep understanding and a curious mindset toward all things organizing. We met Mark as an Organizational Coach at Bosch, where he’s driving the adoption of key concepts of the VSM. From his extensive experience, Mark has helped us understand how to use the VSM lens to build autonomous and self-sustaining organizational systems.
He takes us through the model’s components and practical applications and compares it with other organizational frameworks that we use widely, more specifically, Boundaryless’ Rendanheyi-inspired implementation of the Platform Organization with the 3EO Framework.
The conversation - where we discover a lot of resonance between the two perspectives - is filled with valuable insights from the ground and helps you move towards a more inclusive model that balances operational efficiency with strategic adaptability.
Tune in, and don’t miss out.
As one of the first attempts to use cybernetics in organizational management, the Viable System Model was conceived by Stafford Beer in his book - “The Brain of the Firm” in the 70s.
Mark connects the dots in this podcast and explains why cybernetics is important for building adaptive organizations. The podcast highlights the importance of viewing organizations as adaptive, complex ecosystems emphasizing decentralization, coordination, and collective and emergent strategic planning.
He takes us through the depths of VSM, explaining how it starts with an outside-in perspective, focusing on the environment, and then further breaks down the 5 systems within VSM.
In this conversation, you get practical insights into incorporating a VSM informed perspective in your organization, helping you stay dynamic and ever-evolving.
Key Highlights
👉 The Viable System Model (VSM) is crucial for understanding and designing organizations that sustain themselves through complex environments.
👉 VSM emphasizes starting with an outside-in perspective, focusing on the environment, customers, and markets first.
👉 VSM incorporates a form of hierarchy based on responsibility and inclusiveness, aiming to preserve the whole while allowing for local interests and self-organization.
👉 VSM includes five key systems to ensure organizational adaptability: operational units, value production, tactical management, future planning, and organizational identity.
👉 VSM has a fractal nature meaning each operational unit contains its systems, mirroring the larger organizational structure.
👉 The Rendanheyi/3EO model complements VSM by emphasizing decentralized decision-making and enabling constraints.
👉 The future of organizational design is evolving, with an increasing emphasis on creativity, optionality, and diversity.
Topics /chapters
(00:00) Decoding Viable System Model - Intro
(01:27) Introducing Mark and VSM
(13:12) Hierarchies and Structures in VSM
(16:13) Fractal Structure of VSM
(22:12) Orchestrating the organization, market, and VSM
(27:20) Culminating learnings from VSM, Rendanheyi, and 3EO
(39:46) Using the VSM Framework
(44:09) Coming of Age of Organizational Design and Development
(47:45) Breadcrumbs and Suggestions
Remember that you can always find transcripts and key highlights of the episode on our website: https://www.boundaryless.io/podcast/mark-lambertz
Episode recorded on May 10, 2024
Get in touch with Boundaryless:
Find out more about the show and the research at Boundaryless at https://boundaryless.io/resources/podcast
Music
Music from Liosound / Walter Mobilio. Find his portfolio here: https://blss.io/Podcast-Music
Yolanda Martin Olivas, Global VP of Design, ClearScore, joins us on this episode to talk about the challenges and strategies involved in building platform capabilities within organizations.
From her experience of building platforms at companies like Farfetch, Hearst, Canonical, Kaluza, and ClearScore etc., she takes us through the realities (sometimes difficult) of what it’s like to enable platform transformation and growth.
She argues for organizations to rethink the “growing through acquisition” approach while reiterating the need to focus on a strong infrastructure layer.
As a passionate learner, practitioner, and enabler of platform design; Yolanda is one to take tune into.
Being one of the earliest learners of the Platform Design Toolkit, Yolanda has been a staunch practitioner of the platform business model and has played a pivotal role in enabling it in several organizations.
In this episode, we talk about organizational motivations to shift towards platform design models, primarily driven by the need for economies of scale and new growth opportunities, and why focusing on your “why” is important.
From her experience as a Design Director, she further shares practical advice on fostering a broader ecosystem perspective among design teams. She underscores the need for strong leadership commitment to enable this.
In this conversation we get insights into what made organizations “make it or break it”, so tune in, and get ahead of the curve.
Key Highlights
👉 Building platform capabilities is complex, time-consuming, and resource-intensive. Organizations, need to make a special commitment to platform design and implement exclusive strategies targeted toward this, not simply extending their existing practices.
👉 Successful platform transitions often start with integrating internal operations before enabling it to external partners.
👉 Design leaders play a crucial role in guiding organizations through platform transitions by fostering a broader, ecosystem-wide perspective; which does not look at design problems in a silo, but as a cog in a larger ecosystem.
👉 The lack of a mature platform infrastructure can make growth efforts expensive and inefficient.
👉 There is a high risk in prematurely diverting investment from platform infrastructure to other growth avenues, such as acquiring and creating brands.
👉 Effective platform transitions require targeted education and training for different parts of the organization, tailored to their involvement in the platform’s development stages.
Topics /chapters
(00:00) Navigating Platform Transitions - Intro
(00:58) Introducing Yolanda Martin
(02:50) Building platform capabilities inside organizations?
(11:05) Adapting to platformization changes
(15:55) Design Leadership for Platformization
(20:53) Stories of Transition
(27:23) What did not work for Farfetch platform?
(32:35) Building or Buying the Ecosystem?
(37:05) Looking beyond User-Centered-Design
(43:34) What helps the organization re-arrange?
(48:19) Breadcrumbs and Suggestions
Remember that you can always find transcripts and key highlights of the episode on our website: https://www.boundaryless.io/podcast/yolanda-martin
Episode recorded on March 20, 2024
Get in touch with Boundaryless:
Find out more about the show and the research at Boundaryless at https://boundaryless.io/resources/podcast
Music
Music from Liosound / Walter Mobilio. Find his portfolio here: https://blss.io/Podcast-Music
Indy Johar, Mission Steward of Dark Matter Labs, joins the podcast to help us rethink how we organize ourselves and our systems, addressing inadequacies of traditional business models that are no longer sufficient for managing complexities.
Bringing light to how “risk management should be localized, with decision-making power and accountability being as close to the problem as possible,” Indy argues for an organization that encourages participants to be citizens rather than employees and fosters continuous and accountable learning among individuals.
Tune into this episode and learn from Indy, a veteran in building mission-driven organizations, who has always stayed ahead of the curve.
Indy - who joins the podcast for the 3rd time - besides stewarding the mission at Dark has also recently joined RMIT University, teaching no less than “Planetary Civics”, a testament to his influence in the space of social innovation.
As always, Indy comes with a profound understanding of designing complex organizations for the 21st century, from his hands-on experience in creating radical innovations in governance, architecture, and social systems, particularly in sustainability and collaborative economy.
He starts the podcast with philosophical considerations about the nature of complex organizations and then highlights the need for a radical shift toward a learning-centered organization.
In the conversation, we question the traditional metrics of productivity and value, and further advocate for new metrics that account for collective intelligence and systemic contributions rather than individual output.
There was no better way to celebrate our 100th episode because this one is a landmark. Grab a notepad and pick a pen, because there’s much to pin down.
Key Highlights
👉 Organizational structures in a complex world, and a shift from command-and-control to systemic learning and adaptability.
👉 Decentralized risk management and the need to localize decision-making to enhance responsiveness and effectiveness.
👉 Dark Matter Labs' mission-driven approach, emphasizing partnerships over traditional consultancy to enable sustainable change.
👉 Need for a paradigm shift in how value is defined and measured within organizations, moving towards incorporating multi-dimensional success indicators.
👉Redefining organizational roles to encourage craft and citizenship, where individuals contribute to the organization's decision-making processes.
👉 Rethinking legal structures governing organizations, moving towards frameworks that support distributed risk and empower collective action.
Topics /chapters
(00:00) Learning Centered Organizations for the 21st Century - Intro
(01:40) Introducing Indy Johar
(10:31) Value of Learning as a Strategic Advantage
(14:41) Accelerating Learning and Modifying Organizational Agendas
(19:23) Structure in a post-managerial economy
(24:46) The Design of Dark Matter Labs
(34:50) Citizenship inside Organizations
(42:25) Citizen or Employee?
(47:56) Money making machine to avenues of value
(55:47) Breadcrumbs and Suggestions
Remember that you can always find transcripts and key highlights of the episode on our website: https://www.boundaryless.io/podcast/indy-johar-2
Episode recorded on March 19, 2024
Get in touch with Boundaryless:
Find out more about the show and the research at Boundaryless at https://boundaryless.io/resources/podcast
Music
Music from Liosound / Walter Mobilio. Find his portfolio here: https://blss.io/Podcast-Music
Kelly Sarabyn and Scott Brinker from HubSpot take us through their latest report on the State of Platforms in 2024.
HubSpot has always considered industry education as central to developing its business and brand, and - in combination with some of its partners - released this great report earlier this year.
The report profoundly covers how firms now adopt platform strategies to thrive in a digital economy ranging from app ecosystems to services marketplaces. Having spearheaded this, Kelly and Scott shared some insider information with us.
During the conversation, they highlight the evolution of platforms, from mere technical infrastructures to complex ecosystems, and then further delve into how understanding the intricacies of platform models is crucial for tech companies and all businesses looking to leverage the interconnected nature of modern markets.
Some of our ardent followers will know that this is the 2nd time we have Scott, Vice President of Platform Ecosystem, at HubSpot. Kelly, instead, works as a Platform Ecosystem Advocate, at the same company.
We are thrilled that they wanted to share the key learnings from co-authoring the “State of Platforms 2024” report - a tremendous piece of work that examines the evolving dynamics of the platform businesses, with a keen focus on the B2B SaaS industry.
In the conversation we explored the implications of evolving platforms for business strategy and operations, emphasizing the necessity for companies to continuously adapt and leverage these opportunities effectively, regardless of the role and business model. Our guests further touch upon how companies need to modulate around proliferation and nichification, integrations across sectors, and even look into these retributions' ethical and social aspects from a community-building perspective.
Key Highlights
👉 Deep Dive into B2B SaaS Platforms by analyzing the top 50 SaaS companies’ adoption of platform business models.
👉 Integration as a critical strategy for enhancing user experience and the platform's value proposition.
👉Industries that have fallen short in their platform game, and where their future is headed.
👉The challenges with outsourcing integration, and why the quality of integration makes or breaks your product’s market fit.
👉The platform industry as a continuously evolving ecosystem, and its implications on business.
👉How companies need to adapt their structure to support platform models.
👉Analysis of the broader implications of platform strategies on society and ethical considerations in platform management.
👉The potential of using ecosystems as a distribution strategy, and why even non-tech companies should consider integrating digital services into their offerings.
Topics /chapters
(00:00) The State of Platforms in 2024 - intro
(00:58) Introducing Kelly Sarabyn and Scott Brinker
(01:58) State of Platforms Report 2024
(10:09) Patterns of Platforms in 2024
(13:19) Outdated Metrics and Practices of Platforms
(16:10) Who should be thinking about Platforms today?
(20:24) Being a part of ecosystems as a distribution strategy
(23:57) Organization Structures Designed for Platforms
(27:31) Who should understand platforms in your organization?
(33:15) Proliferation and Nichification
(38:43) What is the key to unlock the future?
(45:17) Transformation in the Services Ecosystems
(51:29) Breadcrumbs and Suggestions
Remember that you can always find transcripts and key highlights of the episode on our website: https://www.boundaryless.io/podcast/kelly-scott
Episode recorded on August 7, 2023
Get in touch with Boundaryless:
Find out more about the show and the research at Boundaryless at https://boundaryless.io/resources/podcast
Music
Music from Liosound / Walter Mobilio. Find his portfolio here: https://blss.io/Podcast-Music
We have a three-time returning guest on the podcast today, Sangeet Paul Choudary - certainly one of the most influential minds in the world of modern business.
Sangeet, an advisor and best-selling author, known for his work on platform economics and network effects, joins us to take us through the next era of competition in business: Sandwich Economics.
He speaks on the principles of the new phenomenon and shares insights into how organizations are now increasingly "sandwiching" markets vigorously consolidating profits and power. As this happens, Sangeet argues, it’s not always a driver of quality improvement in services and products.
Sangeet’s episodes are always packed with insights on the future, and this conversation is no different - in the closing, we even walk through AI agents, AGI, societal and ethical considerations, and much more. Tune in, this is not an episode to miss.
As our close followers and general practitioners of Platform Ecosystems know, Sangeet is not only one of the most distinguished thought leaders, renowned for his pioneering work on platform economics but also someone who can spot the intricacies of the impacts that such phenomena have on society.
He has authored two bestselling books, "Platform Scale" and "Platform Revolution," and comes with over a decade of expertise in advising global firms and governments on crafting effective platform strategies through his organization, “Platformation Labs”.
Sangeet always has golden insights, and this episode is packed with them. He takes us through the new term he coined to describe dangerous market dynamics that key players use to “sandwich” value across multiple layers of value chains and grounds them on examples from various industries. He further challenges conventional thinking and brings fresh perspectives on the ongoing dynamism and complexity of the market.
Key Highlights
👉 Transition from platform-based business models to Sandwich Economics
👉 Dominating multiple layers of the value chain, transforming competition and power dynamics in digital markets through Sandwich Economics.
👉 Case studies on organizations that implemented Sandwich Economics: Reliance's strategic maneuvers in India, and Amazon’s creation of their own value assets.
👉Difference between vertical integration and sandwich economics - and the importance of dominating horizontal layers at an industry scale for capturing profits and exerting control.
👉 Broader societal implications of shifting economic models, and the role of digital transformation in redefining value creation, capture, and distribution.
👉 The emergence of Artificial General Intelligence, and how it makes digital economics, organizational structures, and the essence of competition even more complex.
👉 Leadership methods (decentralized/ centralized) in an era of Sandwich Economics Contrary.
Topics /chapters
(00:00) Sandwich Economics: a New Era of Competition - Intro
(00:58) Introducing Sangeet
(02:23) All things Sandwich Economics
(10:26) Why is Sandwich Economics different from Vertical Integration?
(18:17) New Ways of Competing
(24:08) Playbook of Sandwich Economics and how is it different from enshittification?
(38:28) What are the antibodies?
(46:14) Where’s this evolving to?
(49:45) The emergence of AGI and the shape of markets
(55:41) Value Creation vs. Value Capture
Remember that you can always find transcripts and key highlights of the episode on our website: https://www.boundaryless.io/podcast/sangeet-choudary-3/
Episode recorded on August 7, 2023 Get in touch with Boundaryless:
Find out more about the show and the research at Boundaryless at https://boundaryless.io/resources/podcast
Music
Music from Liosound / Walter Mobilio. Find his portfolio here: https://blss.io/Podcast-Music
On today’s podcast, we host someone who - has been at the forefront of the Agile revolution, and, at the same time, became one of Agile movement's most vocal critics, to the extent, that he dared to say: “R.I.P Agile”.
Cliff Berg, Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Agile 2 Academy, and a leading figure in Agile and DevOps advising joins our podcast bringing his fresh perspectives on the decline of Agile. He also gives us a peek into the story of a book he recently co-authored, ‘Agile 2: The Next Iteration of Agile’.
Cliff takes us through what it means to re-imagine organizational practices and challenges the conventional framework-oriented approach, that often needs more contextualization and grounded action-based research.
Join us, as we discuss balancing leadership and self-organizing, and explore pragmatic approaches to operating successful businesses with agility and accountability.
This episode goes through a journey - we talk about Cliff’s viral post on the demise of Agile, and what he and a team of co-authors have done to consciously course-correct it, and publish a whole set of new ideas on how to approach Agile with a more contemporary and less ideological stance: Agile 2.
Cliff dismisses the narrative of “You don’t need managers”, and challenges why it’s important to reel our thoughts back in when it comes to decentralization of organizations.
He lays it out as it is: structure is not a bad thing per se, and the conversation goes through healthy ways of administering structure in organizations.
Tune in, if you’re interested in non-ideological ways to embrace agile practices, mixed with some of Boundaryless's staple topics: building optionality, entrepreneurial organizations that go big with skin in the game, and more.
Key Highlights
👉 Critical intersection between human behavior and technology, emphasizing the need for a deeper understanding of our digital coexistence.
👉 Calm Technology as an essential way to creating designs that respect human attention without overwhelming users.
👉Building tools that help users focus on the task and not the tool.
👉 Complexities of governance in technological and organizational contexts, with a focus on the potentials and pitfalls of decentralized autonomous organizations (DAOs).
👉 Ways to bring a shift towards innovations that serve humanity and contribute to a more equitable future.
👉 Developing a questioning mindset for driving meaningful technological advancements.
Topics /chapters
(00:00) R.I.P. Agile, Long Live Agile 2 - Intro
(02:09) The transition from Agile 1.0 to Agile 2.0
(10:36) Solving Limitations of Agile 1.0
(18:26) Frameworks as a means to an end
(31:23) Increasing Optionality and Designing for Problem Solving
(38:16) Finding a Balance in Beauraucracy
(44:43) The transformation that sticks
Remember that you can always find transcripts and key highlights of the episode on our website: https://boundaryless.io/podcast/cliff-berg/
Episode recorded on February 23, 2024
Get in touch with Boundaryless:
Find out more about the show and the research at Boundaryless at https://boundaryless.io/resources/podcast
Music
Music from Liosound / Walter Mobilio. Find his portfolio here: https://blss.io/Podcast-Music
We rarely (if ever) get to host a cyborg anthropologist on our podcast, so we are thrilled to have Amber Case join us as a special guest for this episode.
Amber, who works at the intersection of human and technology interactions, shares her journey into envisioning what a calm technology is. Calm Technology is a design philosophy that advocates for technology to integrate into our lives, enhancing our ability to focus rather than distracting us. She takes us through everyday objects that have been designed this way and leaves us challenging what’s really “transparent technology”?
We stretch the boundaries to include a conversation on organizations and governance: a leading thread is that of keeping asking questions and not drinking the kool-aid of truthiness in how we think about tech and organizing.
Tune in to this provocation that leaps into the future of technology, its impact on society, and how you can navigate these landscapes with mindful intent.
This podcast started on a personal note - Amber shared her experience being a child of engineers, and also having early exposure to the natural world - both of which she believes set the precedence for what she does today.
She takes us through a wealth of experience she gained in her multifaceted career - having been a renowned book author, TED speaker, serial startup founder, advisor, co-founder of DAOs, Research Director at the Meta Governance Project, and most recently the founder of the Calm Tech Institute.
Amber advocates for a future where technology "gets out of your way and lets you live your life." This episode will elicit new questions for you and your career. This episode has been occasionally recorded as “sound only”. Key Highlights
👉 Critical intersection between human behavior and technology, emphasizing the need for a deeper understanding of our digital coexistence.
👉 Calm Technology as an essential way to creating designs that respect human attention without overwhelming users.
👉Building tools that help users focus on the task and not the tool.
👉 Complexities of governance in technological and organizational contexts, with a focus on the potentials and pitfalls of decentralized autonomous organizations (DAOs).
👉 Ways to bring a shift towards innovations that serve humanity and contribute to a more equitable future.
👉 Developing a questioning mindset for driving meaningful technological advancements.
Topics /chapters
(00:00) Building Calm Technology and Organizations - Intro
(02:09) The start of a cyborg anthropologist
(11:19) What happens as Technology fades into the background/ disappears?
(19:55) Technology as facilitator vs. distractor
(31:06) How to limit and grow technology
(48:53)
Organizations shaping itself to build better technology
(59:37) Breadcrumbs and Suggestions
Remember that you can always find transcripts and key highlights of the episode on our website: https://boundaryless.io/podcast/Amber-Case/
Episode recorded on February 22, 2024
Get in touch with Boundaryless:
Find out more about the show and the research at Boundaryless at https://boundaryless.io/resources/podcast
Music
Music from Liosound / Walter Mobilio. Find his portfolio here: https://blss.io/Podcast-Music
In today’s episode, we are joined by João Rosa and Trond Hjorteland, two organizational consultants with a unique point of view, who take us through the depth of Open Systems Theory, and what it means to be socio-technical practitioners, passionate about transitioning democratic organizations to fast-flowing operational models.
With many years of experience in large and complex contexts, they delve into what it means to create a collaborative and democratic organization, and how to balance mission, business outcomes, and cognitive load.
Join us on this episode, as we debate the role of “purpose”, entrepreneurship, and autonomy and learn how to avoid the creation of agile bureaucracies.
Tune in, and get inspired.
In the conversation with Rosa and Hjorteland we started from an original question that Simone threw out at a small conference recently: how do we avoid building Agile Bureaucracies? What does it mean to develop a business that achieves agility without having to exert total control on flows and processes?
With increasingly complex and dynamic environments, it becomes pivotal for organizations to recognize and adapt to change, if not stay ahead of it and rigidities are more than dangerous - even the cultural ones.
Emphasizing learnings from different methodologies like Open Systems Theory, Domain Driven Design, and Team Topologies; our guests advocate a team-centered, and democratic approach over industrial and hierarchical practices. A unique episode to look out for. Tune in.
Key Highlights
👉 Evolving socio-technical systems to enhance organizational resilience against complexity and unpredictability.
👉 Integrating agile practices, Open System Theory, and collaborative sense-making to navigate complex organizational challenges.
👉 Participatory culture for enabling team autonomy and fostering ownership practices.
👉 Balancing strategic focus with adaptability, by leveraging external technologies for organizational evolution.
👉 The role of Team Topologies in creating effective communication and collaboration structures within organizations.
👉 Encouraging the shift towards a micro-entrepreneurial mindset within teams to promote innovation and autonomy.
Topics /chapters
(00:00) Intro - Avoiding the Agile Bureaucracy with Rosa and Hjorteland
(00:59) Guests Introduction
(02:37) Status Quo: Socio-Technical Systems
(10:38) Aligning organizational design and business outcomes
(20:52) Enabling entrepreneurship and building optionality
(39:25) Disruptions in Industrial Organization Thinking
(50:28) Theory of Organizations for a Complex World
(58:40) Breadcrumbs and Suggestions
Remember that you can always find transcripts and key highlights of the episode on our website: https://boundaryless.io/podcast/Rosa-Hjorteland/
Episode recorded on February 6, 2024
Get in touch with Boundaryless:
Find out more about the show and the research at Boundaryless at https://boundaryless.io/resources/podcast
Music
Music from Liosound / Walter Mobilio. Find his portfolio here: https://blss.io/Podcast-Music
An independent tech consultant with over 20 years, Susanne Kaiser joins the podcast and shares her insights on what makes a robust socio-technical system.
Integrating takeaways from different approaches like Wardley Mapping, Domain Driven Design, and Team topologies, she helps the listeners understand how to mold systems into ones that are adaptable to change, how to invest in the right things, and how to avoid wasting resources on things that do not make a competitive advantage.
We further touch upon topics like building in bounded contexts and unbundling the right way. This episode has an ocean of information, which can help listeners achieve better strategic awareness of their company, products, and initiatives. Grab a coffee cup and a notebook and listen. In this episode, Susanne takes us through what it means to operate a business with a strategic perspective.
An organization’s evolutionary journey goes through high levels of change and uncertainty. With insights on bounded contexts and evolution, Susanne takes us through how you can enforce modularity and cohesion among the different parts of the system, to deal with such a journey.
With significant experience working as a consultant in the software development world, Susanne shares real-world examples of how organizations can create architecture and team structures that are dynamic and play to an organization's competitive advantage.
Key Highlights
👉 A holistic approach to building adaptive socio-technical systems optimized for rapid change
👉 Integration of business strategy, software design, and team organization methodologies such as Wardley mapping, Domain-Driven Design, and Team Topologies.
👉 Organizing strategic investment in core domains to maintain competitive advantage while leveraging off-the-shelf solutions for generic/peripheral subdomains.
👉 Identifty bounded contexts for enabling modularity and cohesion in software systems, supporting faster adaptation to change.
👉 Insights on cultural shifts within organizations, promoting autonomy, trust, and a micro-entrepreneurial mindset.
Topics /chapters
(00:00) Intro - Susanne Kaiser on Building the Right Things (& Building Things Right)
(01:22) Bridging three methodologies for Holistic Socio-Technical Systems
(16:19) Looking into Domain Driven Design
(24:32) What are Bounded Contexts? How do they play out for products and portfolios?
(35:35) Unbundling for a functional model/ Unbundling the right way
(41:20) Integrators & Competitive Advantages
(49:12) Closing Breadcrumbs and Suggestions
Remember that you can always find transcripts and key highlights of the episode on our website: https://boundaryless.io/podcast/susanne-kaiser/
Episode recorded on December 29, 2023
Get in touch with Boundaryless:
Find out more about the show and the research at Boundaryless at https://boundaryless.io/resources/podcast
Music
Music from Liosound / Walter Mobilio. Find his portfolio here: https://blss.io/Podcast-Music
Jeremiah Owyang, a veteran with a vantage point of Silicon Valley and current General Partner at Blitzscaling Ventures joins us for the second time on the podcast. While he is now working on identifying and nurturing AI startups, this episode reflects his art of captivating audiences.
He takes us through the exponential growth of AI startups, its implications on creativity, health, wellness, and productivity, the ethical considerations surrounding its adoption, and the potential of AI to democratize professional skills. We even touch upon what’s next with AI in this thought-provoking discussion, so tune in and get listening into the future.
In this episode, Owyang demystifies complex technologies - a skill that has made him a sought-after speaker, capable of creating context and setting standards for the adoption of advanced technologies in Business, globally.
Jeremiah takes us on a journey from the inception of predictive AI to the emergence of ChatGPT the moment it was made ubiquitous. This episode is special since we go beyond the technology - through the socio-economic impacts of AI - with a bonus live demo of scenario-based voice interaction with an AI.
This episode is a deep dive into the future of AI and the sheer power of its technology from one of Silicon Valley's most influential voices. Don’t miss out.
Key Highlights
👉 AI's role in reshaping creativity and digital content, with digital influencers.
👉 Democratization of AI technology beyond the Silicon Valley - its global adoption.
👉Addressing the balance between technological advancement and the preservation of human values and rights, with Ethical AI.
👉 Consumer interaction with AI, and what the future will hold - mobile-first or wearables?
👉 A step towards artificial general intelligence (AGI) - The emergence of AI agents as autonomous systems enhancing personal and professional productivity.
👉 The role of AI in health, creating accessibility, affordability, and overall improvement in general wellness.
👉 Harnessing AI for Global Betterment - elevating health and education, paralleling the Industrial Revolution's transformation; akin to trading human cognitive efforts for computational prowess.
Topics /chapters
(00:00) Intro - Beyond the Code: Jeremiah Owyang on the New Era of AI
(02:29) Picture of the white-hote core of AI
(12:27) AI’s Creativity and Human Creativity
(18:51) Monetizing the future of AI
(27:46) Authenticity of AI
(39:01) AI and it’s human implications
(43:07) Breadcrumbs and Suggestions
Remember that you can always find transcripts and key highlights of the episode on our website: https://boundaryless.io/podcast/jeremiah-owyang2
Get in touch with Boundaryless:
Find out more about the show and the research at Boundaryless at https://boundaryless.io/resources/podcast
Music
Music from Liosound / Walter Mobilio. Find his portfolio here: https://blss.io/Podcast-Music
Join us on this episode as we sit down with Charles Betz, a leading authority in enterprise architecture-related research. With a career dedicated to understanding how digitally enabled organizations (should) operate at scale, Charles is the VP and Research Director of Enterprise Architecture at Forrester.
Tune in as he discusses the evolution of technology, the challenges faced by enterprises as they integrate digital, and the critical and evolving role of enterprise architecture in modern business.
This is an all-encompassing episode featuring Charles Betz, the VP and Research Director of Enterprise Architecture at Forrester. With over two decades of experience in the field, Charles is a seasoned expert in enterprise architecture, digital transformation, and organizational strategy, making this a perfect episode for those looking to operate digitally enabled organizations, at scale.
With his wealth of knowledge, Charles takes us on a journey through the historical evolution of computing, tracing the path from the early days of digital challenges to the present era of cloud computing and platform capabilities. He shares perspectives on the evolving and pivotal role of enterprise architecture, a once technical role now increasingly in charge of facilitating technology alignment with product portfolios and business goals.
He introduces the concept of Outcome-Driven Architecture, emphasizing the principles of adaptability, creativity, and resilience, and prepares us as we explore together the digital landscape.
Key Highlights
👉 Distinguishing hardware and software in digital technology and the unifying capabilities of computing machines.
👉 Challenges faced by enterprise architecture - the risk of bureaucracy and the need to adapt to modern platform thinking
👉 Managing multiple PNL units in organizations, and the requirement for a balance between shared governance and shared services for efficient scaling.
👉 Effective portfolio management needs to meet architectural considerations.
👉 Outcome-driven architecture for achieving higher-level values such as adaptability, creativity, and resilience through architectural capabilities.
👉Engagement models for architecture groups and their cultural values, including value, accountability, and agility.
👉 Shift from a top-down approach to a value-driven perspective in managing technology portfolios.
👉 Systematic and rational management of digital portfolios to optimize investments and minimize redundancy and sprawl.
Topics /chapters
(00:00) Intro - Why Enterprise Architecture is not (just) about Technology
(08:20) Balancing Business Logic, Products, and Technology
(11:28) Enterprise Architecture in a Decentralized World
(18:39) Creating Coherence in Constraints
(34:10) Shifting Roles of Enterprise Architects
(39:33) Outcome-Driven Architecture Model at Forrester
(46:00) Shift from top-down to value-driven perspective
(49:07) Breadcrumbs and Suggestions
Remember that you can always find transcripts and key highlights of the episode on our website: https://boundaryless.io/podcast/charles-betz
Episode recorded on November 17, 2023
Get in touch with Boundaryless:
Find out more about the show and the research at Boundaryless at https://boundaryless.io/resources/podcast
Music
Music from Liosound / Walter Mobilio. Find his portfolio here: https://blss.io/Podcast-Music
Join us as we delve into a thought-provoking conversation with Milica Begovic and Giulio Quaggiotto, current and former Head of Strategic Innovation at the UNDP, as they shed light on how they are reshaping the approach to global development by transitioning from traditional project methods to a portfolio approach.
Tune in as we unpack the need for this systemic change and recognize how deep organizational shifts are required to the complexities of today's most pressing challenges.
At Boundaryless, we always believed in the power of learning from parallel avenues, and this episode with Milica Begovic and Giulio Quaggiotto sharing their experience in the development sector, is a testament to that.
Milica, known for her innovative drive, and Giulio, with his extensive experience in public sector innovation, share their insights on UNDP’s recent shift from a project-based to a portfolio approach in tackling global challenges.
They explore how to address systemic changes, emphasizing the importance of broadening strategies to create sustainable impacts.
Taking practical examples from the ground, they discuss the role of cities in driving community-focused innovation, demonstrating the power of portfolio governance in achieving shared goals.
This episode is a compelling call to action for rethinking not just development work, but also what startups and corporates alike could learn to imbibe, in an increasingly complex ecosystem.
Key Highlights
👉 Embracing a complex systemic approach over a linear project approach can ensure impactful response to the unpredictable ways of nature.
👉 The quest for coherence and the need for optionality have to co-exist while addressing dynamic complexities.
👉 Organizational agility and deep structural changes are crucial to drive systemic innovation.
👉 Skin in the game through co-ownership of risks and success can lead to improved sustainability of solutions.
👉 Coherence attracts leverage when multiple independent entities come together to solve a problem, and this ensures an increase in an individual's accountability towards the outcome.
Topics /chapters
(00:00) Intro - Rethinking Development: UNDP's Journey from Projects to Portfolios
(01:31) Guests Introduction
(02:35) Transition from Project approach to Portfolio approach
(14:23) Trickling down of Optionality
(19:26) Generating Outcomes in Emergence
(23:57) Role of Skin in the Game
(33:13) Building Narratives in a Portfolio Switch
(40:30) Uptake of Portfolio Approach
(44:27) Composability and Modularity in Portfolio Approaches
(48:36) Arriving at common census in a fragmented world
(55:58) Breadcrumbs and Suggestions
(57:00) Closing episode
Remember that you can always find transcripts and key highlights of the episode on our website: https://boundaryless.io/podcast/milica-giulio
Episode recorded on October 18, 2023
Get in touch with Boundaryless:
Find out more about the show and the research at Boundaryless at https://boundaryless.io/resources/podcast
Music
Music from Liosound / Walter Mobilio. Find his portfolio here: https://blss.io/Podcast-Music
We are truly honored to host Jason Fried, co-founder of 37Signals and the mastermind behind Basecamp, and Hey for one of our deepest episodes.
A leading critical voice in startup culture and product design, Jason delves into challenging conventional business approaches with a focus on simplicity, enjoyment, and nimbleness.
In the second part of the conversation, Jason also hints into what he calls a Post-SaaS era that he intends to kickstart with a new suite of products called Once.
This is a landmark episode for us, as we're joined by Jason Fried, co-founder of 37Signals and the creative force behind Basecamp and Hey.
A true critical thought leader in startup culture, product design, and organizational development, Jason shares his deep insights into the transformative power that comes from challenging traditional business norms - be it bootstrapping, subtracting, restraining, or creating shorter cycles - in a world where increasingly, “more” is considered better.
As an acclaimed author of International Bestsellers - like “Rework”, “Remote” and “It Doesn’t Have to Be Crazy at Work” - Jason offers unique perspectives on customer and product strategies, intuition in decision-making, and the importance of human touch in technology.
He also shares insights on 37Signal's multi-product strategies and touches on their upcoming product "Once", which promises to be the first post-SaaS product.
This episode has got it all, and speaks on untouched conversations like never before. Don’t miss out. Key Highlights
👉 A deep dive into approaches that challenge traditional startup culture and product design principles - bootstrapping, subtraction, simplified metrics etc.
👉 Restraints as powerful enablers organizational strategy.
👉 A centralized product editor vs. a decentralized structure approach in an organization.
👉 Understanding the dynamics and strategies behind managing and growing a multi-product company.
👉 Short term vs. long term goals and getting buy-in from the organization.
👉 Why AI isn’t a magical duct tape, and how do you tackle leveraging AI's capabilities and preserving a product's unique identity.
👉 Understanding how friction can be either incorporated or overcome in the creative and development process.
👉 The Next in SaaS and what is “Once” building
Topics /chapters
(00:00) Intro - Enjoying Building Simple Products
(03:17) Navigating constraints and restraints
(10:39) Getting buy-in from your team
(16:04) Being empathetic with customers
(21:16) Building purpose in an organization
(28:04) Modularity, Composability, and Integration
(33:32) AI is a universal duct tape
(38:45) Path to Multi Product
(43:01) What “Once” was (and will be)
(49:53) Breadcrumbs and Suggestions
Remember that you can always find transcripts and key highlights of the episode on our website: https://boundaryless.io/podcast/jason-fried
Episode recorded on November 16, 2023 Get in touch with Boundaryless:
Find out more about the show and the research at Boundaryless at https://boundaryless.io/resources/podcast
Music
Music from Liosound / Walter Mobilio. Find his portfolio here: https://blss.io/Podcast-Music
We talked Web3 with Jesse Walden, a true veteran in the crypto and blockchain space. All the conversation revolves around a deep question: why should we build on chain? Join us as Jesse shines a light on the path forward - and on the key outstanding questions for Web3.
In this episode, we discuss the future of the internet with Jesse Walden - Founder of Variant Fund and Web3 legend. Jesse - is one the most pivotal shapers of the landscape of user-owned internet - and an early-stage crypto funding pioneer - and we are truly honored to have him speak with us.
Before spearheading Variant Fund, Jesse had a notable tenure as Program Director at Crypto Startup School—one of the earliest startup accelerators in Crypto and Web3. Before this, he pioneered work at Mediachain Labs, later acquired by Spotify, which underscored his foresight in harnessing blockchain's potential.
In this deep discussion, we riff with Jesse around the fundamental elements of the question: “why should we build organizations and products on the blockchain”?
Among the depths discussed, he spoke to us on how crypto isn't merely about currencies but rather about owning a slice of the internet. He helps us revise the structural shifts that this technology affords: from independent digital asset ownership to the idea of complete contracts, and we stretch the surface of what’s only possible to build if we embrace this new perspective.
Towards the end of the conversation, we also dive into what’s the role of venture capital in a different landscape such as that of web3.
Tune in to this engaging conversation as Jesse navigates the realms of crypto, blockchain, and ownership, unveiling their profound implications for the future of the internet.
Key Highlights
👉 Redefining Digital Ownership: Exploring the shift from traditional internet usage to owning a piece of the internet through blockchain and smart contracts.
👉 Complete Contracts in Web3: the importance of specifying outcomes in smart contracts amidst dynamism.
👉 New Economic Value in Web3: Bottom-up innovation in Web3, and enabling economic value creation.
👉 Rebuilding Protocols in Web3: Exploring why developers are keen on rebuilding protocols rather than building upon existing ones.
👉 Modular Components in Web3: Building extensive and valuable networks through composability and modularity.
👉 Convergence of Technologies: Exploring the intersection of blockchain computing, zero-knowledge cryptography, and AI.
Topics /chapters
(00:00) Intro - Why Building On Chain: The Case for Web3
(02:04) Why should you build on blockchain?
(06:55) Complete contracts versus incomplete contracts
(19:37) Rebuilding a platform vs. Building atop platforms
(26:47) Modularity and Monetizing Web3
(42:08) Role of AI in composing products and experiences
(45:39) Breadcrumbs and closing suggestions
Remember that you can always find transcripts and key highlights of the episode on our website: https://boundaryless.io/podcast/jesse-walden
Recorded on November 10, 2023.
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Find out more about the show and the research at Boundaryless at https://boundaryless.io/resources/podcast
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We discuss India's digital evolution with Arvind Gupta, exploring the country's unique approach to digital inclusion and decentralized networks. Arvind shares his experiences from academia to the key ideas behind Digital Public Infrastructure, emphasizing digital empowerment. Tune in, and discover how India's digital model is not only redefining technology as we know it, but also setting a precedent for the global landscape.
In this episode, we sit down with Arvind Gupta, Head and Co-Founder of the Digital India Foundation and deep dive into India’s recent bubbling digital story. As a key shaper of the India Stack, he shared his insights on the country’s unique approach to digital inclusion, and its unwavering commitment to serving the bottom of the pyramid
He reinstates India's position as the "data capital of the world" and the transformative power of data in the nation's journey and its crucial potential for empowerment.But what makes India's journey so unique? Well, India's approach has been about innovating building open networks and decentralized systems - something that we’re learning to call Digital Public Infrastructures and Arvind has been instrumental in shaping such a strategy.
Arvind Gupta has held several roles, ranging from being an Adjunct Professor at IIT-BHU, to serving as the CEO of MyGov, a platform championed by PM Modi for inclusive digital governance. His writings have been featured on platforms like the Harvard Business Review and the World Economic Forum, and his accolades, such as the Eisenhower Global Fellowship for Innovation, speak volumes about his commitment to the digital realm.
In this thought-provoking conversation, Arvind calls for a reimagining of the internet's original promise—to empower every individual and truly sparks a sense of deep hope. Join us for this deep dive with Arvind Gupta, as we explore the intricacies of India's digital revolution, its global implications, and the future of technology.
Key Highlights
👉 India's digital stack - a deep dive into the UPI, EKYC, Aadhar etc.
👉 How India shifted from traditional models to innovative platforms for societal empowerment.
👉 How India is working towards decentralizing the internet through initiatives like ONDC, OCEN etc.
👉 How the government utilizes the digital infrastructure investment to significant economic savings and market value creation.
👉 What does it mean to be the data capital of the world?
👉 Emphasis on collaborative and open consultations for policy and technology development.
👉 The "Solve for India, Share with the World" approach towards solution building.
👉 The future - Voice Tech, Ethics and Responsibilities of AI, Non Weaponization of Technology etc.
Topics /chapters
(00:00) Intro - Pioneering Digital Public Infrastructure in India
(00:45) Introduction of Arvind Gupta
(02:12) Overview on Digital India, policy, infrastructure
(13:03) Moving up the Value Chain
(21:29) Breaking down the ONDC
(24:22) Governance of Data and Citizen Participation
(30:36) Capability Building and Go To Market
(37:33) Private Sector Reactions to Open Networks
(40:04) Policy Enforcement
(41:16) Future of India’s play in global ecosystems
(45:50) Other Mega Trends
(46:44) Crypto Ledgers
(47:51) Breadcrumbs and other suggestions
Remember that you can always find transcripts and key highlights of the episode on our website: https://boundaryless.io/podcast/arvind-gupta/
Episode recorded on October 17, 2023
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Find out more about the show and the research at Boundaryless at https://boundaryless.io/resources/podcast
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John Robb, an expert in networked societies and tribal dynamics, returns to the podcast after more than three years, with some thought-challenging discussions.
In this episode, Robb takes us through the inherent destructive nature of networked tribes and provides a unique perspective on our global civilizations trajectory.
He touches on dissent dynamics driven by social media, the danger in the concentration of power due to the transformative effect of AI, all while resonating its impact on business and organizational operations.
This is a special episode, and Robb leaves no leaf unturned. Tune in.
In today's open world, managing networked politics has become increasingly complex for brands, requiring proactive measures from the outset.
John Robb, a renowned author and expert in the field of global security, networked societies, and tribal dynamics, helps us unlock this and other topics on our podcast.
Through popularizing concepts like "Global Guerrillas", where small, loosely connected groups use modern technology to disrupt traditional power structures; he has influenced several entrepreneurs and decision-makers with his thought-provoking insights and predictions.
He discusses the importance of cultivating a corporate culture rooted in civility, introduces profound perspectives on global civilization, and even urges us to consider where we want to be in 200 years, given the limitations posed by Earth’s energy and social entropy.
This podcast episode offers a deep exploration of such critical themes, providing valuable perspectives on the future of society and the influence of networks. Listen in, and join the conversation.
This episode also introduces a new format: #BeyondFrames, occasional podcast episodes where we’ll extend the view beyond product and org design, to look at the context of our work and organizations
Key Highlights
👉 Networked Tribes: how they affect markets and organization
👉 Importance of Early pattern recognition and intervention for managing complexity in organizations.
👉How can organizations adapt to tribes and maintain brand coherence?
👉 How to establish corporate civility and neutrality
👉AI’s impact on concentration of power, wealthand feudalization of warfare
👉The Permacrisis: how can we manage and prevent it at a societal level?
👉What is deindividualization, and how does it affect your organization?
Topics /chapters
(00:00) Intro - BeyondFrames: Living the Networked Society
(01:01) John Robb Introduction
(04:01) The Last 3 years for John Robb
(07:23) Structure, Culture, and Strategy
(10:23) Decentralized Tribes vs. Hierarchical Corporates
(16:33) Future of Organizations and the Coherence of Brands
(18:53) Positivity of Network Tribes
(24:57) Entropy Growth and Organizations
(32:11) De-individualization and Group Dynamics
(35:44) Keeping Markets Free
(44:52) The Next Cycle
(58:43) Breadcrumbs and Suggestions
(01:03:06) Closing
Remember that you can always find transcripts and key highlights of the episode on our website: https://www.boundaryless.io/podcast/john-robb2/
Episode recorded on January 11, 2024
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Find out more about the show and the research at Boundaryless at https://boundaryless.io/resources/podcast
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We are elated to host Teresa Torres, the renowned product discovery coach behind Product Talk, on our podcast. Drawing from her vast experience, from her collaborations with industry giants like Spotify and Tesco, but also with small, nimble startup teams we discuss about implementing continuous discovery inside organizations, across teams, driven by business outcomes.
Together, we explore the intricacies, challenges, and opportunities of coordinating in complex product landscapes and what it means for organizations navigating these rough waters. Teresa's insights are simple, yet profound and that makes this episode a must listen!
As the mind behind Product Talk, there's arguably a handful who understand the intricacies of continuous discovery better than Teresa Torres does. Her straightforward style and work has set benchmarks in the industry of product design and development. In our conversation, we venture beyond the usual. We discuss the science of maintaining coherence in a portfolio of products, what it means to ideate within the constraints of an organization, and what are some artifacts and visualization tools that can help product development. She also shares her thoughts on the delicate balance of power, as the scales tip in the age of personal technology, highlighting what GenAI and NoCode could mean for the future of the product.
With her foundational education from Stanford University and Northwestern University, combined with her hands-on experience, Teresa brings a unique blend of academic rigor and practical insights to the table.
Give this episode a listen, and you are sure to walk away with points to ponder.
Key Highlights
👉 Relationship between continuous discovery, and organizational structure, team structures, product design, product portfolios, scaling etc.
👉 How can cross-functional product team be empowered by the product team.
👉 Why every product needs a has a business outcome, and a revenue model formula.
👉 Balancing between what creates value for customers and the business.
👉 How do you achieve coherence and achieve coherence in complexity, when there is a portfolio of products?
👉 How can tools be used to impose enabling constraints?
👉 Shifting power to the customer with GenAI and personal technology.
Topics /chapters
(00:00) Intro - Scaling Continuous Discovery in Product Portfolios
(00:43) Teresa Torres's Introduction
(03:08) Scaling and Continuous Discovery
(07:31) Accountability, P&L, and Product Centric Organizations
(09:57) Managing coherence in portfolio of products
(16:27) Coordinating in Complexity
(19:26) Artifacts and Visualizations
(23:01) Ideation within constraints
(29:24) Product Expansions in startups
(37:41) Shift of Power from Product Teams to the Consumer // Personal Technology
(41:51) Navigating customer focus in a world of GenAI
(45:25) Breadcrumbs and Suggestions
(48:06) Closing Notes
Remember that you can always find transcripts and key highlights of the episode on our website: https://boundaryless.io/podcast/teresa-torres
Episode recorded on October 2, 2023.
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In this episode, we explore what a product-centric organization looks like, with our guest Craig Strong. Sharing his experience as a Global Practice Leader at AWS (Amazon Web Services) and seasoned Chief Technology & Product Officer, he helps us dive deeper into the nuances of adopting organizational designs, cultures, and practices that cater to product-customer centricity.
A true product operating model specialist, he has helped countless startups and enterprises modernize and evolve to become more customer-centric. From bio-mimicry to hands-on experience, learn what inspires him every day to design some of the most robust and adopted organization structures in the world. This podcast is just not one to miss!
In this insightful episode, Craig Strong, co-author of "The Lean Product Lifecycle," explores the future of product-centric organizations. With over 18 years in the tech industry, Craig has worked with startups, SMEs, and global enterprises, guiding them through growth and transformation.
Craig shares profound insights on this podcast, emphasizing the importance of life cycles in product development and the dangers of prescribing defined frameworks. We dive into the significance of asking timely questions, what questions to ask, and the necessity of flexible frameworks that cater to the emergent needs of complex organizations. He touches upon his concept of viewing taxonomies and ontologies as products, and so much more.
As a Forbes Technology Council member and co-author of "The Lean Product Lifecycle," Craig provides a blend of theoretical and practical insights on this podcast. This episode is a must-listen for those seeking clarity and inspiration in product operations and organizational design. Tune in for a highly engaging discussion with Craig Strong!
Key Highlights
👉 Importance of timely contextualization, innovation, and autonomy in ideas.
👉 Relevance of incremental governance.
👉 Removal of “Rigidity of Frameworks.”
👉 Creating a balance between heuristics and cultural tenets of an organization.
👉 Complete breakdown of product taxonomies - its necessity, importance, design structure, etc.
👉 How to build collective intelligence in organizations.
👉 How to use visualization tools for imagining and executing dynamic organization design.
Topics / chapters
(00:00) Intro - Product-Centric Organizations (Portfolios, Taxonomies)
(00:57) Introducing Craig Strong
(07:12) Key Tenets and Artifacts of Product-Centric Organizations
(12:31) Incremental Governance
(15:51) All about Product Taxonomies
(19:17) Patterns in Taxonomies
(21:06) Dynamism and Complexity in Organizations
(23:17) Scalability of Taxonomy
(26:55) Alternatives to P&L in Product Development Cycle
(29:11) Objectivity and Removing Bias in Development
(32:18) Innovation Theatre and Operationalizing Product Innovation
(36:20) Skin in the Game
(38:54) Hierarchy of Taxonomies
(43:03) Building a Taxonomy and Ontology that is Convenient
(50:49) Breadcrumbs and Suggestions by Craig
(53:38) Closing Points
Remember that you can always find transcripts and key highlights of the episode on our website: https://boundaryless.io/podcast/craig-strong
Episode recorded on September 18, 2023.
Find out more about the show and the research at Boundaryless at https://boundaryless.io/resources/podcast
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In our first episode this season, we dive into the world of open platforms and the future of organizing. With his thought-provoking presentation of “Gardening Platforms,” our guest Alex Komoroske helps create a shift in mindset towards a more achievable and sustainable approach in creating impactful technology solutions. We explore his key learnings from leading products at Google Chrome and how he continues to implement these in his own journey today. Touching on questions of morality, control, and designing for the nefarious users, there’s so much Alex offers in this podcast, and we hope you take from it as much as we did.
Alex Komoroske is truly an inspiration when we think of the potential that powerful technology solutions can create. For 13 years, he worked with Google, building some of the most cherished products that came from the organization. Heading product for a company that affects billions of lives is no easy feat, and Alex did just that for Google Chrome. He took his vast ocean of knowledge, and for the last two years has helped shape Stripe as their Head of Strategy. In his flip-book style presentation, aptly titled, “Gardening Platforms,” he discusses the fundamental emergent power dynamics of platforms, how to evolve an existing platform to continuously improve it, and how to create a new platform from scratch. This got us truly hooked, and we are glad that Alex joined us to discuss this and many more mind-tinkering concepts in our podcast. We touch upon the inherently complex and evolutionary nature of platforms, the role of composability and modularity, and what it means to be sensitive to the socio-technical implications of your solutions.
Get ready to be inspired by his high-impact journey, brutal honesty, and some remarkable recommendations of books and concepts that have shaped his thoughts and processes.
Key Highlights
👉 Platforms can be imagined as a swarm of energy, between multiple entities interacting with one another.
👉 Why you don’t always need a big-bang for product launches; oftentimes, self-accumulating users are what’s best for the platform’s success.
👉 Why a gardener mindset, rather than a builder mindset, is poised to reward a product with more success.
👉 How organizations can prepare and design for open platforms that are resilient and expansive, yet chaotic and hard to control.
Topics / chapters
(00:00) Intro - Gardening Platforms and the Future of Open Ecosystems
(00:39) Simone welcomes the audience
(01:26) Alex Introduction
(04:28) Platforms as Complex Adaptive Systems and Gardening Platforms
(09:08) “Coherence” as an attribute for platform development in Open vs. Closed Platforms
(12:22) Rebound from Centralized Platforms
(16:36) Translating chaotic and complex ecosystems into actionable initiatives in organizations
(29:04) Trust, Organizational Accountability, and Micro enterprises
(39:18) Moral implications of building platforms and open source movements
(49:08) Design for Participation
(53:42) Power of Decision Makers in influencing platform design
(01:00:09) Breadcrumbs (Suggested content from Alex)
Remember that you can always find transcripts and key highlights of the episode on our website: https://boundaryless.io/podcast/alex-komoroske
Episode recorded on September 30, 2023.
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We’re back at the Boundaryless Conversations Podcast, with an all new Season No. 5.
Join us, as we bridge the worlds of technology, geopolitics, culture, and policymaking. We take a dive deep into the fabric of tomorrow's world, sharing inspiring stories from innovative organizations leading the way in product and platform development. Learn how to build resilient, adaptable entities that thrive amidst change. Stay informed, break free from echo chambers, and become a change-maker in your organization.
Subscribe to our podcasts on your favorite podcasting platforms, and help us shape a richer, more democratic dialogue about the future of organizing.
Explore our vision at boundaryless.io as we bring to you - Platform and Ecosystems, from the edge to the core.
For more information: https://boundaryless.io.
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In this season wrap up, podcast hosts Simone Cicero and Stina Heikkilä talk about the new research compass of Boundaryless and ruminate on some of the gems of the season.Simone and Stina also share some highlights from the long list of episodes of the Boundaryless Conversations podcast — almost 90 and counting! — and provide some pointers for future research.
It’s worth catching up with the ideas in the recent blog A Research Compass: Platform-Ecosystem Thinking in 2023 when listening to the wrap up.
Some of the topics that stood out forming the substance of the new compass include:
The wrap up provides a good appetizer for the upcoming season, which will have some novelties and more co-hosts in store.
A special shout-out to Stina who won’t be co-hosting the next season of the podcast. It’s been a great ride and we’re sure that she’ll be back co-hosting more episodes in the future!
Find out more about the show and the research at Boundaryless at https://boundaryless.io/resources/podcast
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In this season’s final episode, we talk to Bill Fischer and Lisa Gansky about how our old ideas of what's normal are disappearing. There is a need to bridge the gap between old and emerging systems, encouraging exploration and experimentation to unlock our Ecosystemic Future.
Bill Fischer has spent his entire career involved in innovation, from being a practicing development engineer in industry and government, to being an academic researcher, teacher, and writer, to being involved in several startups. He is currently a Senior Lecturer at the Sloan School of Management, at MIT, and an Emeritus Professor of Innovation Management at IMD, in Lausanne, Switzerland. Lisa Gansky is a social provocateur, serial entrepreneur, angel investor, advisor, international keynote speaker, and author of the bestselling book, “The Mesh: Why the Future of Business is Sharing”. Her work on trust, the sharing economy, and innovation has been central in rethinking 21st-century governance, business models, and community dynamics.
The challenges organizations face in adapting to rapid change show that traditional organizational structures are no longer working. To adapt to the changing landscape, a combination of AI, Web3 technologies, and new governance models can enable flexible and modular ways of organizing.
New promises emerge through the overlap between organizations and software, unlocking new ecosystem potential where different players and customers come together, focusing on local relationships and embracing transience for more innovative solutions.
Above all, it’s important to keep up with optionality and dynamism, both key to the nature of Ecosystemic thinking: co-creation and increasing diversity and variance are going to be essential in the markets of the future.
These elements provide the backdrop for this Situational Update on our Ecosystemic Future.
Key Highlights
👉 The “not yet” is moving faster than the speed at which organizations can adapt.
👉 Un-centralizing for the future: creating smaller units with more autonomy.
👉 Challenges ahead: technology, jobs, and rethinking traditional career paths.
👉 The old model of “define, refine, and scale” is being disrupted by something more turbulent and community-oriented.
👉 The S-curve of technology is getting shorter, and the narrative behind it is different.
👉 Companies need T-shaped individuals to serve as hubs of people within ecosystems.
👉 Everything is 100% temporal, but our legal systems, tax codes, and educational systems can’t keep up with that model.
Topics / chapters
(00:00) Dynamic Models and Local Engagement: Nature's Inspiration for Future Relationships
(01:24) Bill Fischer and Lisa Gansky introduction
(02:58) Adapting Products, Services, and Work in an Uncertain World
(14:27) Redefining Careers: From Hierarchy to Portfolio of Projects
(23:31) Exploring the Potential of Web3 Governance and Programmable Protocols
(39:46) The Path to Coherence: Navigating the Convergence and Variance in Future Markets
(51:05) Bill Fischer and Lisa Gansky’s breadcrumbs
Remember that you can always find transcripts and key highlights of the episode on our website: https://boundaryless.io/podcast/lisa-gansky-and-bill-fischer
Recorded on April 13, 2023.
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In this episode, we dive into the world of smart contracts and their remarkable impact on organizational design. Our guest, Justice Conder, provides a thought-provoking introduction to what he calls the third law of nature of smart contracts. We explore the transformative journey from traditional corporations to the realm of Decentralized Autonomous Organizations (DAOs), maintaining a non-ideological mindset and examining the challenges of bridging the gap between the two paradigms.
Justice Conder leads DAO Ecosystem Development at Polygon Labs. Previously, he was a full-stack developer and Agile practitioner for over ten years, and entered the world of DAOs through BanklessDAO, where he contributed as a governance solution engineer. With Justice, we explore the disconnect between DAOs and traditional organizations, investigating how smart contracts—as a conceptual evolution of DevOps—could play a pivotal role in driving organizational transformation. We also discuss how pioneering transformations, like Haier’s Rendanheyi management model, have a symbiotic relationship with the on-chain revolution, offering insights into the future of organizational design and management.
Get ready to be inspired by the immense potential of Web3 capabilities in product development, and discover how these capabilities can be harnessed to unleash innovation, foster user engagement, and shape the future of products and organizations.
Key Highlights
👉 Smart Contracts and the Third Law of Nature
👉 DAOs are ideologically framed: a movement for more equitable organizations
👉 DACs (corporations) rather than DAOs (organizations) may be the space where most promises of smart organization lie
👉 DAOs can magnify rather than solve the tragedy of the commons if leadership is missing
👉 Progressive decentralization is better than presumptive
👉 To be on top of organizational transformation, you need to look far ahead of the current state
Topics / chapters
(00:00) Smart Contracts: The Unbreakable Third Law of Nature
(00:55) Justin introduction
(01:51) From the traditional world into the DAO world
(04:40) Bridging the Gap: Exploring the Disconnect Between DAOs and Traditional Organizations
(18:13) The Role of DevOps, Smart Contracts, and DAOs in Organizational Transformation
(27:23) Rendanheyi and the On-Chain Revolution: the Future of Organizational Management
(41:47) Unleashing the Potential: Harnessing Web3 Capabilities for Product Development
(54:43) Justice Conder's breadcrumbs
Remember that you can always find transcripts and key highlights of the episode on our website: https://boundaryless.io/podcast/justice-conder
Recorded on June 2, 2023.
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Join us in our latest podcast episode as we delve into the world of design with Dr. Christian Bason, CEO of the Danish Design Center. We explore the crucial role of how we think - the “thinking” part of design thinking - in addressing global challenges.
Drawing from one of his latest books, "Expand: Stretching the Future By Design," co-authored with Jens Martin Skibsted, Christian introduces the concept of six expansions: time, proximity, life, value, dimensions, and sectors. These expansions encourage designers to break free from traditional boundaries and tackle complex issues like climate change, pandemics, and digitization. We also discuss the dynamic nature of design modes and methods, highlighting the importance of agency and adaptability in diverse contexts.
Dr. Christian Bason brings his expertise in innovation, design, policy, and leadership to enrich our conversation. Before becoming CEO of the Danish Design Center, Christian gathered extensive experience leading organizations like MindLab, the Danish government’s innovation team, and Ramboll Management Consulting. He has published in the Harvard Business Review and Stanford Social Innovation Review and has taught executives at Oxford Saïd Business School, Henley MBA, the European School of Administration, and Copenhagen Business School.
With Christian, we dive deep into the ethical considerations surrounding technological innovation and the responsibilities of designers and developers in the digital space. Our conversation examines the impact of technology on society and emphasizes the need for governance mechanisms to keep up with rapid advancements.
The podcast further explores the role of designers as decision-makers and their responsibility at various scales. We look into the transformative power of unlocking individual creativity and cultivating innovative cultures within organizations.
Lastly, we confront the current state of the world and examine the rise of autocracies and surveillance societies, questioning why top-down control has become such a prevailing force. Christian proposes that we have agency to create more sustainable and human-centered organizational forms that can effectively navigate complexity and build alternative futures.
Join us for this captivating podcast episode as we navigate the future of design, highlighting the transformative power of agency, and embrace a world where creativity and collaboration pave the way for a better tomorrow.
Key Highlights
👉 We need to expand our thinking about the future in six areas: time, proximity, life, value, dimensions, and sectors.
👉 By adopting a designer's mindset, we should embrace agency to shape our future.
👉 Human imagination and ideas about what is good need to dominate no matter what technology we have at our disposal.
👉 Designers in the digital space have incredible power today because of their ability to scale.
👉 Many organizations are stuck in 19th or 20th-century ways of thinking.
👉 Technologies allowing for large-scale distributed coordination exist, but many corporates prefer to exert top-down control.
👉 To enable technology as a catalyst for leadership, we must design organizations that prioritize our beliefs about people rather than solely focusing on technology.
👉 Groups of people together deciding to make a change is the only thing that's ever changed the world.
Topics / chapters
(00:00) Do organization layers inevitably have to grow as an organization expands?
(01:01) Christian Bason’s introduction
(02:08) Expand: Stretching the Future By Design - Exploring the Boundaries of Design Thinking
(14:33) Human Agency in the Age of Technological Advancement
(23:37) The Need for a Designer’s Perspective in Technology and Innovation
(32:41) Balancing Technological Awareness and Leadership in the Digital Age
(42:42) Imagining a Better Future: The Crisis of Imagination and Design
(49:51) Christian Bason's breadcrumbs
Remember that you can always find transcripts and key highlights of the episode on our website: https://boundaryless.io/podcast/christian-bason
Find out more about the show and the research at Boundaryless at https://boundaryless.io/resources/podcast
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Dr. Nafeez Ahmed joins the show to share his insights about the disruptive nature of technological progress and how it impacts society. He highlights the transformation of five fundamental production sectors—energy, transport, food, information, and materials—urging organizations to prepare for a decade of global phase shift.
In this episode, Dr. Nafeez Ahmed helps us understand how exponential technological advancements and economic factors are reshaping civilization, leading us toward a more decentralized organizing system in a pivotal decade.
Nafeez is a systems theorist with over 20 years of experience and works as a change strategy consultant and investigative journalist. He is the Creator of the Age of Transformation newsletter, where he writes about systems thinking for what he calls 'the global phase shift.' He is also Director of the Futures Lab at United Communications Ltd, where he leads system transformation advisory services for governments, businesses, and charities. Additionally, Nafeez is a Distinguished Fellow at the Schumacher Institute for Sustainable Systems and a Commissioner at the Club of Rome's Transformational Economics Commission.
In this episode, we uncover the challenges faced by established industries in light of the rise of new technologies. With Nafeez, we explore strategic approaches to navigate this phase shift, including making decisions based on empirical evidence and data, and the need for new ways of collaborating across transforming sectors. Nafeez shares insights about the economic implications of AI and the exciting possibilities of reimagining our future organizing system to fit new production systems.
Get ready to delve into the next decade’s phase shift and discover the significance of strategic pivoting in response!
Key Highlights
👉 The need for a new organizational system to cope with technological disruptions and convergence in key sectors: energy, transport, food, information, and materials.
👉 The importance of active government involvement in rethinking strategies for the global phase shift, from re-evaluating industry investments and supporting workers’ transition to new sectors, to eliminating subsidies and implementing carbon tax.
👉 Technological advancements in AI and renewable energy will cause us to reconsider our conventional organizing system, with decreased reliance on traditional labor and increased opportunities for participation through decentralized production networks.
👉 To navigate the changing landscape and seize the opportunities presented by technological advancements, decision-making based on the science and data available, and the adoption of new ways of collaboration across sectors, are essential.
Topics / Chapters
(00:00) Nafeez Ahmed quote
(00:54) Nafeez Ahmed introduction
(02:26) Rethink Humanity: The Unprecedented Disruptions Shaping Our Future
(20:56) From Energy to AI: Unthinkable Transformations and Strategic Responses
(37:32) Navigating the Emergence of Networked and Decentralized Systems
(50:37) Building a New Civilization: Seizing the Unprecedented Opportunities of Clean Energy and AI
(59:24) Nafeez Ahmed's breadcrumbs
Remember that you can always find transcripts and key highlights of the episode on our website: https://boundaryless.io/podcast/nafeez-ahmed
Recorded on April 28, 2023.
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Špela Prijon and Sascha Kellert join us to share the latest news from Ownco - a platform that combines the best aspects of cooperatives, DAOs, and traditional startups to make shared ownership and the ownership economy more fluid and accessible.
Ownco’s approach to distributing ownership moves along four key dimensions - Upsides, Status, Influence, Redemption - and is an approach born through testing hypotheses and assessing the actual results produced by early adopters. For example, through Ownco’s credit system, companies can issue ownership credits that can be backed—through a legal bridge—with exit proceeds, providing ownership-backed incentives for contributors.
Ownco believes that achieving ownership sharing can be done with existing legal contracts, while at the same time, the potential impacts of Web 3 may be important for the long term.
Špela Prijon and Sascha Kellert are the co-founders, along with Harry Wilson (not on this podcast), of Ownco. Špela Prijon has been active with startups for a long time, as a founder and team member. Most recently, Špela was Head of CX at Ledgy, leading the implementation of various equity plans for hundreds of startups from seed to IPO stage, in jurisdictions all over the world, with an intimate knowledge of the processes of sharing ownership. Sascha Kellert is a serial entrepreneur who studied Systems Theory at Bayes Business School in London with a thesis exploring how to design viable businesses using patterns and blueprints from nature. Over the last decade, he has been developing practices and tools for the alternative ownership economy while building his last two VC-funded SaaS/platform startups.
In this episode, we delve into several practical use cases, talk through regulatory and governance issues, and explore Ownco’s vision of boundaryless, networked organizations, with micro-teams connected through smart contracts and programmable ownership sharing.
Enjoy this both practical and inspiring conversation with two of the passionate founders of Ownco.
Key Highlights
👉 There are more ways to promote co-ownership than developing full-fledged DAOs.
👉 The future is in networks of micro-companies.
👉 Ownco’s four dimensions of co-ownership: Upsides, Status, Influence, Redemption.
👉 How trust is essential in the time between issuing and fulfilling a contract.
👉 Web3 as enabling inter-company collaboration.
👉 The future of Ownco as an embedded capability rather than a single product.
👉 Ownco’s customer journey starts by asking, “What is the progressive decentralization path that they can embark on?”
Topics / Chapters
(00:00) Building Loyalty in Business Communities
(01:00) Špela Prijon and Sascha Kellert introduction
(02:35) Ownco: Making Equity More Powerful and Leveling the Playing Field
(05:31) The Ownership Economy and the “credits” model
(15:55) Legal Bridges: Sharing Ownership Without Complexities
(21:31) The Growing Demand for Shared Ownership: Ownco's Unique Approach
(25:55) Building Boundaryless Organizations
(34:58) Distributing power and ownership within an organization
(39:18) Špela Prijon and Sascha Kellert breadcrumbs
Remember that you can always find transcripts and key highlights of the episode on our website: https://boundaryless.io/podcast/ownco
Recorded on April 28, 2023.
Find out more about the show and the research at Boundaryless at https://boundaryless.io/resources/podcast
Get in touch with Boundaryless:
Music
Music from Liosound / Walter Mobilio. Find his portfolio here: blss.io/Podcast-Music
In this new episode of the Boundaryless Conversation Podcast, Mark van Rijmenam examines the hype cycle surrounding AI and the perceived decline of interest in the Metaverse. He argues that these emerging technologies are not mutually exclusive and that the Metaverse still has significant potential for development with the application of AI.
Dr. Mark van Rijmenam is an international keynote speaker, author, and entrepreneur. He is a leading future tech strategist who considers how technology changes organizations, society, and the Metaverse. A globally recognized speaker and expert on disruptive innovation, Mark explores how we can benefit from emerging technologies like big data, blockchain, AI, and VR/AR. He is the author of “Step into the Metaverse: How the Immersive Internet Will Unlock a Trillion-Dollar Social Economy,” which details what the open Metaverse is and how organizations and consumers can benefit from the immersive internet.
Mark emphasizes the importance for organizations to develop digital capabilities, which he refers to as “DNA,” to stay ahead of technology trends and avoid getting caught up in hype cycles. We also discuss the challenge of developing responsible and ethical technology, with suggestions for oversight boards and regulatory requirements to ensure alignment with ethical values.
Key Highlights
👉 Being part of communities online and offline is essential to discovering and understanding new technologies.
👉 Convergence is crucial to understanding how new technologies will combine with existing trends.
👉 The pattern of “hype and crash” for emerging technologies has occurred repeatedly in the past.
👉 Organizations need to develop digital capabilities to understand and stay ahead of emerging technology trends today.
👉 The lines between the digital world and the physical world are blurring, with implications for both work and private life.
👉 Reading about new technologies is not enough - practical application and critical thinking are necessary to truly understand them.
👉 Organizations, startups, regulators, and consumers must work together to educate themselves on the importance of an open Metaverse in a digital society.
Topics (Chapters)
(00:00) Why Your Organization Needs to Start Preparing Today for the Future.
(00:52) Mark van Rijmenam introduction
(02:22) Assessing New Technology: Communities, Prototyping, and Convergence
(11:08) The Metaverse vs. AI: Debunking the Hype Cycle
(15:17) Building Digital Capabilities for Organizations to Stay Ahead of Technology Trends
(23:59) The Challenge of Instilling Ethics in Technology Development
(29:54) The transformative impact of the Metaverse, Generative AI, and IT convergence on organizational models, business models, and social agreements
(40:08) The Importance of an Open Metaverse for Digital Society
(43:56) The Importance of Digital Literacy: Learning to Fly in the Digital World
Remember that you can always find transcripts and key highlights of the episode on our website: https://boundaryless.io/podcast/mark-van-rijmenam
Recorded on 13 March 2023.
Find out more about the show and the research at Boundaryless at https://boundaryless.io/resources/podcast
Get in touch with Boundaryless:
Music
Music from Liosound / Walter Mobilio. Find his portfolio here: https://blss.io/Podcast-Music
Most software architects represent the environment in a very static way, and from that static representation, produce static software. As a result, the software structure they create is like a picture of a picture…used to describe what is actually a movie. This problem, rooted in a mechanistic worldview, is where Barry O'Reilly’s Residuality Theory was born.
Residuality Theory - in very few words - is a method of designing software architectures inspired by how the most talented architects do it: starting from the stress conditions that the system could eventually face as it operates.
Barry O'Reilly is a software architect with 25 years of experience in the IT industry. He has held leading roles at global software companies, has spent many years educating architects, and is currently pursuing a PhD in Complexity Science and Software Engineering at The Open University.
Residuality theory looks at the world not as a bunch of static things or still pictures, but as a constantly moving set of processes which we can't really see and grasp. It requires designers to move away from a static view of the system. By letting the architecture design be inspired by its “stressors,” O'Reilly believes that not only can we design more resilient systems but also more efficient ones.
In this episode, Barry also describes the philosophical background behind the theory and why Residuality can be a viable approach to designing organizations too.
Remember that you can always find transcripts and key highlights of the episode on our website: https://boundaryless.io/podcast/barry-oreilly
Key Highlights
👉 Static representation of reality as a practice of software architecture is embedded in Western philosophy and worldview.
👉 Software engineers should start asking themselves: “What is the underlying philosophy behind what I do and the frameworks that I use?”
👉 Residuality is a way to look at the world as a constantly shifting, moving set of processes that we can't really see and grasp.
👉 The residue is what remains from the system after it breaks down: it's the leftover of the system. And those leftovers will define the future of the software system.
👉 Criticality as an indication of the system’s ability to function across a wide range of attractors, which we may or may not even know about.
👉 It is known that software performing well in its environment is modular, but how to make structured decisions around such modularity remains unknown.
👉 The impossibility to separate organizational design from software architecture.
Topics (Chapters)
(00:00) Barry’s quote
(00:59) Introduction
(02:12) What residuality theory is
(12:59) Residuality: philosophical background
(18:24) Residuality: from software to organizations
(27:01) Residuality and microservices: is a match possible?
(36:13) Is residuality fit for the society we’re living in, or is it a next generation’s thing?
(43:03) How to (easily) adopt a residuality approach
(48:48) Barry’s breadcrumbs
To find out more about Barry’s work:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/technologytulip
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/barry-o-reilly-b924657
Website: https://www.blacktulip.se
Other references and mentions:
Nassim Nicholas Taleb: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nassim_Nicholas_Taleb
Antifragile (book): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antifragile_(book)
NK model: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NK_model
Transcendental idealism: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transcendental_idealism
Post-structuralism: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Post-structuralism
The Biological Reality of Organizing - with Alicia Juarrero: https://www.boundaryless.io/podcast/alicia-juarrero
Bezos’ famous API mandate: https://nordicapis.com/the-bezos-api-mandate-amazons-manifesto-for-externalization/
Characteristics of decision-making during coding: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/303515570_Characteristics_of_decision-making_during_coding
Promise Theory. Principles and Applications: http://markburgess.org/pr
In this podcast, we dive into the shift towards a more decentralized and organic approach to city planning with Joni Baboci, an architect, planner, and urban enthusiast. We discuss how the modernist paradigm of deconstructing everything into individual parts and putting them back together linearly is becoming less relevant. Instead, we see a shift towards a more organic, bottom-up approach that looks at the city as a complex and multi-layered system.
Joni Baboci is the founder of Layer, a spatial orchestration platform that empowers teams to govern through tactics and patterns while leveraging machine learning and artificial intelligence. He has previously served as the General Director of Planning and Urban Development for the City of Tirana and the director of Atelier Albania, a structure of the Albanian government dealing with national and regional strategic planning. Joni has executed planning, design, and development projects at different scales at the national, regional, and local levels.
Joni shares his insights on how technological advancements such as AI and blockchain are enabling bottom-up processes in planning and thinking about cities. We also delve into the challenges of making these ideas practical and building a process to make them a reality. Joni highlights the importance of reinventing physical production through local value loops and incentivizing the interconnection between urban and rural landscapes.
We also discuss how DAOs and blockchain technology can improve local governance and participation, and how cities can invest in citizen-based entrepreneurship that lets them decide how to perform a job or access a service rather than relying on a top-down approach.
Join us as we explore the potential of a more decentralized and organic approach to city planning with Joni Baboci.
Remember that you can always find transcripts and key highlights of the episode on our website: https://boundaryless.io/podcast/joni-baboci
Key Highlights
👉 The static, modernist way of thinking and planning cities is changing.
👉 Looking at cities through a “pattern language”: from communities to subcultures to regions.
👉 Bureaucracy can help to make sure things do not move too fast.
👉 The physical city won’t be replaced by a virtual city or a network state any time soon.
👉 New technologies make it possible to scale governance both on a technical and geographical level.
👉 Communities should be able to make small bets on things that matter to them.
Topics (Chapters)
(00:00) Joni Baboci quote
(00:47) Joni Baboci introduction
(02:13) A Paradigm Shift Towards Humility in Organizing Cities and Space
(05:56) The Shift Towards Decentralized and Organic City Planning
(10:57) The Role of Cities in the Modern World: Cities as Labor Markets and More
(18:15) Exploring the Pros and Cons of Network Cities: Coexisting with Physical Cities
(23:13) The Future of Cities and the Interconnection between Urban and Rural Landscapes
(30:55) Using DAOs and Blockchain to Improve Local Governance and Participation
(40:41) City and Citizen Entrepreneurship for Bottom-up Development
(47:15) Joni Baboci's breadcrumbs
To find out more about Joni’s work:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/dbaboci
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonibaboci
Website: https://joni.baboci.net
Other references and mentions:
Layer: https://getlayer.xyz
Joni’s newsletter: https://thinkthinkthink.substack.com
METABOLISM OF ALBANIA | FABRICations: https://www.fabrications.nl/portfolio-item/metabolismofalbania-2
The Deeper Order of Cities: https://thesideview.co/journal/the-deeper-order-of-cities
Eyes on the Street: The Life of Jane Jacobs: https://www.amazon.com/Eyes-Street-Life-Jane-Jacobs/dp/0345803337
Remote bureaucracy by Dror Poleg: https://www.drorpoleg.com/remote-bureaucracy and https://medium.com/block-science/disambiguating-autonomy-ca84ac87a0bf
Center for International Development | Harvard Kennedy School: https://www.hks.harvard.edu/centers/cid
Alberto Brandolini joins the podcast as a sparring partner in our exploration of one of the most “burning” issues in our research: the intrinsic links between language, software, and organizational design. We explore the role of domain-driven design and, more generally, the role of visualization and context mapping in the process we call "ontological convergence"—how we agree on standards, converge on using common models, and build common tools, protocols, and infrastructures.
Alberto, EventStorming creator, Domain-Driven Design (DDD) legend, and unconventional entrepreneur, is also famous for the Bullshit Asymmetry Principle, aka Brandolini’s law. He proudly runs Avanscoperta, a hub for inventing, promoting, and spreading new ideas around software development. Alberto is also a frequent speaker at conferences and events and an international trainer with more than ten years of experience.
During the chat, we explore the ways software drives the adoption of common models and languages, and how the boundaries between technology and business, between one team and another, and even between organizations themselves, are blurring. Alberto observes that the more distributed an organization is, the more having clean, well-visualized “bounded contexts” becomes a key factor in effectiveness and success. Defining components and modules reduces the need to collectively agree on everything—a heavily underestimated cost of organizing.
Remember that you can always find transcripts and key highlights of the episode on our website: https://boundaryless.io/podcast/alberto-brandolini
Key Highlights
👉 How ubiquitous can language be.
👉 The best way to speed up reaching agreement? Visualizing instead of talking.
👉 Most no-code and low-code approaches are designed around a paradigm that is antithetic to domain-driven design.
👉 Domain-driven design suggests being aware of the cost of your architectural decisions and the evolution of these forces over time.
👉 When the quality of a component makes it an obvious choice, it’s a good way to create standards.
👉 The hardest part for remote-first organizations is finding a way to make distributed decisions on critical issues.
Topics (Chapters)
(00:00) Alberto Brandolini quote
(00:56) Alberto Brandolini introduction
(01:33) What domain-driven design is
(16:14) The cost-benefit of agreeing
(24:05) Domain-driven design approach in complex environments
(28:19) How no-code and low-code systems relate to Domain-Driven Design
(38:28) The role of Domain-Driven Design in driving standards into markets and ecosystems
(48:22) Talent useful for a company like Avanscoperta
(51:24) Alberto Brandolini's breadcrumbs
To find out more about Alberto’s work:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ziobrando
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brando
Website: https://www.avanscoperta.it
Other references and mentions:
Brandolini's law (Bullshit Asymmetry Principle): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brandolini%27s_law
EventStorming: https://www.eventstorming.com
Developing the ubiquitous language: https://thedomaindrivendesign.io/developing-the-ubiquitous-language
The Conformist pattern: https://www.markhneedham.com/blog/2009/07/04/domain-driven-design-conformist
Alberto’s suggested breadcrumbs (things listeners should check out):
Domain-Driven Design Distilled: https://www.informit.com/store/domain-driven-design-distilled-9780134434421
Implementing Domain-Driven Design (Red Book): https://www.amazon.com/Implementing-Domain-Driven-Design-Vaughn-Vernon/dp/0321834577
Introducing EventStorming (The Book): https://www.eventstorming.com/book
David Sibbet: https://davidsibbet.com
Dave Gray: http://www.xplaner.com
Domain-Driven Design Crew · GitHub: https://github.com/ddd-crew
Avanscoperta blog: https://blog.avanscoperta.it
Recorded on 09 January 2023.
Get in touch with Boundaryless:
Find out more about the show and the research at Boundaryless at https://boundaryless.io/resources/podcast
In this episode, we are joined by Sir Geoff Mulgan to explore the potential of an emergent discipline of organizational architecture, where the diversity of organizational models and their features are studied and assessed in a more robust and systematic way—similar to the field of building architecture.
Sir Geoff Mulgan CBE is a Professor of Collective Intelligence, Public Policy, and Social Innovation at University College London (UCL). Prior to his current position, he served as the Chief Executive of Nesta, the UK's innovation foundation, from 2011 to 2019. His primary focus is on improving government functionality and creating and implementing good ideas. Recently, he has been developing ideas related to shared intelligence, wisdom, science policy, social science, and systems, with a sideline in imagination. His work revolves around not only what to change but also how to do it—from big-picture designs to the more practical aspects.
His latest book is 'Another World is Possible - How to re-ignite radical political imagination,' about new ways to imagine the future in politics and social organization. Geoff believes that—given the complexity of organizations, which rely on a combination of monetary exchanges, coercion, love, and care to operate—reducing them to a single monolithic model is not sufficient. Instead, we need a diversity of models that can evolve with time and adapt to changing needs. Such an approach, Mulgan thinks, is even more significant as we need to tackle the profound 21st-century transitions related to energy, climate, health, and other areas. Most likely, we’ll need new types of institutions to face these transformational challenges—not limited by old corporate models and legal and regulatory frameworks.
Key Highlights
👉 Reducing organizations to a matter of “only” contracts is too simplistic.
👉 Complex organizations use a mix of monetary exchanges, coercion, love, and care to govern.
👉 Organizational design should be a discipline more like physical architecture.
👉 We need new institutions that can embrace outside-in strategies and be multi-center and modular.
👉 “Mesh” models of organizing combine vertical and horizontal structures and flows both inside organizations and outside of them.
👉 Old corporate models and legal and regulatory frameworks currently prevent open data flows and transparency.
👉 A co-evolution of new organizational forms mixing collective and artificial intelligence is foreseeable in the next decade.
Topics (Chapters)
(00:00) Geoff Mulgan's quote
(00:59) Geoff Mulgan introduction
(02:07) The reason behind the paper "Organizational Architecture - Ideas for an Emergent Discipline"
(07:03) Elements of organizational architecture theory
(12:12) The enablers and the forces to reorganize society
(24:13) Government as a platform
(38:07) Geoff Mulgan's breadcrumbs
Remember that you can always find transcripts and key highlights of the episode on our website: https://boundaryless.io/podcast/geoff-mulgan
To find out more about Geoff’s work:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/geoffmulgan
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sir-geoff-mulgan-aa1079187
Website: https://www.geoffmulgan.com
Other references and mentions:
Organizational architecture: Ideas for an emergent discipline (paper): https://www.geoffmulgan.com/post/mesh-organisational-archicture-theory
Learndirect: https://www.learndirect.com
Another World is Possible - How to re-ignite radical political imagination (book): https://www.geoffmulgan.com/another-world-is-possible
Warm Data Institute: https://batesoninstitute.org/warm-data
Data Meditations: https://www.he-r.it/project/data-meditations
Geoff’s suggested breadcrumbs (things listeners should check out):
Museum of the Future: https://museumofthefuture.ae/en
Recorded on 13 January 2023.
Get in touch with Boundaryless:
Find out more about the show and the research at Boundaryless at https://boundaryless.io/resources/podcast
Scott Brinker takes us on a journey exploring Hubspot’s fascinating platform strategy, where competitive overlaps between Hubspot’s own hubs and products and third-party developers in the ecosystem are treated as a good thing, and where recognizing and serving the “joint customer need” is the real focus.
Scott is VP Platform Ecosystem at HubSpot, helping to grow and nurture the company's community of technology partners. He writes the chiefmartec.com blog, covering marketing technology management, and is the author of the best-selling book “Hacking Marketing”. Previously, he was the co-founder and CTO of Ion Interactive. He holds degrees in computer science from Columbia University and Harvard University and an MBA from MIT.
Serving multiple niche customer needs with modular platforms: is this possible? Hubspot’s success seems to confirm. With Scott, we take a closer look at Hubspot's approach to figuring out what makes the collaboration between a platform and its ecosystem work. We see what makes a product portfolio and an organizational structure more keen to meet complex and evolving customer needs through collaboration, all while keeping everything connected as one boundaryless ecosystem.
Key Highlights
👉 How the practice of marketing has evolved with technology in the last decades.
👉 Even if so much software is now in the cloud, customization (vs pre-packaging) is still only in the beginning.
👉 Serving joint customer needs across products.
👉 Structuring modularity inside the organization.
👉 Competitive overlaps in the ecosystem is a good thing.
👉 Building legitimacy and trust in the ecosystem requires helping partners to evolve.
Topics (Chapters)
(00:00) Scott Brinker's quote
(00:54) Introducing Scott Brinker
(02:33) How marketing has changed and its intersection with technology
(09:27) Evolution around SaaS and the fact that we live in an ecosystem world
(12:38) Approaching product design and development with customer needs and extensibility points in mind
(18:24) Balancing coherence and diversity in the “tool chain”
(35:08) Internal and external strategy - stability and change
(41:07) Boundaries are never static between platforms and partners
(44:47) Commodities become part of the core platform
(51:58) Scott Brinker's breadcrumbs
Remember that you can always find transcripts and key highlights of the episode on our website: https://boundaryless.io/podcast/scott-brinker
To find out more about Scott’s work:
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/chiefmartec
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sjbrinker
- Website: https://chiefmartec.com
Other references and mentions:
- HubSpot: https://ecosystem.hubspot.com
- Wardley mapping: https://learnwardleymapping.com/introduction
Scott’s suggested breadcrumbs (things listeners should check out):
- Hacking Marketing: Agile Practices to Make Marketing Smarter, Faster, and More Innovative: https://www.amazon.com/Hacking-Marketing-Practices-Smarter-Innovative/dp/1119183170
- Antifragile by Nassim Nicholas Taleb: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antifragile_(book)
Recorded on 13 January 2023.
Get in touch with Boundaryless:
Find out more about the show and the research at Boundaryless at https://boundaryless.io/resources/podcast
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/boundaryless_
- Website: https://boundaryless.io/contacts
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/boundaryless-pdt-3eo
Music
Music from Liosound / Walter Mobilio. Find his portfolio here: https://blss.io/Podcast-Music
Jocelynn Pearl is a biotech scientist, podcaster, and company builder. She co-founded LabDAO, a web3 marketplace for life science research, and curates The DeSci Wiki, which tracks projects and DAOs in the web3 x science sector. She is also the host of the Lady Scientist Podcast and UltraRare The Podcast, a show featuring leaders in DeSci.
DeSci, or Decentralized Science (like the acronym DeFi for decentralized finance), expands some of the principles of blockchain technology and distributed ownership to science. The impact is potentially huge in many aspects: science communities' rules, funding and incentive structures, daily work habits, intellectual property rights, etc.
Thanks to our conversation with Jocelynn, we discover the potential of DeSci by looking into the organizational aspects of decentralized communities and exploring which science branches may benefit most from its potential. Finally, Jocelynn also mentions how companies are evolving the DeSci vertical, probably providing one of the best use cases of Web3 so far.
Key Highlights
👉 DeSci - one of the best use cases for Web3 so far.
👉 Democratization and new paths to independent funding.
👉 Fixing broken incentive structures in research.
👉 Examining potential drawbacks and limits of less institutionalized science.
👉 Impacts of DeSci over science institutions.
👉 The emergence of broader collaborations and types of scientists.
Topics (Chapters)
(00:00) Jocelynn Pearl’s opening quote
(00:42) Introducing Jocelynn Pearl and this episode topic
(02:35) What decentralized science is
(07:01) Which major institutions will be transformed by DeSci?
(10:51) The DeSci impact in the short term
(17:34) Funding and structures of science: how they currently work
(23:00) Everything is “tokenizable”?
(25:39) Will there be freelance scientists?
(31:17) What about tools?
(35:02) Collaboration and ontological convergence
(39:34) Beyond healthcare
(40:44) Jocelynn Pearl’s next projects
(41:38) Jocelynn Pearl’s breadcrumbs
Remember that you can always find transcripts and key highlights of the episode on our website: https://boundaryless.io/podcast/jocelynn-pearl
To find out more about Jocelynn’s work:
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/jocelynnpearl
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jocelynnpearlphd
- Website: https://www.jocelynnpearl.com
- UltraRare The Podcast: https://rss.com/podcasts/ultrarare
- Lady Scientist Podcast: https://rss.com/podcasts/ladyscientistpodcast
Other references and mentions:
- LabDAO (on Discord): https://discord.com/invite/labdao
- DeSci Wiki: DeSci Wiki
- Reinventing Organizations: https://www.reinventingorganizations.com
- talentDAO: https://www.talentdao.io
- Smart Contract Research Forum: https://www.smartcontractresearch.org
- Gassing the Miracle Machine, Not Boring: https://www.notboring.co/p/gassing-the-miracle-machine
- Crowd Funded Cures: https://crowdfundedcures.org
- Flagship Pioneering: https://www.flagshippioneering.com
- NFX Bio: https://www.nfx.com/post/launching-nfx-bio
- Unbundling Work from Employment - Li Jin: https://li.substack.com/p/unbundling-work-from-employment
- Scispot: https://www.scispot.com
- Benchling: https://www.benchling.com
- Science Exchange: https://ww2.scienceexchange.com/s
Jocelynn’s suggested breadcrumbs (things listeners should check out):
- Reinventing Discovery - Michael A. Nielsen: https://press.princeton.edu/books/paperback/9780691202846/reinventing-discovery
- Working in Public - Nadia Eghbal: https://press.stripe.com/working-in-public
Recorded on 18 October 2022.
Get in touch with Boundaryless:
Find out more about the show and the research at Boundaryless at https://boundaryless.io/resources/podcast
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/boundaryless_
- Website: https://boundaryless.io/contacts
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/boundaryless-pdt-3eo
Music
Music from Liosound / Walter Mobilio. Find his portfolio here: https://blss.io/Podcast-Music
In this episode, we talked to Tom Davenport and Laks Srinivasan from the Return on AI Institute (ROAI) about how AI is empowering and challenging organizational models worldwide, and how the platform business model is often based on AI capabilities in the background.
Tom is a world-renowned thought leader and author on AI. He is the President’s Distinguished Professor of Information Technology and Management at Babson College, as well as a fellow at the MIT Initiative on the Digital Economy, a visiting professor at Oxford's Saïd Business School, and the Chairman of ROAI.
Laks is a data and analytics executive with more than 15 years of experience in management, entrepreneurship, and innovation roles to help clients create measurable value from AI. He is a co-founder and Managing Director at ROAI and former CEO of Opera Solutions (now ElectrifAI), an applied AI solutions company with 500+ employees globally, and the winner of the Netflix Prize and several Kaggle AI competitions.
Tom and Laks explore with us how different forms of artificial intelligence might transform product teams at companies around the globe. In the second part of this episode, Tom and Laks offer concrete examples of companies that have created new business models powered by AI, as well as suggestions on what traditional organizations should look at when preparing to adopt artificial intelligence.
Key Highlights
👉 AI is becoming pervasive in large organizations, but many are still struggling to get meaningful value out of it.
👉 Companies that “do AI” vs (digital native) “AI companies”.
👉 Platform business models (as a form of ecosystem) are based on AI.
👉 How AI could transform product teams.
👉 The challenge with AI is multi-dimensional: involves organization, leadership, culture, data, and technology.
👉 AI replaces tasks rather than entire jobs.
👉 Strategy-by-doing applies to AI: think big, start small, fail fast, and invest where things are working.
👉 Increased awareness among executives is needed to develop their intuition around AI.
Topics (Chapters)
00:00 Intro notes and welcoming of Thomas H. Davenport and Laks Srinivasan
03:16 How AI is empowering organizations or challenging organizational models
08:11 AI as a matter of doctrine in organizations: yes or no?
11:56 Platform business model (as a form of ecosystem) based on AI
17:13 How AI could transform product teams
24:50 Example of companies which have created new business models powered by AI
33:40 What should traditional organizations look at when preparing to adopt AI?
42:02 To integrate more AI into the process? Think big but start small.
50:58 Thomas and Laks’ breadcrumbs
Remember that you can always find transcripts and key highlights of the episode on our website: https://boundaryless.io/podcast/tom-davenport-and-laks-srinivasan
To find out more about Tom Davenport’s work:
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/tdav
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davenporttom
- Website: https://www.tomdavenport.com
To find out more about Laks Srinivasan’s work:
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/LaksSrinivasan
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/laks-srinivasan
- Website: https://roaiinstitute.com
Other references and mentions:
- Working with AI: https://mitpress.mit.edu/9780262047241/working-with-ai
- All-in On AI: How Smart Companies Win Big with Artificial Intelligence: https://www.amazon.com/All-AI-Companies-Artificial-Intelligence-ebook/dp/B09Q6KHWVT
- Ping An Group: https://group.pingan.com
- CCC Intelligent Solutions: https://cccis.com
- USAA: https://www.usaa.com
- Amara's Law: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roy_Amara#Amara's_law
- The Return on AI Playbook Podcast: https://sites.libsyn.com/411860
Tom and Laks’ suggested breadcrumbs (things listeners should check out):
- Being a fire volunteer for fire control or, in general, being a volunteer for something
- How Generative AI Is Changing Creative Work: https://hbr.org/2022/11/how-generative-ai-is-changing-creative-work
Recorded on 28 October 2022.
Get in touch with Boundaryless:
Find out more about the show and the research at Boundaryless at https://boundaryless.io/resources/podcast
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/boundaryless_
- Website: https://boundaryless.io/contacts
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/boundaryless-pdt-3eo
Music
Music from Liosound / Walter Mobilio. Find his portfolio here: https://blss.io/Podcast-Music
Michael Zargham, founder and CEO of BlockScience and Board Member of the Metagov Project, shares his views on how Blockchain and other emerging technologies are making new ways of organizing possible. Yet, Michael believes that, so far, we are not fully using the potential of these affordances to create something new.
Smart contracts are becoming widespread, but does the relationship between crypto and organizing stop there? What’s next? Which new “non-familiar” possibilities of design will we see unlocked in the next few years? Michael describes how systems designers will need to be humble and leave space for systems to evolve through enabling constraints. He also believes that the gap between the complexity of organizational design and transparency of decision-making is closing through “healthy DAOs,” blurring the line between those making the rules and those acting upon the rules.
Michael holds a Ph.D. in systems engineering from the University of Pennsylvania where he studied optimization and control of decentralized networks. Thanks to his experience, Michael Zargham has a non-common point of view on designing beyond the machine.
Remember that you can always find transcripts and key highlights of the episode on our website: boundaryless.io/podcast/michael-zargham
Key Highlights
👉 How new affordances for organizing are created by Blockchain and other emerging technologies.
👉 The gap between the complexity of organizational design and how it is documented.
👉 The “Animating purpose” is core to what the organization does and why.
👉 How to design mechanisms without being mechanistic.
👉 How designers need to leave empty space and provide enabling constraints.
👉 Systems engineers as civil engineers: the civil servant ethics approach.
👉 Finances as constraints rather than goals in emerging mutualist institutions.
Topics (Chapters)
(00:00) Michael Zargham’s quote
(00:59) Intro and Michael Zargham’s bio
(02:33) New technologies, new affordances
(06:04) Beyond Smart contracts: how deep is the relationship between crypto and organization?
(09:03) The new “non-familiar” possibilities of designing next-generation voting public
(14:41) How an organization can “use” the Conviction voting
(19:55) The gap between organizational design and the documentation of the organizational design
(24:23) “Animating purpose” is core to the organization and what it does
(29:49) A new era of “Design as a participatory system”?
(33:26) The role of the designer: risks and opportunities
(40:59) The civil servant ethics approach for designers
(46:18) Michael Zargham’s breadcrumbs
To find out more about Michael Zargham’s work:
> Twitter: https://twitter.com/mzargham
> LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mczargham
> Block Science: https://block.science
> cadCAD: http://cadcad.org
> Metagov: https://metagov.org
Other references and mentions:
> Gardens: https://gardensdao.eth.limo/#/home
> Delphia: https://delphia.com/team
> “Design as Participation” by Kevin Slavin: https://jods.mitpress.mit.edu/pub/design-as-participation/release/1
> Boundaryless interview with Jeff Emmett: https://youtu.be/eI6yhPdfOnE
Michael’s suggested breadcrumbs (things listeners should check out):
> “Mint and Burn” Podcast by Kelsie Nabben: https://www.rmit.edu.au/news/podcasts/mint-and-burn
> “Mutualism” by Sara Horowitz: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/621946/mutualism-by-sara-horowitz
> “Engineering a Safer World” by Nancy G. Leveson: https://mitpress.mit.edu/9780262533690/engineering-a-safer-world
Recorded on 12 October 2022.
Get in touch with Boundaryless:
Find out more about the show and the research at Boundaryless at https://boundaryless.io/resources/podcast
> Twitter: https://twitter.com/boundaryless_
> Website: https://boundaryless.io/contacts
> LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/boundaryless-pdt-3eo
Music
Music from Liosound / Walter Mobilio. Find his portfolio here: https://blss.io/Podcast-Music
The guest of this episode is Joe Justice. Joe is a legend of Agile and has helped implement Agile across the world in more than 20 countries. He has led Agile practices at incredible companies like Google, Amazon, Microsoft, Boeing, Tesla, Toyota, NEC, and KDDI. In the early 2010s, his passion for mechanical engineering led him to found Wikispeed, an unusual open-source car manufacturing company that pioneered the implementation of Agile practices in manufacturing. It became a global sensation and exhibited at international auto shows.
With Joe, we talked about how he brought Wikispeed and its ideas to Europe over 10 years ago, touring around places and meeting people from the Ouishare network—of which both Stina and Simone have been part—during the heydays of the collaborative economy. We also widely discussed Joe’s engagement with Agile at Tesla and many of the key elements of vision and work culture at Musk’s companies. Additionally, we discussed the role of governments and how their contributions and policies can be conducive to more innovation, and how they should see themselves more as test centers for innovation pathways.
This episode provides a great insider look into what it means to work in a company led by Elon Musk, double-clicking on key concepts such as modularity and cash flow, and why they are essential to rapid innovation.
Key Highlights
👉 The Open Source approach to business.
👉 Maximize cash flow as part of innovation.
👉 The importance of data-driven performance in Musk companies.
👉 The benefit of 12-hour shifts.
👉 The importance of modularity to shorten innovation cycles.
Topics (Chapters)
00:00 Joe Justice’s opening quote
01:13 Intro and Joe Justice’s bio
02:57 When and how WikiSpeed arrived in Europe
08:33 What we can learn from the collaboration between Wikispeed and Tesla
14:18 Agile culture vs Policies and the role of government
49:15 Modularity as an approach
59:53 Joe’s breadcrumbs
01:03:59 Conclusion
Remember that you can always find transcripts and key highlights of the episode on our website: https://boundaryless.io/podcast/joe-justice
To find out more about Joe’s work:
> Twitter: https://twitter.com/JoeJustice
> Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Joe.A.Justice
> LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joejustice
> Books: https://leanpub.com/u/joejustice
> Classes: https://www.abi-agile.com
> Agile World 2022 Keynote: "Tesla’s Secret Process for Rapid Innovation" Joe Justice: https://youtu.be/XTeZcQ9-Hr4
Other references and mentions:
> Ouishare: https://www.ouishare.net
> TEDxRainier - Joe Justice - WikiSpeed: https://youtu.be/x8jdx-lf2Dw
> Tesla Anti-Handbook Handbook: http://www.ceconline.com/PDF/Tesla-Anti-Handbook-Handbook.pdf
> DevOps: https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/DevOps
> Paolo Sammicheli’s books: https://paolo.sammiche.li
> Joe Justice’s YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@JoeJustice0
Joe’s suggested breadcrumbs (things listeners should check out):
> Zapp! The Lightning of Empowerment: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/22446/zapp-the-lightning-of-empowerment-by-william-byham-phd-with-jeff-cox
> Commitment - a graphic novel about managing project risk: https://commitment-thebook.com
> Great Courses Big History: https://www.amazon.com/Great-Courses-Big-History-Humanity/dp/B07FD45QRD
> Learn anything to an extremely high level of skill: whether it’s pasta dishes or martial arts—choose anything and just go deep.
Recorded on 1 Dec 2022.
Get in touch with Boundaryless:
Find out more about the show and the research at Boundaryless at https://boundaryless.io/resources/podcast
> Twitter: https://twitter.com/boundaryless_
> Website: https://boundaryless.io/contacts
> LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/boundaryless-pdt-3eo
Music
Music from Liosound / Walter Mobilio. Find his portfolio here: https://blss.io/Podcast-Music
According to our guest Raphael Ouzan, next year's big thing is: “cloud-based teams.” Companies are having an increasingly hard time hiring the right people to work on their most pressing problems and opportunities for development. To overcome this, Raphael founded A.Team, the world’s first cloud-team formation platform, enabling companies to form, manage, and scale external, remote teams instantly. Its TeamGraph connects thousands of highly skilled product builders in an invite-only network—empowering them to escape rigid structures to team up with companies building market-leading products.
Raphael is a technologist, entrepreneur, and investor on a mission to unlock human potential with technology. Among other things, Raphael co-founded BillGuard—the antivirus for bills (acquired by Prosper), co-founded BlockNation with Apollo Mgmt CEO Marc Rowan to invest in web3, and founded ITC, a not-for-profit for global tech upskilling. A decorated officer of IDF’s tech unit, he was named 30 under 30 by Forbes, and Global Shaper by the World Economic Forum.
In this episode, we dive into what “cloud-based teams” mean and analyze what perspectives such teams open up for organizations. We also reflect on the role of companies themselves: according to Raphael, we should never refer to “external teams”; instead, as entrepreneurs, we need to think more boundaryless (as we always say).
Remember that you can always find transcripts and podcast notes from the episode on our website: https://boundaryless.io/podcast/raphael-ouzan/
Key Highlights
👉 Setting up high-performing teams driven by passion and freedom.
👉 When focusing on outcomes, external versus internal becomes irrelevant.
👉 The disruption of traditional employment.
👉 The Ocean’s Eleven analogy.
Topics (Chapters)
00:00 Introduction: who is Raphael Ouzan
02:28 Definition of a cloud-based team
07:38 A.Team: how it works and its Business model
15:13 Insights about cloud-based teams
20:11 How A.Team guarantees that a team will work as "a real team"
24:43 On teams’ accountability
30:02 Increasing the "skin in the game" of teams
33:50 Organizational model and networks
39:55 The value of a curated network
42:36 Engaging the community
47:23 A.Team: what's next?
48:22 Raphael Ouzan's breadcrumbs
To find out more about Raphael Ouzan's work:
👉 Twitter: https://twitter.com/raphaelouzan
👉 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/raphaelouzan
👉 Website: https://raphaelouzan.com
Other references and mentions:
👉 A.Team website: https://www.a.team
👉 AWS Mental Model: https://aws.amazon.com/blogs/enterprise-strategy/mental-models-for-your-digital-transformation
👉 Conway's law: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conway%27s_law
👉 Utopia for “builders”: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/big-change-3-content-principles-2022-joe-lazer-lazauskas
👉 Ocean’s Eleven: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ocean%27s_Eleven
Raphael Ouzan’s suggested breadcrumbs (things listeners should check out):
👉 Adam Grant, Think Again: https://www.amazon.com/Think-Again-Power-Knowing-What/dp/1984878107
Recorded on 8 November 2022.
Get in touch with Boundaryless:
Find out more about the show and the research at Boundaryless at https://boundaryless.io/resources/podcast
👉 Twitter: https://twitter.com/boundaryless_
👉 Website: https://boundaryless.io/contacts
👉 LinkedIn:
Alicia Juarrero is founder and president of VectorAnalytica with a doctorate in philosophy from the University of Miami, where she is also currently a research associate. She is the author of the book Dynamics in Action (2008), and the upcoming Context Changes Everything (2023), both published by MIT Press.
We’ve all heard about how organizations are like natural organisms, but is that really true? And if it is, how can we get inspired by nature in designing and understanding them?
In this episode, we talk to Alicia about her work in complexity theory and how it applies to organizations. Alicia takes from Aristotle the image of the organization as a natural organism and unpacks the biological reality of organizing.
Parts of a natural organism, like a cell, are different from just parts of a material mass. A complex organization is a system where members and teams define themselves by their role and through interaction with other parts of the system. This has specific consequences on the hierarchy and management of teams embedded in various contextual layers. In these complex organizations, boundaries and enabling constraints have a role to steer direction, and managers should act as catalysts, not applying coercive forces.
Remember that you can always find the full episode and transcript on our website: https://boundaryless.io/podcast/alicia-juarrero/
Key Highlights
👉 The cellular-based ecosystemic organization is not governed by hierarchy and external forces.
👉 “Life and death” of the components of an organization make it dynamic and adaptable.
👉 Boundaries in biological reality are permeable interfaces, not mechanistic edges.
Topics (Chapters)
00:03:04 Organization as “organism”
00:09:45 Hierarchy in social organizations
00:12:25 Three levels we have to consider when thinking of a social organization
00:20:29 How to set goals in a complex organization?
00:36:35 The role of enabling constraints
00:44:38 Alicia’s Breadcrumbs
To find out more about Alicia Juarrero’s work:
👉 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alicia-juarrero-93b3a25/
👉 Website: https://www.vectoranalytica.com/
Other References and Mentions:
👉 Dynamics in Action (2002) - Alicia Juarrero: https://mitpress.mit.edu/9780262600477/dynamics-in-action/
👉 The Self-Organization of Intentional Action: https://www.cairn.info/revue-internationale-de-philosophie-2004-2-page-189.htm
👉 Constraints that Enable Innovation - Alicia Juarrero: https://vimeo.com/128934608
Alicia’s Suggested Breadcrumbs (Things Listeners Should Check Out):
👉 "Boundaries, hierarchies and networks in complex systems" - Paul Cilliers: https://blogs.cim.warwick.ac.uk/complexity/wp-content/uploads/sites/11/2014/02/Cilliers-2001-Boundaries-Hierarchies-and-Networks.pdf
👉 The Theory of Graceful Extensibility: Basic Rules that Govern Adaptive Systems - David D Woods: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/327427067_The_Theory_of_Graceful_Extensibility_Basic_rules_that_govern_adaptive_systems
Recorded on 7 October 2022.
Get in touch with Boundaryless:
Find out more about the show and the research at Boundaryless at https://boundaryless.io/resources/podcast/
👉 Twitter: https://twitter.com/boundaryless_
👉 Website: https://boundaryless.io/contacts
👉 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/boundaryless-pdt-3eo/
Music
Music from Liosound / Walter Mobilio. Find his portfolio here: https://blss.io/Podcast-Music
Casey Winters is a growth advisor and operator who helps companies scale. Casey is a legend of product growth and marketplaces, and, among many other things, he’s an advisor and operator that helps companies address the problem of scale. Most recently, Casey was the Chief Product Officer at Eventbrite. Before that, he had extensive experience working for and advising companies such as Grubhub, Pinterest, Airbnb, Canva, Thumbtack, Reddit, Hipcamp, Faire, and many others. Casey is also a partner at Reforge, one of the leading growth programs available.
Besides sharing real-world experiences from his career, in this episode, Casey provides insights about how companies can leverage their organizational model as a growth lever. Casey explains how the growth model is a unique aspect of each company and highlights the importance of reducing friction to allow growth to flow more strongly. We also discuss how the responsibility for driving network effects often shifts from local teams to more centralized functions over time, and how leaders should think about autonomy when managing growth and product teams.
Remember that you can always find transcripts and key highlights of the episode on our website: https://boundaryless.io/podcast/casey-winters/
Key Highlights of the Conversation
👉 The organizational structure can change according to strategy, especially at the early stage of a business.
👉 Growth model: what it is and the structures you need around it.
👉 OKRs and creative spaces: how should a leader balance these in a team?
👉 How can marketing and growth teams work together?
👉 Brand vs. performance: how a startup should think about it.
To find out more about Casey’s work:
👉 Twitter: https://twitter.com/onecaseman
👉 Website: https://caseyaccidental.com/
👉 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/caseywinters/
Other References and Mentions:
👉 The Types of Product Team Organizational Structures | Casey Accidental: https://caseyaccidental.com/product-organizational-structures/
👉 Conway's law: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conway%27s_law
👉 The Autonomy Spectrum: https://caseyaccidental.com/the-autonomy-spectrum
👉 Dynamic creative optimization: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dynamic_creative_optimization
👉 Reforge teaching: https://www.reforge.com/advanced-growth-strategy-series
Casey’s Suggested Breadcrumbs (Things Listeners Should Check Out):
👉 Severant - Kuedo: https://kuedo.bandcamp.com/album/severant-2022-edition
👉 Infinite Window - Kuedo: https://kuedo.bandcamp.com/album/infinite-window
Recorded on 17 October 2022.
Get in Touch with Boundaryless:
Find out more about the show and the research at Boundaryless at https://boundaryless.io/resources/podcast/
👉 Twitter: https://twitter.com/boundaryless_
👉 Website: https://boundaryless.io/contacts/
👉 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/boundaryless-pdt-3eo/
Music
Music from Liosound / Walter Mobilio. Find his portfolio here: https://blss.io/Podcast-Music
Bonnitta Roy is a pioneer in education. She’s the founder of Alderlore Insight Center, the POP-UP School, and C-LABS. She teaches insight practices for individuals developing meta-cognitive skills (ed: thinking about thinking) and hosts collective insight retreats for groups interested in breaking away from typical limiting patterns of thought. In addition, she teaches a master’s course in consciousness studies and transpersonal psychology at the Graduate Institute.
As an educator, Bonnitta Roy is focused on what she defines as Post Formal Actors (PFA): people who have a strong intuition toward post-formal thinking without necessarily being sophisticated thinkers (yet) and who see formal rules as optional. According to Bonnitta, this phenomenon occurs in different settings, for example, when students start to see that their teachers don’t hold educational authority. Without proper pedagogical support to become more sophisticated thinkers, however, post-formal actors can be seen only as "deviants" rather than as a resource.
On the other hand, because of their skills, post-formal actors can provide a new perspective and a new way to see and do things, embracing the challenges we face. They can, as Bonnitta says, "hedge against social collapse."
Remember that you can always find transcripts and key highlights of the episode on our website: https://boundaryless.io/podcast/bonnitta-roy/
Key Highlights from the Conversation
👉 Post formal actors (PFA): how this definition was born.
👉 The mismatch between the skills we learn in school and what we really need in life.
👉 PFA as a positive force for the world and for organizations.
👉 Tokenization of value and what it means for organizing.
👉 The importance of stability in a system.
👉 Ontological design and modernity as "defuturing."
To find out more about Bonnitta Roy’s work:
👉 Twitter: https://twitter.com/bonnittaroy
👉 Website: https://bonnittaroy.medium.com/
👉 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bonnittaroy/
Other References and Mentions:
👉 Alderlore Insight Center: https://alderloreinsightcenter.com/
👉 POP-UP School: https://bonnittaroy.substack.com/
👉 C-LABS: https://www.c-labs.net/
👉 The Graduate Institute: https://learn.edu/
👉 The episode of Daily of the Month Podcast where Bonnitta and Simone first explored a convergence around Post-Formal actors: https://www.agile-podcast.de/blog/folge-29-21st-century-human-thesis/
👉 Post Formal Thought: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Postformal_thought
👉 Robert Kegan’s works: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Kegan#In_Over_Our_Heads
👉 Developmental stage theories: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Developmental_stage_theories
👉 Bayo Akomolafe: https://www.bayoakomolafe.net/about
👉 Nora Bateson episode: https://boundaryless.io/podcast/nora-bateson/
👉 The Manifesto of Ontological Design: https://medium.datadriveninvestor.com/the-manifesto-of-ontological-design-7fdb19169107
Bonitta’s Suggested Breadcrumbs (Things Listeners Should Check Out):
👉 Doomer Optimism Podcast: https://www.doomeroptimism.com/
👉 One Hundred Thousand Beating Hearts: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UoQWLK8-CYE
👉 The Salt of the Earth (trailer): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OivMlWXtWpY
Recorded on 19 September 2022.
Get in Touch with Boundaryless:
Find out more about the show and the research at Boundaryless at https://boundaryless.io/resources/podcast/
👉 Twitter: https://twitter.com/boundaryless_
👉 Website: https://boundaryless.io/contacts/
👉 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/boundaryless-pdt-3eo/
Music
Music from Liosound / Walter Mobilio. Find his portfolio here: https://blss.io/Podcast-Music
Chase Chapman is a DAO researcher at Metropolis, focused on exploring how DAOs will shape the way humans think about and engage in work. She is an angel investor, host of On the Other Side, a podcast exploring the human side of web3, and spends most of her time collaborating with and writing about DAOs.
DAOs—Decentralized Autonomous Organizations—represent one of the most interesting concepts in the blockchain-enabled space. A DAO is a self-governing organization independent from any central authority, and its rules are enforced by smart contracts.
In this episode, Chase helps us better understand how DAOs have evolved over the last few years and explore today’s DAO landscape. We also dive deeper into the possibilities of developing an inter-DAO evolutionary organization model and debate the importance of developing organizational building blocks that can interoperate across DAOs and, eventually, traditional organizations.
With Chase, we also discussed how the atomic unit of the DAO (and organizing) is not the individual contributor but rather the small group, and how DAO tooling is moving from financial tools to cultural and organizational tools. We talked about how traditional organizations can also use this approach (or maybe not) and how DAOs can possibly help governments develop public policies that facilitate social and ecological transition.
Remember that you can always find transcripts and key highlights of the episode on our website: https://boundaryless.io/podcast/chase-chapman/
Key Highlights from the Conversation
👉 The DAO landscape has changed: it was once heavy on automation, now it's a way for companies to become more democratic.
👉 DAO is a modular ecosystem, composed of a “quite monolithic DAO” community.
👉 Trustware vs. Socialware.
👉 How Metropolis’ pods help small groups play a role in the DAO system.
👉 How DAOs can work in a traditional context.
To Find Out More About Chase’s Work:
👉 Chase’s podcast - On The Other Side: https://www.othersidepod.xyz/
👉 Twitter: https://twitter.com/chaserchapman
👉 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chasechapman/
👉 Chase's appearance on Kevin Owoki's podcast Green Pill, where she spoke about Socialware and Trustware: https://newsletter.banklesshq.com/p/34-evolutionary-daos-with-chase-chapman
👉 The original post on Socialware and Trustware: https://blog.metropolis.space/scaling-trust-in-daos-trustware-vs-socialware/
Other References and Mentions:
👉 The DAO: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_DAO_(organization)
👉 Cryptokitties: https://www.cryptokitties.co/
👉 Metalabel: https://www.metalabel.xyz/
👉 David Ronfelt’s TIMN framework: https://www.rand.org/content/dam/rand/pubs/papers/2005/P7967.pdf
👉 Balaji Srinivasan’s The Network State: https://thenetworkstate.com/the-network-state
Chase’s Suggested Breadcrumbs (Things Listeners Should Check Out):
👉 A Prehistory of DAOs by Kei Kreutler: https://gnosisguild.mirror.xyz/t4F5rItMw4-mlpLZf5JQhElbDfQ2JRVKAzEpanyxW1Q
👉 Life after lifestyle by Toby Shorin: https://subpixel.space/entries/life-after-lifestyle/
Get in Touch with Boundaryless:
Find out more about the show and the research at Boundaryless at https://boundaryless.io/resources/podcast/
👉 Twitter: https://twitter.com/boundaryless_
👉 Website: https://boundaryless.io/contacts/
👉 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/boundaryless-pdt-3eo/
Music
Music from Liosound / Walter Mobilio. Find his portfolio here: https://blss.io/Podcast-Music
The Boundaryless Conversations Podcast is the podcast where pioneers, thinkers, and entrepreneurs talk about the future of business models, organizations, markets, and society.
With Simone Cicero and Stina Heikkila (and other occasional co-hosts), you’ll explore the future of Platforms & Ecosystems and discover newly emerging perspectives on how we organize at scale in a rapidly changing world.
The Boundaryless Conversations Podcast is for those looking to reinvent their organization and its business model or simply seeking new ways to respond to the rapid changes we’re seeing in society. So, whether you are thinking of transforming your career or your business, this podcast will help you understand how networks and emerging technologies reshape markets.
Subscribe to The Boundaryless Conversations Podcast on your preferred podcasting platform and… start to think boundaryless.
The Boundaryless Conversations Podcast is brought to you by Boundaryless, a pioneer in platform and ecosystem thinking that creates open design and strategic tools for reinventing business models, organizations, and society.
For more information: https://boundaryless.io
Get in Touch with Boundaryless:
Find out more about the show and the research at Boundaryless at https://boundaryless.io/resources/podcast/
> Twitter: https://twitter.com/boundaryless_
> Website: https://boundaryless.io/contacts/
> LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/boundaryless-pdt-3eo/
Music
Music from Liosound / Walter Mobilio. Find his portfolio here: https://blss.io/Podcast-Music
Gigi Levy-Weiss, a Founding Partner at NFX, heads up NFX Israel and is widely known as one of the most prolific investors in the region. Gigi has founded several startups, including Playtika, Beach Bum (acquired by Voodoo), InceptionVR, and Ridge. He was also the CEO of 888 Holdings, one of the world’s leading online gaming companies, and served as Division President at Amdocs, a leading billing and CRM provider. In 2014, Gigi was appointed to Facebook’s EMEA Client Advisory Council, and in 2015, he joined the supervisory board at Bertelsmann, one of the world’s largest media companies.
As a pilot in the Israeli Air Force, Gigi learned the value of striving for excellence at all times, building learning organizations, and that working together as a team is the real secret to winning.
Tune in to this episode as we explore what other industries can learn from gaming companies, the four layers of the evolution of Web3 marketplaces, the existential role of technology—and why Web3 hasn’t changed the world yet.
At the end of the episode, we give a short wrap-up of Season 3 of the podcast—this being the last episode for the season—where we reflect on what we learned and discuss key topics related to organizing at scale. We explore the importance of modularity and composability in markets (also check out this piece: https://boundaryless.io/blog/towards-modular-and-composable-markets/ for more insights), as well as thoughts on our relationship with technology, adopting a regenerative mindset, and convivial organizational models.
A transcript of the episode can be found on our website.
Key Highlights from the Conversation
We discussed:
> What we can learn from the gaming industry in the context of platforms, ecosystems, and marketplaces
> What it means to be a learning organization
> Designing products for people to engage in learning
> How Gigi approaches Web3 as an investor
> The role of centralized services in platforms
> Solving real-world challenges through Web3
To Find Out More About Gigi's Work:
> LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gigilevy/
> Twitter: https://twitter.com/gigilevy
> NFX: https://www.nfx.com/
Other References and Mentions:
> Fabrice Grinda and Matias Barbero, “Crypto-Enabled Marketplaces,” 2022: https://fabricegrinda.com/crypto-enabled-marketplaces/
> Showing the Way with Web3 Marketplaces: Braintrust—with Gabriel Luna-Ostaseski: https://boundaryless.io/podcast/braintrust/
> Nathan Schneider, “Web3 Is the Opportunity We Have Had All Along: Innovation Amnesia and Economic Democracy”: https://osf.io/2wg6s?view_only=709f1f87528943a4b27de2b5eb0f9eef
Find Out More About the Show and the Research at Boundaryless:
https://boundaryless.io/resources/podcast/
Thanks for the ad-hoc music to Liosound / Walter Mobilio. Find his portfolio here: https://boundaryless.io/podcast-music
Recorded on 20 July 2022.
Sangeet Choudary returns to the show, and in this episode, we unpack key insights from his latest work – The Building Blocks Thesis.
Sangeet Paul Choudary is the founder of Platformation Labs and the best-selling author of Platform Revolution and Platform Scale. He has advised the leadership of more than 30 of the Fortune 500 firms and has been recognized as a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum. Sangeet’s work on platforms has been selected by the Harvard Business Review as one of the top 10 ideas in strategy and has been featured three times in the HBR Top 10 Must Reads compilations. He is appointed to advisory boards and committees at several Global 2000 firms and government bodies, including the ING Group, the MAS’s ASEAN Financial Innovation Network, Boson Protocol, and Standard Bank Group, South Africa. Sangeet is a frequent keynote speaker at leading global forums, including the G20 Summit, the World50 Summit, the United Nations, and the World Economic Forum.
In this episode, we delve into Sangeet's recent report and explore how the building block approach can play out in the real-world economy, despite it still being early days. We also discuss why the fundamentals in venture capital will change, the nature of composability, the role of DAOs, and empowering the end-stakeholder.
A full transcript of the episode can be found on our website: boundaryless.io/podcast/sangeet-choudary/
Key Highlights from the Conversation
> Markets evolve towards more composability as more of the value chain becomes digitized.
> Traditional extraction models (e.g., economies of complements, data lock-ins, etc.) are challenged.
> Value extraction will move to the venture investing and fund layers.
> Organizations will need to adopt a more DAO-like structure and become more context-rich (3EO framework).
To Find Out More About Sangeet's Work:
> Twitter: twitter.com/sanguit
> LinkedIn: sg.linkedin.com/in/sangeetpaul
> Newsletter: platforms.substack.com/
> Building Blocks Thesis: platformthinkinglabs.com/building-blocks/
You can get an illustrated copy of the Web3 Bootstrapping Playbook, launching in September 2022. Sign up here to get early access: https://bit.ly/3oaRwaP
Other References and Mentions:
> Ekstep Foundation: ekstep.org/
> "Jack Dorsey says VCs really own Web3 (and Web3 boosters are pretty mad about it)", The Verge, December 2021: www.theverge.com/2021/12/21/22848…-capital-twitter
> Re-bundling the Firm around Problems to Be Solved – with Sangeet Paul Choudary: boundaryless.io/podcast/sangeet-paul-choudary/
> Building Permissionless Ecosystems: Data and Infrastructure at DIMO – with Rob Solomon: boundaryless.io/podcast/rob-solomon/
Find Out More About the Show and the Research at Boundaryless:
https://boundaryless.io/resources/podcast/
Thanks for the ad-hoc music to Liosound / Walter Mobilio. Find his portfolio here: boundaryless.io/podcast-music
Recorded on 9 June 2022.
Lisa Gill is an organizational self-management coach and trainer with Tuff Leadership Training. She was included in the Thinkers50 Radar 2020 for her work with self-managing teams. Lisa is also the host of the Leadermorphosis podcast, where she has interviewed thought leaders and practitioners worldwide about the future of work, and the author of Moose Heads on the Table: Stories About Self-Managing Organisations from Sweden (2020).
Tune in to this episode as we discuss why the way we are working is not working. We reflect on new ways of working, the post-agile era of interrogating the “what,” the power of peer-led movements, some great new technologies that are emerging, and why we can’t solve things simply with systems or processes.
A full transcript of the episode can be found on our website.
Key Highlights
> Emerging trends in the world of organizing and teams.
> The emerging technologies shaping how we organize.
> The importance of identifying guiding principles when adopting new technologies.
> Lessons Lisa has learned from working with new types of organizations.
> The need to shift behaviors—not just systems.
To Find Out More About Lisa’s Work:
> Twitter: https://twitter.com/disruptandlearn
> Website: https://www.reimaginaire.com/
> LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lisa-gill-23815a4/
> Leadermorphosis Podcast: https://leadermorphosis.co/
> Moose Heads on the Table: Stories About Self-Managing Organisations from Sweden (2020): https://www.amazon.com/Moose-Heads-Table-Karin-Tenelius/dp/9151954508/
Other References and Mentions:
> Sensemaking Webinar #1 – Organizational Adaptation to the Changing Landscape: https://boundaryless.io/video/sensemaking-webinar-1-organizational-adaptation-to-the-changing-landscape/
> Enspiral: https://www.enspiral.com/
> Loomio: https://www.loomio.com/
> Cobudget: https://cobudget.com/
> Murmur: https://www.murmur.com/
> Maptio: https://www.maptio.com/
> Huddle Craft: https://www.huddlecraft.com/
> Money Movers: https://www.wearemoneymovers.com/
> Teaming: How Organizations Learn, Innovate, and Compete in the Knowledge Economy by Amy C. Edmondson (2012): https://www.amazon.com/Teaming-Organizations-Innovate-Compete-Knowledge-ebook/dp/B007MF3BRA
> Matt Black Systems: https://www.mattblacksystems.com/
> The Sovereign Individual: Mastering the Transition to the Information Age by James Dale Davidson and William Rees-Mogg (1999): https://www.amazon.com/Sovereign-Individual-Mastering-Transition-Information/dp/0684832720
> The Bitcoin Standard: The Decentralized Alternative to Central Banking by Saifedean Ammous (2018): https://www.amazon.com/Bitcoin-Standard-Decentralized-Alternative-Central/dp/1119473861/
> The Fiat Standard: The Debt Slavery Alternative to Human Civilization by Saifedean Ammous (2021): https://www.amazon.com/Fiat-Standard-Slavery-Alternative-Civilization/dp/1544526474
Find Out More About the Show and the Research at Boundaryless:
https://boundaryless.io/resources/podcast/
Thanks for the ad-hoc music to Liosound / Walter Mobilio. Find his portfolio here: https://boundaryless.io/podcast-music
Recorded on 8 June 2022.
Today we're joined by Tracheopteryx – or Trach – a pioneer of decentralized governance, operations, and compensation systems. Trach is co-founder of Coordinape and a previous contributor to yearn finance.
In this conversation, we delve into what DAOs are and why the future lies in this framework. We also talk about the connection between ownership and decision-making, striving for a 'trustless' infrastructure, why we might not see companies like Apple or Google 'go DAO' soon, the role of six-person teams – and why everyone working on DAOs is, in essence, collaborating to create a greater pie.
A full transcript of the episode can be found on our website: https://boundaryless.io/podcast/tracheopteryx/
Key Highlights
We discussed:
> What DAOs are and the key differences with corporate governance.
> Trustless mechanisms and the Blockchain.
> How likely existing traditional players are to embrace DAOs.
> What we mean by the word 'trustless'.
> How non-developers can get involved with DAOs projects.
To Find Out More About Trach’s Work:
> Twitter: https://twitter.com/tracheopteryx
> Website: https://coordinape.com/
Other References and Mentions:
> Compensation in DAOs with Tracheopteryx on the Collectively Intelligent Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/compensation-in-daos-with-tracheopteryx/id1577798978?i=1000538952056
> Helium: https://www.helium.com/technology
> Colony: Distributed Organizations That Actually Work – with Aron Fischer and Jack du Rose: https://boundaryless.io/podcast/colony/
> Moving Beyond Coin Voting Governance by Vitalik Buterin: https://vitalik.ca/general/2021/08/16/voting3.html
> Blue Sky Project: https://blueskyweb.xyz/
> Thirsty Thirsty: https://www.thirstythirsty.org/
> Ronald Coase, The Nature of the Firm, 1937: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1468-0335.1937.tb00002.x
Find Out More About the Show and the Research at Boundaryless:
https://boundaryless.io/resources/podcast/
Thanks for the ad-hoc music to Liosound / Walter Mobilio. Find his portfolio here: https://boundaryless.io/podcast-music
Recorded on 3 June 2022.
Today we’re joined by former guest Rob Solomon, a cofounder at DIMO, a blockchain-enabled IoT protocol for mobility. Rob’s background is in finance, investing, and organizational design. Most recently, he worked at Consensys, the largest Ethereum-focused development company, with a focus on finance, internal economics, and decentralizing the organization. Prior to that, he was at Vroom, a pioneer in the online used-car marketplace sector, and he began his career at the Downtown Project in Las Vegas (a spinoff of Zappos.com), where he worked on investments and implemented holacracy.
Tune in to this episode as we discuss the latest developments in Rob’s work since his last appearance on the podcast, how DIMO is like building a city from scratch, understanding the main functions of an organization, and why the future is bright for DIMO.
A full transcript of the episode can be found on our website: https://boundaryless.io/podcast/rob-solomon/
Key Highlights We Discussed
> DIMO’s infrastructure and open-source technology.
> Creating an organization with permissionless contributions.
> The role of data unions in managing decentralized data ownership.
> Defining decentralized organizing and DIMO’s ecosystem.
> Redefining the thesis of ownership and incentives.
> Raising capital for a Web3 project.
To Find Out More About DIMO and Rob’s Work:
> LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robertsolomon1/
> Twitter: https://twitter.com/robmsolomon
> Website: https://dimo.zone/
> Application: https://app.dimo.zone/
> Documentation on DIMO and the token: https://docs.dimo.zone/dimo-overview/overview/what-is-dimo
Other References and Mentions:
> Software and Protocols for a New Way of Organizing — with Bryan Peters, Rob Solomon & Sascha Kellert: https://boundaryless.io/podcast/bryan-peters-and-sascha-kellert-and-rob-solomon/
> DIMO Podcast #1: Rob Solomon & Kacy Qua: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gno-bhNHxGk
Find Out More About the Show and the Research at Boundaryless:
https://boundaryless.io/resources/podcast/
Thanks for the ad-hoc music to Liosound / Walter Mobilio. Find his portfolio here: https://boundaryless.io/podcast-music
Recorded on 17 May 2022.
Phoebe Tickell is a biologist and systems thinker developing methodologies and approaches suited for a better world. She is an innovator with a background in the biological sciences, technology, social entrepreneurship, and systems design. She left the scientific academy with the knowledge that an understanding of complex systems could be applied to real-world pressing issues and that bridges were needed to stretch from theory to practice.
She works across multiple societal contexts applying a complexity and systems thinking lens and has worked in organizational design, advised government, the education sector, and the food and farming sector. She is a co-founder of the DGov Foundation – a community of distributed governance practitioners – and a member of Enspiral, a community innovating in decentralizing power and developing decentralized tools and technologies. In 2020, she also created Moral Imaginations to push the frontier of research and implement collective imagination exercises that inspire change and solutions for an era of unprecedented disruption and potential transformation.
It’s clear that society needs direction when it comes to change, and in today’s episode we explore how imagination gives us the ability to think beyond traditional frames. Join us as we delve into training a new breed of activists, mapping unintended consequences, coordinating on a massive scale, and accounting for future generations in the choices we make.
A full transcript of the episode can be found on our website: https://boundaryless.io/podcast/phoebe-tickell/
Key Highlights We Discussed
> Why imagination has become central to building the future.
> The moral elements of new ways of organizing.
> How diverse teams or communities can work from shared principles.
> The importance of staying connected to local communities.
> Why coordination is not “everything” for DAOs.
To Find Out More About Phoebe’s Work:
> LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/phoebetickell/
> Twitter: https://twitter.com/solarpunk_girl
> Website: http://www.phoebetickell.com/
> Moral Imaginations: https://www.moralimaginations.com/
> Moral Imaginations Twitter: https://twitter.com/moral_imagining
> Moral Imaginations Substack: https://moralimaginations.substack.com/
Other References and Mentions:
> Indy Johar, A Development Future: https://medium.com/hub-engine/a-developmental-future-21bf6412625e
> The Manifesto for Moral Imagination: https://medium.com/moral-imaginations/a-manifesto-for-moral-imagination-dbf62f0cb7aa
> Trans-contextual Organizing: Shifting Perceptions — with Nora Bateson: https://boundaryless.io/podcast/nora-bateson/
> Daniel Schmachtenberger: https://civilizationemerging.com/about/
> Kevin Owocki, The Green Pill, with Phoebe Tickell: https://greenpill.substack.com/p/12-solarpunk-girl-phoebe-tickell?s=r
> L. M. Sacasas – Building a Convivial Society: Autonomy, Tools, Scale, and Capabilities: https://boundaryless.io/podcast/l-m-sacasas/
> MetaGov: https://metagov.org/
> Colony: Distributed Organizations That Actually Work – with Aron Fischer and Jack du Rose: https://boundaryless.io/podcast/colony/
> Samantha Slay, Going Horizontal: https://goinghorizontal.co/
> New Citizenship Project: https://www.newcitizenship.org.uk/
Find Out More About the Show and the Research at Boundaryless:
https://boundaryless.io/resources/podcast/
Thanks for the ad-hoc music to Liosound / Walter Mobilio. Find his portfolio here: https://boundaryless.io/podcast-music
Recorded on 19 April 2022.
Adam Jackson founded Braintrust — the world’s first user-controlled talent platform — which aligns incentives, removes expensive middlemen, and gives value and control back to talent and organizations. Prior to founding Braintrust, Adam co-founded Doctor on Demand, the popular video telemedicine provider, with daytime talk show personality Dr. Phil.
Other notable ventures include DriverSide, a marketplace that connects car owners with mechanics, which was acquired by Advance Auto Parts in September 2011, and MarketSquare, the first online local shopping destination on the Internet, which was acquired by Intuit in September 2006. Adam is also a passionate angel investor in 100+ companies, including LTSE, SuperHuman, Filecoin, Binance, BlockFi, Automatic, Apero Health, Zenefits, and more.
A full transcript of the episode can be found on our website: https://boundaryless.io/podcast/adam-jackson/
Key Highlights
We discussed:
> How the Braintrust model and its nodes work.
> Rewarding commercial nodes.
> The role of the non-profit foundation and association in the system.
> Maintaining the coherence of Braintrust.
> Investing in user-owned networks.
> Current experimentations in the token economy space.
> The societal impact of having a decentralized talent network.
To Find Out More About Adam’s Work:
> LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ajackson/
> Twitter: https://twitter.com/adamjacksonsf
> Website: https://www.usebraintrust.com/
> Braintrust’s Discord Community: https://discord.gg/rgUS9aHFCB
Other References and Mentions:
> Showing the way with Web3 Marketplaces: Braintrust — with Gabriel Luna-Ostaseski: https://boundaryless.io/podcast/braintrust/
> Braintrust: Fighting Capitalism with Capitalism, Not Boring with Packy McCormick: https://www.notboring.co/p/braintrust-fighting-capitalism-with?s=r&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web
> Deep dive on the Fee Converter: https://medium.com/snowfork/introducing-the-braintrust-fee-converter-21be7c8af951
> Braintrust Academy: https://academy.usebraintrust.com/
> Kunai commercial node: https://www.usebraintrust.com/blog/new-node-addition-kunai
> Braintrust Etherscan: https://etherscan.io/address/0x799ebfabe77a6e34311eeee9825190b9ece32824
> Vitalik on quadratic voting: https://vitalik.ca/general/2019/12/07/voting3.html
> Gitcoin: https://gitcoin.co/
> $100m investment round: https://www.usebraintrust.com/blog/-100m-btrst-purchase
> Dimo: https://dimo.zone
Find Out More About the Show and the Research at Boundaryless:
https://boundaryless.io/resources/podcast/
Thanks for the ad-hoc music to Liosound / Walter Mobilio. Find his portfolio here: https://boundaryless.io/podcast-music
Recorded on 23 March 2022.
Today we find out how to bridge philosophy, psychology, and management science to understand how businesses can enable a "good society." We are joined by two experts in this field, Antoinette Weibel and Otti Vogt, to find out what questions we need to be asking.
Professor Dr. Antoinette Weibel is a full professor for human resource management at the University of St. Gallen. She is President of the Executive Committee of the Institute for Systemic Management and Public Governance at the University of St.Gallen and a member of the Executive Committee of the Institute for Media and Communications Management and the Institute for Business Ethics. Her current core project, ‘Good Organisations’, examines how organisations can become better members of society.
Otti Vogt is a disruptive thought leader with over 20 years of experience in implementing strategic business change in multicultural, complex environments and in crafting human-centric learning organisations. As COO and Chief Transformation Officer at ING, he led ING’s global digital transformation programme and oversaw operational service performance for over 20 million customers worldwide. He is also a certified leadership coach, associate of the Globally Responsible Leadership Initiative (GRLI), and was recently named a Top 20 Global Thought Leader on Agile.
Tune in to this episode as we explore the power of framing the right questions, how we can enable each other’s flourishing, the role of high-quality relationships and active reflection – and why no single idea will solve everything.
A full transcript of the episode can be found on our website: https://boundaryless.io/podcast/antoinette-weibel-and-otti-vogt/
Key Highlights We Discussed
> What do we mean by doing ‘good’ or ‘bad’ in business?
> The impact of plurality and multiculturalism.
> The power of sociality and facilitating higher quality relationships.
> Defining a ‘flourishing’ individual and society.
> Balancing globalism vs. community and landscape.
To Find Out More About Otti and Antoinette’s Work:
> Otti’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ottivogt
> Otti’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/Otti_Vogt
> Antoinette’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/antoinette-weibel/
> Antoinette’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/antoinetteprof
> Website: https://goodorganisations.com/
Other References and Mentions:
> Good Organisations’ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCMTzXIuJLFz0IcJYztHPShQ
> Building a Convivial Society: Autonomy, Tools, Scale, and Capabilities – with L.M. Sacasas: https://www.boundaryless.io/podcast/l-m-sacasas/
> Lorsch, Jay W. “Organization Design: A Situational Perspective.” Organizational Dynamics 6, no. 2 (1977): 2–14. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/0090261677900420
Find Out More About the Show and the Research at Boundaryless:
https://boundaryless.io/resources/podcast/
Thanks for the ad-hoc music to Liosound / Walter Mobilio. Find his portfolio here: https://boundaryless.io/podcast-music
Recorded on 22 March 2022.
Jon Alexander began his career in advertising, winning the prestigious Big Creative Idea of the Year, before making a dramatic change. Driven by a deep need to understand the impact on society of 3,000 commercial messages a day, he gathered three Masters degrees, exploring consumerism and its alternatives from every angle.
In 2014, he co-founded the New Citizenship Project with Irenie Ekkeshi to bring the resulting ideas into contact with reality. Since then, they have been on a mission to figure out how to use our skills — not just to sell stuff — to Consumers, and involve people in the decisions that affect their lives as Citizens.
In this engaging conversation, Jon shares some great insights from his latest book Citizens: Why the Key to Fixing Everything is All of Us. We also explore how we can move away from being a passive consumer to being an active agent, how collective power leads to exponential results, the responsibility we have to build our own systems, and what a Citizen democracy means for the government.
A full transcript of the episode can be found on our website: https://boundaryless.io/podcast/jon-alexander/
Key HighlightsFind out more about the show and the research at Boundaryless at boundaryless.io/resources/podcast
Thanks for the ad-hoc music to Liosound / Walter Mobilio. Find his portfolio here: boundaryless.io/podcast-music
Recorded on 13 March 2022.
Michele Zanini is the co-author of the Wall Street Journal Bestseller, Humanocracy. He is the co-founder of the Management Lab, where, together with Gary Hamel, he helps forward-thinking organizations become more resilient, innovative, and engaging places to work. Michele was previously a senior consultant at McKinsey & Company and a policy analyst at the RAND Corporation. His work has been featured in The Economist, Harvard Business Review, the Financial Times, and the Wall Street Journal.
Michele joins the show to discuss how organizations have become so overburdened by bureaucracy and why new organizational models like those developed at Haier and Morningstar can be seen as socially dense markets. Tune in to this episode as we explore Industrial Age contracts, scalable freedom, the open-source software movement, and the continued need for management innovation.
A full transcript of the episode can be found on our website: https://boundaryless.io/podcast/michele-zanini-2/
Key HighlightsFind out more about the show and the research at Boundaryless at https://boundaryless.io/resources/podcast/
Thanks for the ad-hoc music to Liosound / Walter Mobilio. Find his portfolio here: https://boundaryless.io/podcast-music
Recorded on 22 February 2022.
Ethan Buchman is the co-founder of the Cosmos network and serves as the CEO of Informal Systems. Informal Systems is a member-driven worker’s cooperative building software that enables trustworthy relationships between protocols and people to flourish. Ethan also serves as the President of the Interchain Foundation, which funds and coordinates development of public goods in the Cosmos ecosystem.
Tune in to this discussion as we explore the current ‘moment’ blockchain is experiencing and the implications of having a community computer. We also discuss the personal computer revolution, polycentricity, and how Informal Systems is organized to enable their employees to self-organize.
A full transcript of the episode can be found on our website: https://boundaryless.io/podcast/ethan-buchman/
Key HighlightsFind out more about the show and the research at Boundaryless at https://boundaryless.io/resources/podcast/
Thanks for the ad-hoc music to Liosound / Walter Mobilio. Find his portfolio here: https://boundaryless.io/podcast-music
Recorded on 16 February 2022.
Lucía Hernández is an expert in Platform Economy and New Emerging Trends. She has been working with organizations of all types to apply platform-ecosystems strategies. Lucía has contributed to research with global organizations and has helped design public policies related to short rental accommodation within the European Commission, IDB, and local governments.
In the last two years, Lucía has been studying the intersections between regenerative design and platform design to help public and private organizations adopt a regenerative platform-ecosystem mindset.
In this conversation, we delve into the roots of regenerative thinking and why the movement is gaining momentum. It was fascinating to learn from Lucía’s expertise about what we can learn from nature, how regenerative thinking is a process – not a goal, redefining ‘abundance,’ and some new organizations that are emerging in the platform economy.
A full transcript of the episode can be found on our website: https://boundaryless.io/podcast/lucia-hernandez/
Key HighlightsFind out more about the show and the research at Boundaryless at https://boundaryless.io/resources/podcast/
Thanks for the ad-hoc music to Liosound / Walter Mobilio. Find his portfolio here: https://boundaryless.io/podcast-music
Recorded on 10 February 2022.
What does it mean to create convivial organizations and platforms? Today we explore the relationship between technology and society with L. M. Sacasas – and what we can learn from the philosopher Ivan Illich (1926-2002).
L. M. Sacasas is the Associate Director of the Christian Study Center of Gainesville, Florida, and author of The Convivial Society, a newsletter about technology and society. Michael has written for The New Atlantis, The New Inquiry, Real Life Magazine, Mere Orthodoxy, Rhizomes, The American, and Second Nature Journal.
Ivan Illich was a philosopher, Roman Catholic priest, and critic of the institutions of modern Western culture, addressing practices in education, medicine, work, energy use, transportation, and economic development.
In this episode, we explore what we mean by conviviality, having tools to empower – not de-skill – humans, the necessity of limits, re-envisioning the good life, and why Ivan Illich has such a big following in today's society.
A full transcript of the episode can be found on our website: https://boundaryless.io/podcast/l-m-sacasas/
Key HighlightsFind out more about the show and the research at Boundaryless at https://boundaryless.io/resources/podcast/
Thanks for the ad-hoc music to Liosound / Walter Mobilio. Find his portfolio here: https://boundaryless.io/podcast-music
Recorded on 20 January 2022.
In this episode, systempreneur Mara Zepeda joins us to talk about how Zebras Unite is creating the capital, culture, and community for the next economy.
Mara Zepeda is Co-Founder and Managing Director of Zebras Unite. As an international and intersectional hybrid cooperative, Zebras Unite’s members include founders, investors, allies, and ecosystem builders from around the world, with over 25 chapters across six continents. Previously, Mara founded a venture-backed software company, Switchboard (now Hearken).
We explore how the Zebra movement evolved from a manifesto they created, dissecting the difference between what they call Zebra companies and Unicorns. Additionally, we discuss how every business can be viewed as a vector for social change, the complexities and challenges of cooperative decision-making, the meaning of practicing mutualism and interdependence, and the effects of adopting a seasonal approach to energy management.
Full episode details and transcript can be found on our website: boundaryless.io/podcast/zebras-unite/
Key HighlightsFind out more about the show and the research at Boundaryless at boundaryless.io/resources/podcast/
Thanks for the ad-hoc music to Liosound / Walter Mobilio. Find his portfolio here: boundaryless.io/podcast-music
Recorded on 20 January 2022.
In this special “Boundaryless Update” episode, we explore some of the patterns witnessed consolidating over the past ten years, covering key trends in marketplaces, shared infrastructures, and the evolving role of customer connection. This episode delves into building extension platforms, Amazon’s open marketplace doctrine, and the future of ecosystemic value creation. Whether you are a startup or a corporate organization, it’s essential to operate from a new playbook where product development is moving to the edges of the ecosystem.
You can find an extended blog post with detailed highlights from the conversation on our website: boundaryless.io/podcast/boundaryless-update/
Jason Crawford is the founder of The Roots of Progress, where he writes and speaks about the history of technology and the philosophy of progress. He is also the creator of Progress Studies for Young Scholars, an online learning program for high schoolers, and a part-time adviser and technical consultant to Our World in Data, an Oxford-based nonprofit focused on global development research. Previously, Jason spent 18 years as a software engineer, engineering manager, and startup founder.
A full transcript of the episode can be found on our website: boundaryless.io/podcast/jason-crawford/
Key highlights from the conversationWe discussed:
Find out more about the show and the research at Boundaryless at boundaryless.io/resources/podcast/
Thanks for the ad-hoc music to Liosound / Walter Mobilio. Find his portfolio here: boundaryless.io/podcast-music
Recorded on 23 November 2021.
In this Boundaryless Conversation, we talk with Bill Fischer, Professor of Innovation Management at IMD Business School in Lausanne. Bill co-founded and co-directs the IMD program on Driving Strategic Innovation, in cooperation with the Sloan School of Management at MIT and also authors a regular column for Forbes.com entitled “The Ideas Business”.
Together with Bill, we’re exploring how incumbent organizations are likely to respond to pressures like plummeting transaction costs and the need to extend their organizational models across boundaries, digging into the cultural, organizational and leadership resistance that this transformation may encounter.
We talk quite a lot about Haier Group, a world-leading pioneer embracing a culture of entrepreneurship and ecosystem enablement. If you’re interested in learning more about this case, here are two opportunities for you:
> A Webinar on the Haier Story hosted on 29th of April, offering an introductory discussion on Haier's Group’s organizational approach Rendanheyi. Sign up here or follow the live streaming on the Boundaryless YouTube channel.
> An upcoming Haier Certified 3 Half Day online course that Bill Fischer and Simone Cicero will facilitate online on June 16-17-18
Here are some important links from the conversation:
More about the Haier model:
> William A. Fischer, Umberto Lago and Fang Liu: Reinventing Giants: https://www.imd.org/research-knowledge/books/reinventing-giants/
> William A. Fische: How Haier gives insights into China’s radical transformation - From autarky to everywhere, https://www.imd.org/research-knowledge/articles/how-haier-gives-insights-into-chinas-radical-transformation/
> Simone’s take on the PDT blog: “An Entrepreneurial, Ecosystem Enabling Organization - What’s emerging from understanding Haier Group”, https://stories.platformdesigntoolkit.com/an-entrepreneurial-ecosystem-enabling-organization-c35eaf5acd9c
> Corporate Rebels: “RenDanHeYi: The Organizational Model Defining The Future Of Work?” https://corporate-rebels.com/rendanheyi-forum/
Stuff mentioned in the conversation:
> Charlie Fine, “Nail it, Scale it, Sail it”, https://www.jungle-mountain-ocean.com/about
> Oticon hearing aid company in Denmark, https://www.oticon.com/
> Jos de Blok, founder of the nurse-led organisation Buurztorg: https://www.buurtzorg.com/about-us/history/
> Stora Enso, the Finish company with roots in the 14th century: https://www.storaenso.com/
> ABB, https://new.abb.com/
> John Hagel’s writings on Edge Perspectives, on ideas of scalable learning and the difference between the scalable economy of scalable efficiency, https://edgeperspectives.typepad.com/edge_perspectives/
> Andy Boynton, Bill Fischer, William Bole, The Idea Hunter: How to Find the Best Ideas and Make them Happen, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10553258-the-idea-hunter
Music by liosound.Recorded on March 30th 2020
In this with Michel Bauwens, we explore both the Epistemological and Political/Regulatory layers of the transition from the “old” to the “new” ways of organising society. We dig into concepts like “trans-national institutions” and explore the changes we could expect in both regional and international governance of the economy and society.
Michel Bauwens is founder and director of the P2P Foundation, research director of CommonsTransition.org (a platform for policy development aimed toward a society of the Commons) and a founding member of the Commons Strategies Group.
Michel is a real lighthouse when it comes to collaborative, commons-based production models and works tirelessly since more than a decade in collaboration with a global group of researchers in the exploration of peer production, governance, and property.
Here are some important links from the conversation:
> Michel Bauwens, Corona and the Commons http://liminal.news.greenhostpreview.nl/2020/03/23/corona-and-the-commons/
> Michel Bauwens and Jose Ramos, “The pulsation of the commons: The temporal context for the cosmo-local transition” (Draft), https://docs.google.com/document/d/1sHhuecKxfB8HRH8o9aOfdlKNqaPQ8lc91502FXXv8e4/edit#heading=h.99i7fcsrn7tf
> Bologna regulation for the care and regeneration of the urban commons, https://wiki.p2pfoundation.net/Bologna_Regulation_for_the_Care_and_Regeneration_of_Urban_Commons
> P2P Accounting for Planetary Survival - Commons Transition, https://commonstransition.org/p2p-accounting-for-planetary-survival/
> REPORTING 3.0, https://reporting3.org/
> Robert I. Moore (2000), The First European Revolution: 970-1215, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/712195.The_First_European_Revolution
> Bernard A. Lietaer, The Mystery of Money, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8198838-the-mystery-of-money
> Material flow accounting, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Material_flow_accounting
> David Ronfeldt, Tribes, Institutions, Markets and Networks, https://www.rand.org/content/dam/rand/pubs/papers/2005/P7967.pdf
> Jamie Wheal in Rebel Wisdom: War on Sensemaking 3, The Infinite Game, https://youtu.be/mQstRd7opv4
> French land trust “Terre des Liens”, https://terredeliens.org/
> Bernard Stiegler, The Neganthropocene, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40203892-the-neganthropocene
Music by liosound.Recorded on March 31st 2020
In this episode, we talk to Ana Andjelic, a Strategy Executive and Doctor of Sociology working on business strategy, marketing, and organizational transformation. Ana has worked with top global advertising agencies and has also worked on the brand-side as a chief marketing executive. In the context of the collaborative economy boom of early 2010, Ana wrote thoughtful reflections on the Guardian and other news outlets. She recently came back to our attention for her brand new newsletter “The Sociology of Business” where she explores the transformation of retail, modern brand building, and how new social and cultural patterns impact the business.
We talk about the changing relationship between brands and consumers, what role culture plays in this transformation, and how technology can help - but never fully replace - human interaction. Our conversation also included in-depth reflections about how brands are reacting to the current context of COVID-19 and about the increasing need for empathy and social responsibility in these turbulent times.
Read more on our Medium story here https://stories.platformdesigntoolkit.com/
Here are some important links from the conversation:
> Ana’s insightful newsletter “The Sociology of Business”, https://andjelicaaa.substack.com/
> Ana’s Twitter: @andjelicaaa
Brands mentioned that are engaging closely with customer communities:
> Glossier, an example of a platform for the community activity that is happening around the beauty products: https://www.glossier.com/, https://intothegloss.com/
> Rapha for cycling communities: https://www.rapha.cc/
> Track smith running brand: https://www.tracksmith.com/
> Outdoor voices:https://www.outdoorvoices.com/
Other topics mentioned:
> Benedict Anderson, Imagined Communities: Reflections on the Origin and Spread of Nationalism, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/399136.Imagined_Communities
> Some concepts from Japanese culture inspiring the west: Omotenashi, Kintsugi, Wabi-Sabi
> Demna Gvasalia, Georgian fashion designer, currently the creative director of Balenciaga https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demna_Gvasalia
Music by liosound.Recorded on March 27th 2020
In this episode, we have a Boundaryless Conversation with John Robb, the owner and principal analyst for the monthly Global Guerrillas Report, that covers the intersection of War, Politics, and Technology. Its goal is to provide people with the frameworks needed to make sense of our relentlessly chaotic world. In other words, John helps people think clearly at a time when that kind of help is in short supply.
In our conversation with John, we explore how the rapid power shifts we're witnessing towards open source, and self-organizing networks are going to change the way we organize society and the economy.
We touched upon the fact that the emergent future of organizing may not disrupt or obsolete the existing markets, but rather coexist, and that there's no way we can get away with ignoring the question concerning technology as society literally "becomes a technological artefact" as John said.
Read more on our Medium story here
Here are some important links from the conversation:
> John’s patreon page https://www.patreon.com/johnrobb
> David Ronfeld, Tribes, Institutions, Markets and Networks, https://www.rand.org/content/dam/rand/pubs/papers/2005/P7967.pdf
> John Arquilla, David Ronfeldt (eds): Networks and Netwars, The Future of Terror, Crime, and Militancy, https://www.rand.org/pubs/monograph_reports/MR1382.html
> Marshall McLuhan, whose ideas were frequently mentioned in the conversation: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marshall_McLuhan
> The Cynefin Framework for Simple, Complicated, Complex and Chaotic domains, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N7oz366X0-8
> Examples of games mentioned that allow modifications to be developed in the kind of open-source community: Fallout and Skyrim: https://fallout.bethesda.net/en/; https://elderscrolls.bethesda.net/en/skyrim
> Code Academy, https://www.codecademy.com/
> Cameo, a new platform for getting personalised messages from celebrities, https://www.cameo.com/
> The company where John in 1996 wrote the report “personal broadcast networks” https://go.forrester.com/
> How to Run a City Like Amazon and Other Fables, a multi-author future fiction imagining cities being run by different companies https://shop.meatspacepress.com/product/how-to-run-a-city-like-amazon-and-other-fables
Music by liosound.Recorded on March 26th 2020
In this episode, we have a boundaryless conversation with Tomas Diez, a Venezuelan Urbanist specialized in digital fabrication and its implications on the future of cities and society. He is the co-founder and director of Fab Lab Barcelona at the Institute for Advanced Architecture of Catalonia (IAAC) and is a founding partner of the Fab City Global Initiative.
In our conversation with Tomas, we explore the democratization of the production of goods, mainly through technological progress and open knowledge sharing, and how this might affect the evolution of platform-enabled ecosystem driven production. We ask Tomas - through the lens of this transformation - what new subjectivities and constituents are empowered to organize in ways that are different, whether synergistic or integrated, with current globalization and digitalization trends. Of course, we cannot avoid touching on the changing landscape of risk and policy-making, as we connect with Tomas in the midst of the global pandemic. We also talk about the future of education and the need to reconsider Western-centric values and ways of knowing.
Read more on our Medium story https://stories.platformdesigntoolkit.com/
Here are some important links from the conversation:
> Fab City: Locally Productive, Globally Connected, https://fab.city/
> Wendell Berry (1977): The Unsettling of America: Culture and Agriculture, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/146191.The_Unsettling_of_America
> Peter Noak (2010): Sex, Bombs and Burgers, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7829730-sex-bombs-and-burgers
> Raj Patel, Jason W. Moore (2017): A History of the World in Seven Cheap Things: A Guide to Capitalism, Nature, and the Future of the Planet,
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34525475-a-history-of-the-world-in-seven-cheap-things
Dr. Zachary Stein on education in a changing technology landscape, http://www.zakstein.org/
Music by liosound.Recorded on March 17th 2020
In this episode, we have a boundaryless conversation with James Currier one of Silicon Valley’s foremost experts in growth and network effects. James is a four-time CEO of VC backed companies and a pioneer of user-generated models, viral marketing, A/B testing, crowdsourcing, and myriad of other growth techniques that have since been adopted by nearly all technology companies. In 2015, James co-founded NFX, a $150M early-stage venture capital firm focused on network effect businesses along with Pete Flint and Gigi Levy Weiss. In this conversation, we explore the real and so far unseen boundaries of the transition towards an economy more heavily based on marketplaces and market-networks, and how this transformation both shapes and is shaped by the major shifts and challenges that are currently emerging in the global society, including environmental, social, political, regulatory. We talk about the need for strong and charismatic leaders to steward these shifts, as well as the need to re-train people to gain the right competencies to deal with an increasingly digital, networked economy and transforming industries.
Read more on our Medium story https://stories.platformdesigntoolkit.com/
Here are some important links from the conversation:
> Ben Evans’ presentation “Standing on the Shoulders of Giants” during the World Economic Forum in January 2020, https://www.ben-evans.com/presentations
> Simone Cicero: “Why the Next Paradigm Shift may not be Technological”, https://stories.platformdesigntoolkit.com/paradigm-shift-regulation-af48b87a0eeb
> Ben Thompson, The End of the Beginning, https://stratechery.com/2020/the-end-of-the-beginning/
> Niall Ferguson (2017), The Square and the Tower: Networks and Power, from the Freemasons to Facebook, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35629744-the-square-and-the-tower
> Libra cryptocurrency, https://libra.org/en-US/
> Lambda school, https://lambdaschool.com/
> Incredible health, https://www.incrediblehealth.com/
> Hire.com, https://www.peoplefluent.com/
Find out more about the show and the research at Boundaryless at www.platformdesigntoolkit.com/podcast
Music by liosound.Recorded on March 18th 2020
In this episode, we have a boundaryless conversation with Arthur Brock, chief architect of Holochain. Holochain is an alternative to blockchain for running fully Peer-to-Peer distributed applications and is shaping the social dynamics of our emerging post-industrial economy.
In the show we widely cover the concept of Unenclosable carriers and how new technologies that are more inherently contextual and agent centred - instead of universal and global consensus-based - may open up new possibilities for coordination and organising, enabling governance through feedback loops.
Read more on our Medium story https://stories.platformdesigntoolkit.com/
Here are some important links from the conversation:
> Arthur Brock, The Future of Governance is not Governments https://medium.com/metacurrency-project/the-future-of-governance-is-not-governments-9c894e17b1cd
> Arthur Brock, Unenclosable Carriers and the Future of Communication, https://medium.com/holochain/unenclosable-carriers-and-the-future-of-communication-4ac6045ac894
> Holochain: https://holochain.org/
> Holo Host: https://holo.host/
> Affordance: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Affordance
Find out more about the show and the research at Boundaryless at www.platformdesigntoolkit.com/podcast
Music by liosound.Recorded on March 10th 2020
This episode frames the Boundaryless Conversation podcast: Simone Cicero, the original creator of the Platform Design Toolkit, and co-host and team-mate Stina Heikkilä present the main research questions that guide this exploration.
Boundaryless Conversations podcast is about exploring the future of large scale organising by leveraging on technology, network effects and shaping narratives. We explore how platforms can help us play with a world in turmoil, change, and transformation: a world that is at the same time more interconnected and interdependent than ever but also more conflictual and rivalrous.
Human organisations are today pressed by the need to reinvent themselves, in ways that are profoundly unclear and, at the same time exciting for the promises they bring.
This podcast is brought to you by Boundaryless, the company behind Platform Design Toolkit an open methodology to design strategies that mobilize ecosystems through scalable efficiencies and scalable learning.
Here are some important links mentioned in the conversation.
The Platform Design Toolkit - Boundaryless website: www.platformdesigntoolkit.com
The white paper 2020 launch - Simone Cicero, New Foundations of Platform-Ecosystem Thinking https://stories.platformdesigntoolkit.com/new-foundations-for-platforms-in-the-2020-d785276c390e
Find out more about the show and the research at Boundaryless at www.platformdesigntoolkit.com/podcast
Thanks for the ad-hoc music to Liosound / Walter Mobilio find his portfolio here: https://audiojungle.net/user/liosound/portfolio?utf8=%E2%9C%93&order_by=sales
En liten tjänst av I'm With Friends. Finns även på engelska.