20 episodes

For many, workplace is taken for granted. It’s time it was given more attention.
Workplace Matters provides fresh perspectives on the cultural, spatial and technological aspects of our workplaces, through thought-provoking conversations with fascinating folk who design, create, manage and work in them.

Workplace Matters 3edges

    • Business
    • 5.0 • 17 Ratings

For many, workplace is taken for granted. It’s time it was given more attention.
Workplace Matters provides fresh perspectives on the cultural, spatial and technological aspects of our workplaces, through thought-provoking conversations with fascinating folk who design, create, manage and work in them.

    20. The workplace value chain and mental rebuilding™ | Per Feldthaus

    20. The workplace value chain and mental rebuilding™ | Per Feldthaus

    Per Feldthaus, Global Head of Workplace Management and Design at Signal Architects, joins Ian for the third and final part of the Workplace Matters Danish workplace mini-feature. Signal is a practice whose interest isn’t in buildings per se, and whose business model is not built upon delivering new space… necessarily.


    With core competencies of strategic thinking, design, and change management, Signal’s interest is in design thinking - as a full process of discovery, design and delivery - and Per explains Signal’s ‘mental rebuilding’ concept, their trademarked approach that drives their in some ways counter-intuitive business model.


    Just over a year ago Signal was acquired by Facilities Services giant ISS as part of their own workplace strategy. Per explains how design thinking can unlock workplace value chain opportunities that stretch far beyond FM in its current form. There's loads in this conversation - enjoy!


    Some links to take you deeper:



    Signal Architects website
    Eat Sleep Work Repeat podcast interview with Bjarke Ingels

    This episode of Workplace Matters is sponsored by the Workplace Leadership Programme, our partnership initiative with the British Institute of Facilities Management. It’s time to unlock your workplace advantage.


    The first course in the programme, Essentials of Workplace Leadership, is now taking bookings for this July and November. We can also tailor the course for in-house delivery, focussing on your own business needs. Click here for more info, or contact us directly

    • 49 min
    19. Exploring future work scenarios | Jeff Saunders

    19. Exploring future work scenarios | Jeff Saunders

    Jeff Saunders, Director at the Copenhagen Institute for Future Studies, joins Ian for part 2 of the Workplace Matters Danish workplace mini-feature. CIFS, who have been around since the 60s, recently completed a seven-year six book collaboration with facilities services giant ISS with the publication of their ‘Future of Work, Workforce and Workplace’ capstone white book. Enjoy!


    They discuss a particular future scenarios matrix which is developed in the first book, and then revisited in the sixth capstone book. It shows four possible futures, considering primarily the extent of automation versus the prioritisation of sustainability, which are called ‘fragmented world’, ‘capitalism reinvented’, ‘sustainable business’ and ‘the great transformation’.


    As Jeff explains, these are possible scenarios which were created at the beginning of the collaboration to engage with future issues. They’re revisited in the most recent capstone book to reflect longitudinally about changes and timescales. Well worth a look...


    Some links to take you deeper:



    Copenhagen Institute for Future Studies website
    ISS 2020 vision white book series plus lots of other content from servicefutures.com
    ISS business forum video (with Peter, Ian and Jeff all speaking, with others) here
    BIFM manifesto for change information

    • 54 min
    18. Sticky workplaces and future services | Peter Ankerstjerne

    18. Sticky workplaces and future services | Peter Ankerstjerne

    Peter Ankerstjerne, former long-standing Chief Marketing Officer of global facility services provider ISS, joins Ian for part 1 of our Workplace Matters Danish workplace mini-feature. The discussion goes under the bonnet of the global facility services megacorp that employs almost 500,000 people worldwide to explore ideas about workplace, FM, innovation strategies, digital technology, and - yes, they go there - the future of work. Enjoy!


    This episode was recorded at the ISS global headquarters. It’s more than a shop front and a HQ: it’s a living lab for their own ideas about future workplace, which - in a tech-enabled art of the possible way - they bring to life fantastically in a video called 'how Internet of Things technology brings the workplace into the future'. Well worth a watch...


    Topics discussed include:



    The relationship between facilities services and facility management
    How to drive better value out of FM outsourcing through partnership approaches
    The value of The Stoddart Review in helping to shift the conversation from managing facilities towards workplace benefits
    The value of creating workplace experiences, including behavioural nudges
    ISS's innovation approach using agile development methodologies to fastrack ideas, and growing their digital competence to enable this to happen
    The IT enabled future of workplace and FM, and ISS's digital technologies strategy, including their partnership with IBM
    ISS's digitally enabled focus on IWMS, workforce integration and optimisation, IoT sensor technology, AI, and big-data analytics insights
    The need for more R+D investment in the industry, plus more demanding and daring customers, to create drive for new developments

    Some links to take you deeper:



    ISS 2020 vision white book series plus lots of other content from servicefutures.com
    ISS business forum video (with Peter, Ian and Jeff all speaking, with others) here
    The Stoddart Review
    Harvard Business Review article 'The New Corporate Garage'
    Peter's LinkedIn page (@P_Ankerstjerne on Twitter)

    • 58 min
    17. The Elemental Workplace | Neil Usher

    17. The Elemental Workplace | Neil Usher

    Workplace author, blogger and executive consultant Neil Usher joins Ian again on the day of his book launch, and also the day the British Institute of Facilities Management (BIFM) announce their proposal to become the Institute of Workplace and Facilities Management (IWFM). Will 2018 be remembered as the year workplace tips? Neil’s observations and views are as perceptive as ever. This is elemental workplace listening, folks - enjoy!


    Some links to take you deeper:



    The book site: elementalworkplace.com
    Neil’s ever insightful and entertaining blog, featuring a particularly relevant post: workessence.com
    ... and his super-popular post about our co-authored Workplace Leadership Manifesto
    More about BIFM’s proposed name change:


    BIFM's manifesto announcement
    Workplace Insight's first news story about the change

    A huge thanks to Herman Miller in London for hosting us

    • 1 hr 9 min
    16. Metacast #1 pt.2 | Simon Iatrou, Will Easton, James Pinder & Ian Ellison

    16. Metacast #1 pt.2 | Simon Iatrou, Will Easton, James Pinder & Ian Ellison

    We're back with part 2 of the inaugural Workplace Matters Metacast, where Ian and James from 3edges are joined by i-FM.net editor Simon Iatrou and independent workplace specialist Will Easton, to explore workplace issues through non-workplace podcasts episodes. Very meta.


    If you’ve not listened to episode 15 part 1 yet then go do that first, or it might feel like you've walked in on a really interesting conversation halfway through. Because that’s exactly what you've done...


    Podcast episode selections:


    Will: The Walkman from The Pessimists Archive
    Simon: Our Computers, Ourselves from Invisibilia
    Ian: The Blue Yarn from 99 Percent Invisible
    James: Saigon 1965 from Revisionist History



    Big overall themes include:


    How new technology affects us both individually and collectively - in the workplace and beyond
    Human responses as both individuals and institutions (like for example organisations and governments) - predictable and otherwise
    The sorts of information and data we do (and don’t) respond to
    How our level of involvement in something affects our ability, understanding and desire to change



    And finally some key learning points from our round table reflections at the end of the session:


    The power of stories: the stories we tell ourselves, and the stories we tell others
    The importance of ‘narrative’ when it comes to anything to do with workplace - there has to be a message that resonates emotionally with people
    The importance of leadership (not only management) in workplace change
    Fundamentally, is leadership about the management of meaning?
    The power of podcasts as an accessible, on demand, democratic learning tool... to listen to, share and discuss stories!



    Once again, don't forget to subscribe to our sparkling new Workplace Matters newsletter at 3edges.co.uk, and check out our Workplace Leadership Manifesto comrades, out daily during January on Twitter and LinkedIn. Search #WpLeadershipManifesto. Power to the people.


    And a huge thanks to the fantastic Kelham Island Brewery in Sheffield for hosting us.

    • 46 min
    15. Metacast #1 pt.1 | Simon Iatrou, Will Easton, James Pinder & Ian Ellison

    15. Metacast #1 pt.1 | Simon Iatrou, Will Easton, James Pinder & Ian Ellison

    We’ve got something different for you this time - the first ever Workplace Matters Metacast. It’s a round table discussion between four podcast geeks: 3edges co-founders James Pinder and Ian Ellison, editor at i-FM.net Simon Iatrou, and freelance workplace provocateur Will Easton. It’s all about workplace. Except we’re not allowed to say anything about workplace unless we use an unrelated podcast episode to make the point. Like a game show without any prize... or something like that. Very meta. Hence the name.


    It’s a big discussion, so we’ve cut it in two. The intro and first two podcast examples are here. The final two examples and our wrap up learnings discussion will in episode 16, part 2, out tomorrow. Think of this as a gateway to more. There is so much great content out there to expand your horizons. Try things, go deeper, and let us know what you think @wpmpodcast on Twitter.


    Podcast episode selections:


    Will: The Walkman from The Pessimists Archive
    Simon: Our Computers, Ourselves from Invisibilia
    Ian: The Blue Yarn from 99 Percent Invisible
    James: Saigon 1965 from Revisionist History



    Don't forget to subscribe to our sparkling new Workplace Matters newsletter at 3edges.co.uk, and check out our Workplace Leadership Manifesto comrades, out daily during January on Twitter and LinkedIn. Search #WpLeadershipManifesto. Power to the people.


    A huge thanks to the fantastic Kelham Island Brewery in Sheffield for hosting us.

    • 1 hr 5 min

Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5
17 Ratings

17 Ratings

Gavin2906 ,

Great podcast

Great podcast easy to listen too.

Polly Plunket ,

#workplacematters

I love listening to Ian, his guests and the sheer breadth of all things ‘workplace’. It’s his kind curiosity, lovely warmth and genuine love of people that make him a born natural podcaster. For anyone who thinks workplace is dry, think again. It affects us all every day and Ian’s mastery makes it accessible for us all.

ergoguyUK ,

Prepare to take notes!

Having planned to listen to this for ages, I had a serious catch up session in the car for nearly 8 hours today. All excellent. Valuable insights, entertaining, informative and lots to think about. The only problem is that I needed to note various names, organisations, concepts and events to follow up later and that's not easy when you're driving!

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