Companies spend time and effort developing their employees - their most important asset - but they often forget to consider the company structure, culture, environment and processes required to help the newly upskilled individuals thrive. The Human Workplace is a practical guide which shows how this can be achieved by taking a truly people-centric approach to organizational development.
Exploring how people-centred organizations behave and evolve, the book covers how to use design thinking to create optimal organizational structures, how to make a business a community, how to use communication to inform and empower people and how to use technology to allow employees to work more efficiently.
Packed with interviews and case studies from Microsoft, Schneider Electric, CGI, Universal, Lego, SAP, BBC Worldwide and other global companies that have benefited from a people-centred approach, The Human Workplace redefines our view of the organization, its relationship with people and how we interact with it. It is an essential guide for all HR and OD professionals seeking to get the right people in the right places doing the right things at the right time.
Industry Reviews
"The principles set out in The Human Workplace are helpful for any company that emphasizes purpose and identity, connection with the company, each other and the community, as well as co-creation and two-way dialogue with employees. This is a helpful guide on how to grow by design." * Mark Levy, Airbnb's first Head of Employee Experience *
"Andy Swann knows better than most that things just aren't that straightforward. Bringing his work at the coalface of organizational change with him, he leads us through the challenges, debunks the fads and offers practical and effective ways of not only coping with the challenges of the future but possibly even enjoying them." * Euan Semple, Author, Speaker and Business Strategist *
"This book is pragmatic, relevant, current - it should be required reading for all leaders claiming "People are the most important thing to me" and selectively pointing at other companies saying "I want that one" without understanding the elements, i.e, people." * Andy Meikle, former Chief People Officer, JustGiving and Founder, Folk Consulting *
"The Human Workplace offers a thoughtful and incisive examination of our complicated relationship with our work, its meaning and our attitudes. In this comprehensively researched book, Andy Swann considers the full scope of how we work, from the interpersonal to the networks and communities on which we rely, and how this is translating into today's society. In an age of digitization and artificial intelligence, Swann repeatedly finds that applying our shared humanity is the most important element of a high-performing workplace. From case studies to personal reflections, he explores engaging workplace comparisons and finds ingenuity at work in work. This book made me reconsider how we should shape the future of work and appreciate that it will be those who are constantly learning in our high-speed world that will deserve success for their teams and a resilient future for their organizations." * Tim Pointer, former HR Director, Dixons Carphone and Founder, Starboard Thinking *
