Most organizations don’t fail because their ideas are wrong. They fail because the systems underneath those ideas aren’t designed to support them. In this episode, Mina Seetharaman speaks with Clay Parker Jones, Director of Organizational Design at Airbnb and author of Hidden Patterns, about six things you can do to build a more agile, adaptable, and human-centered organization.

Related Resources:

Hidden Patterns, by Clay Parker Jones: https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Hidden-Patterns/Clay-Parker-Jones/9781637748589

Clay’s website and pattern library: https://www.cpj.fyi/

Designing for Change online course with IDEO U: https://www.ideou.com/products/designing-for-change

Read the episode recap on the IDEO U blog: https://www.ideou.com/blog

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Get episode recaps and register for free live podcast events at ideou.com/podcast.

Build your creative problem-solving skills with IDEO U's online courses in human-centered design, AI, leadership, and more at ideou.com.

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Tension on your team isn’t always a problem to solve. In fact, it’s often a signal you’re doing meaningful work.

In this replay episode, bestselling author Daniel Coyle (The Culture Code) shares how the most successful teams channel friction into forward motion, instead of avoiding it. Drawing on research and real-world examples from places like Pixar, the Navy SEALs, and professional sports, Daniel breaks down how tension can become a powerful source of energy, learning, and innovation.

In this conversation, you’ll learn:

• Why conflict and disagreement are essential for high-performing teams
• The key moments that shape team culture early on
• How vulnerability builds trust (and why leaders need to go first)
• A simple framework for turning tension into productive experimentation
• How storytelling helps reinforce and scale strong team behaviors

This episode offers practical ways to rethink how your team approaches friction. If this topic resonates, explore more episodes on healthy friction and creative tension with guests like Ben Swire, Mike Peng, Heather Currier Hunt, Takashi Wickes, and Bob Sutton.

Related resources:

The Culture Code, by Daniel Coyle: https://danielcoyle.com/the-culture-code/

Cultivating Creative Collaboration online course with IDEO U, taught by IDEO CEO Mike Peng: https://www.ideou.com/products/cultivating-creative-collaboration

Read the episode recap on the IDEO U blog: https://www.ideou.com/blogs/inspiration/how-great-teams-leverage-tension-as-a-source-for-innovation

__________

Get episode recaps and register for free live podcast events at ideou.com/podcast.

Build your creative problem-solving skills with IDEO U's online courses in human-centered design, AI, leadership, and more at ideou.com.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

There are many hidden barriers to building trust on teams, and sometimes we don’t see them until something breaks down.

In this episode of the Creative Confidence Podcast, Mina Seetharaman sits down again with Ben Swire—co-founder of Make Believe Works and author of Safe Danger—for a practical Q&A on what actually gets in the way of trust on teams.

Drawing on his experience designing team experiences for organizations around the world, Ben answers questions from the Creative Confidence community. Why does trust break down even on high-performing teams? What makes feedback feel risky? How do you create space for honest conversation without forcing vulnerability? And what can leaders do in the moment when trust starts to erode?

Related resources:

Safe Danger, by Ben Swire

Make Believe Works – Unique team building that actually makes an impact.

Cultivating Creative Collaboration online course with IDEO U, taught by IDEO CEO Mike Peng

Read the episode recap on the IDEO U blog: ideou.com/blog

__________

Get episode recaps and register for free live podcast events at ideou.com/podcast.

Build your creative problem-solving skills with IDEO U's online courses in human-centered design, AI, leadership, and more at ideou.com.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.