What’s stopping US from doing the best work of our liVES?
It's the way we work. Bureaucracy. Hierarchy. Compliance. Everything that slows us down and makes us feel less human. Our organizations are broken. And we can fix them.
Aaron Dignan helps teams around the world completely reinvent their operating systems—the fundamental principles and practices that shape their culture—with extraordinary success. He helps them see that organizations aren't machines to be predicted and controlled. They're complex human systems full of potential waiting to be released. In Brave New Work, you'll learn exactly how to reinvent the way you work, not through top-down mandates, but through a groundswell of autonomy, trust, and transparency.
"This is the management book of the year. Clear, powerful and urgent, it's a must read for anyone who cares about where they work and how they work."
— Seth Godin, Author of This is Marketing
This book is a breath of fresh air. Aaron Dignan offers a bold, ennobling vision for a world of work that enhances our dignity and freedom rather than degrading and constraining us. Read it now, and make sure your boss does too.
— Adam Grant
author of GIVE AND TAKE, ORIGINALS, and OPTION B with Sheryl Sandberg
If you’re trying to create a world-changing culture, reading Brave New Work should be your next move. Aaron’s simple, counter-intuitive approach will help you get out of your own way, eliminate bureaucracy, and awaken the humanity within.
— Scott Harrison
Founder of charity: water
and author of Thirst
The one-size-fits-all monoculture is a thing of the past. Brave New Work shows us how to embrace the oh-so-human complexity of our organizations—and discover a new way of working that makes room for the many styles, needs, and gifts trapped inside them.
—Susan Cain
author of Quiet and Quiet Power, curator of Quiet Revolution
I really never believed in any of this organizational stuff until I saw Aaron at work. He can help almost any dysfunctional group find common purpose, discern the simple patterns underlying the most complex situations, and guide wayward organizations back to their core values. Most impressively, he can translate all that into language even a business person can understand and enjoy.
— Douglas rushkoff
author of team human
Human beings can’t thrive in a work culture that uses burnout and 'being always on' as proxies for dedication and success. In Brave New Work, Aaron Dignan shows us that, in fact, workplaces that empower people to take care of themselves are far more likely to deliver sustainable performance and happiness.
— arianna huffington
Founder & CEO, Thrive Global
I am now a convert. Aaron sums up all the crazy ideas about how to create teams and companies that maximize their potential by decentralizing their power—a once idealist notion that is now possible and essential. For a book that might start a revolution, it's surprisingly practical and undogmatic. There’s no fluff—it's all meat, and real news. I could think of dozens of people I know who I now want to read and study it.
— Kevin Kelly
author of THE INEVITABLE, and cofounder, WIRED magazine
brave new work in London
“the problem isn’t our people. It’s not our leaders either. it’s our operating system.”
What’s Inside
01.
The Future of Work.
The first part shows how our way of working came to be—originating on the factory floors of the Industrial Revolution. And it lays the foundation for a new way of thinking about people and organizations that trades the illusion of control for something far better.
02.
The Operating System.
The second part explores the principles and practices of Evolutionary Organizations through a tour of the OS Canvas, a transformative tool created to help teams see just how embedded and interconnected their way of working really is.
03.
The Change.
The third part tackles the most difficult topic of all: how to change. If you’ve been burned by change efforts that have overpromised and under-delivered, you’re not alone. Here you’ll find a counterintuitive yet straightforward approach to change that honors the inherent complexity in your organization.
We all struggle with
Bottlenecks in decision making
Lack of accountability and ownership
Unresponsive planning and budgeting
Information hoarding and secrecy
Meeting and email overload
Siloed functions and teams
Obsession with short-term results
Inability to attract and retain top talent
But only the brave
Make safe-to-try, purpose-driven decisions at the edge
Give everyone the freedom to choose when, where, and how they work
Make nearly all information transparent and accessible
Abandon annual budgets and plans to steer continuously
Eliminate status meetings and other bureaucratic theater
Practice dynamic teaming—a marketplace of roles and projects
Make strategic priorities and tradeoffs explicit
Give everyone a voice in shaping the organization
About the Author
Aaron Dignan is the founder of The Ready, an organization design and transformation firm that helps institutions like Johnson & Johnson, Charles Schwab, Kaplan, Microsoft, Lloyds Bank, Citibank, Edelman, Airbnb, Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian Design Museum, and charity: water change the way they work. He is a cofounder of responsive.org, an investor in purpose-driven startups, and a friend to misfit toys. He lives in Colorado with his wife and son.
available now
Audiobook
