This document discusses humanizing work by focusing on the human elements of growth, collaboration, creativity, and impact. It notes that while technologies like Kanban aim to optimize work, they often design work without considering the human context. The effects of remote work due to COVID-19 like increased burnout, isolation, and loss of belonging are discussed. To humanize work, the document recommends focusing on empowering workers, unleashing their interests and passions to align with organizational needs. It suggests moving from process optimization to focusing on work outcomes and flow. Creating a phygital workplace, building a sense of connection to work and organization, and harnessing technologies to identify and unleash human potential are also recommended to humanize work.

1. Humanizing work
Using Kanban as an enabler
Sudipta Lahiri
Head of Products and Engineering
Digite Inc.
Humanizing Work!

2. 2
Introduction
• Headquartered out of CA
• Global Leaders in our chosen
market:
• IT services, Kanban method
• Building tools that
“Humanzing Work”
• With about 1million paid user
licenses
• 3+ decades in the Industry
• Worked across IT Services
and Product companies
• From Project/Program
Delivery, Product
Development, Sales
• Passionate about Lean-Agile
way of thinking, F4P,
Engagement and
About Digite… About myself

3. I will lay the context…
We will together explore how Kanban helps us
Full Disclosure: There is a lot beyond Kanban as
well…
WE WILL COLLABORATE IN THIS TALK TODAY…
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4. Human Moments @ Work
An authentic psychological
encounter that can happen
only when two people share
the same phygital (physical)
space
https://hbr.org/1999/01/the-human-moment-at-work
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Hallowell_(psych
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5. • Until sometime back, executives and
middle managers came to expect that
they would talk with one another in the
office, for business or personal
reasons
• Sometimes, play together EOD
• When it came time to connect with
distant clients or suppliers or
colleagues, people got on planes.
• Meetings happened in person.
• They were time consuming and
costly… but they fostered trust. Not
incidentally, people had more fun!
A “human moment” has 2 elements…
Phygital (physical)
presence
Emotional and intellectual
attention
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6. Impact of “human moments”
• Positive effects last long after the people have said goodbye
• People begin to think in new and creative ways; mental activity is
stimulated
• Like exercise, which also has enduring effects, benefits do not
last indefinitely.
• A 10K run on Monday is wonderful; only, if you also swim on
Wednesday and play tennis on Saturday
• Human Moments, on a regular basis, give a meaningful impact on
your life.
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7. • Absence of human moments creates
“toxic worry”
• Anxiety that has no basis in reality -
immobilizes the sufferer, leads to indecision
or destructive action
• It’s like being in the dark, and we all feel paranoid in
the dark.
• Misunderstandings increase, compounding
one another until there is nothing “little”
about them
• People wonder if they can trust their
organization, question their motives,
performance, and self-worth
• Creates worrisome and widespread
consequences.
• People feel lonely, isolated, or confused at
work
• Human beings are remarkably
resilient.
• We can deal with almost anything
as long as we are not too isolated.
• However, as the tide of
electronic hyper-connection
rises… and the landscape of work
is in some ways changing for the
worse
• We don’t talk to people as much
as we used to… and sometimes,
the results are damaging
• Correction revolves around
replenishing the human
moments in their lives
Deficiency of human moments…
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8. • Oversensitivity, self-doubt, and
abrasive curtness happens
• Productive employees feel lousy =>
underperform or attrition
• At an organizational scale:
• Coworkers slowly lose cohesiveness.
• Starts with one person, but distrust,
disrespect, and dissatisfaction on the job
is contagious.
• Eventually, they make up the majority.
• Culture turns unfriendly and unforgiving..
Good people leave.
• Those who remain are unhappy. Mental
health concerns aside, such conditions
are not good for business. They can be
downright corrosive.
• Recognize that it is not from
lack of communication but
from a surplus of the wrong
kind
• The remedy is not to get
rid of electronics but to
restore the human
moment where it is
needed…
Deficiency of human moments…
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9. Humanizing work means…
• Creating an environment where organizations can optimize human
potential
• Its not about putting people ahead of machines.
• Empowering workers with freedom and choice over
what they do, unleashing their interests and passions;
creating an alignment to organizational strategy and
needs
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10. Fast forward to
today…
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11. Future
of
work
Reference: https://www2.deloitte.com/content/dam/Deloitte/us/Documents/human-capital/us-the-future-of-work-post-
covid-19.pdf
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12. Let’s delve
deeper into the
“workforce”…
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13. • Growth
• We have a core need to
improve, to see potential in our
future, and to achieve mastery.
• It is never “done” or “finished.”
• We constantly strive to learn
and improve. When we are
growing, we are happy and
productive.
• Collaboration
• Introvert or extrovert, the brain is
wired to connect with other
humans.
• Unfortunately, we work on
our individual tasks in the
vicinity of other team
members who are also
working on their individual
tasks.
• We are social creatures.
We do our best work when
we work together.
The “human” element…
Reference: humanizingwork.com
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14. • Creativity
• We are designed to create:
to make things, to build
social bonds, to develop
new ideas, to leave a mark
• Stripped of creativity, work is dull
and lifeless.
• We thrive when we feel fully
engaged in creating.
• Impact
• We are innately driven to make
things better for other people.
• Curing a disease OR a small step
to improve a business process
• When we understand
how our work helps
others, it taps into our
deep desire to leave a
positive impact —and we
are most satisfied.
The “human” element…
Reference: humanizingwork.com
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15. Where are we today?
• We have talked of employee engagement and ownership for decades
• In the Lean-Agile community, for 2+ decades; we saturated with models and
methods; we have talked about F2F interaction, collaboration, empowered teams,
physiological safety!
• Yet, we continue to work as individuals - to earn a salary, to enrich our resumes,
to get something that aligns with our “career orientation”!
• Most people are disengaged; they do not care whether what they are building creates a net
happy outcome for whosoever is its consumer!
• If we could make work meaningful, feel the purpose, understand how we
contribute… Humanizing Work! 15

16. OTHER THINGS HAD TO BE
GIVEN WAY HIGHER
PRIORITY
DISTANCE BETWEEN WORK
AND THE HUMAN
INCREASED!
INTERNS/NEW HIRES –
REMOTE HIRING => NEVER
SAW THE OFFICE OR THEIR
COLLEAGUES
THE GREAT RESIGNATION
MOONLIGHTING
QUIET QUITTING
TECHNOLOGY TURNOVER
GIG ECONOMY
3 years of COVID
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17. • Unveiling human potential at its best
• Organizations & workers rise to the
occasion
• Individuals adopt remote/virtual work,
seeking new ways to collaborate
• Being more deliberate about what work
is essential and what work outcomes
matter most
• Leveraging technology in new, different
ways
• Challenging the orthodoxies of the past
• The unintended consequences.
• Deterioration of worker well-being,
increased anxiety, burnout and
isolation
• Loss of a sense of belonging
• We want to do more with less.
• Average workday up by 48.5
minutes,
• 13% more meetings/day
• Mental health - 57% of mothers/32%
of fathers of children younger < 18
• ~60% of women jobs lost in the US
• UK Mothers were 47% more likely to
have lost their jobs than fathers
The Covid disruption…
From Deloitte’s 2020 Human Capital Trends report
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18. • 96%: well-being is responsibility of
organizations.
• 79%: well-being is not
designed/integrated into the workplace.
• Throughout the Technology evolutions,
we designed work without the worker
in context.
• Work = sum of a series of tasks and
activities, grouped into processes,
measured by output, organized in an
assembly line, automated by machines.
• Today, with smart machines and
cognitive technologies, we are
repeating the same.
• We built software to complete routine
tasks, generated enormous amounts of
data, and pushed human workers to keep
up with robots on the factory floor.
• We failed to create new value by
unleashing human ingenuity, focusing
on efficiency rather than reimagining
the nature of work and what humans
are capable of achieving
• We pushed the workforce to support
the freelance and gig economy without
fundamentally rethinking how to
connect workers to the organization, to
its purpose, and to human
relationships.
• We focused on the digital experience,
but underestimated the various factors
that build a compelling workforce
experience - well-being, a sense of
belonging, and a desirable workplace
environment
Impact on work force…
From Deloitte’s 2020 Human Capital Trends rep
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19. Humanizing work is about…
• Creating an environment where organizations can
optimize human potential in today’s technology-
driven world
• It is NOT about putting people ahead of machines.
• It is about empowering workers with choice over
what they do, unleashing their interests and
passions to organizational strategy and needs
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20. From concept to action: Outcome!
• The biggest motivator for humans is work itself:
• Formulate a vision for the future by putting work at the center and
defining the new future work outcomes you want to achieve.
• Get people inspired and energized about those work
outcomes.
• Focus on the way in which work drives human connection,
innovation, and creativity.
• Envision and pursue the new value you can release through humans
working productively with technology.
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21. • Work is the center point for
creativity and innovation.
Work conveys purpose and
meaning.
• Work is owned by a network
of teams, building and owning
the entire value chain of
creation.
• Humanizing work builds
human connection, bringing
people together to get things
• Humans don’t work the same way
machines do.
• Humans are more fluid, responding
through movement, momentum,
creativity, and exploration, often
changing course and tactics to
achieve new outcomes and make
possible new aspirations
• Think past process
optimization by placing work
outcomes at the center and
focusing on unlocking the
flow of work
From Process to Flow
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22. 22
Flow...
• Continuous movement of work like a
water stream….
• ….. value accretion happens as this
unit of work moves from “upstream”
to “downstream” ….
• …. through impediments, though
removing them improves flow….
• …. at a “sustainable pace” so that
there is a uniform flow of water (work)
Flow of work People experiencing flow

23. Flow of
Work
People
experiencing
Flow
Flow of
Outcom
e
High awareness
Weak
Implementation
Low awareness
Implementation
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24. • Workplace is “phygital” – it has to be
adaptable when work and the workforce
are no longer restricted to a physical
structure
• Includes the broader environment that
workers operate in - their home and
work environments, even the spaces
and coffee shops in between.
• Expand the way we think about the
workplace:
• Collaboration, connection, social interaction,
creative collision, innovation, social bonding,
and lifelong learning
• To make the workplace adaptable:
• Focus on collaboration in the phygital
environment
• Use the physical workplace for innovation,
networking, and culture-building
• Focus on leadership capabilities - ensure
leaders create a culture of trust and
confidence that provides the sense of
belonging and safety where the entire
workforce can thrive
• Prioritizing well-being in a meaningful way
through bold shifts in how work gets done,
recognizing the shifts in work patterns and
preferences accelerated by COVID-19
From physical workplace to organization
and culture
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25. • Make it flatter… remove the silos!
• Workforce is increasingly unleashed
and disrupted - a shift from traditional
employer-employee relationship
• Employers thinking what roles can be
transitioned to a virtual or hybrid model
• Rapid increase in job postings for
freelancers
• Workers want location flexibility… and
opportunities beyond a stated job
description.
• Workforce needs to be tethered to the
organizational mission.
• Build a sense of connection, both to the
work itself and to the larger organizational
ecosystem
• Create alignment
• Build strategy for accessing the
capabilities required to achieve
future work outcomes from across a
broader talent ecosystem
• Harness technology to help identify
and unleash human potential within
and beyond the organization
• Be human-centered by treating
employees as the “customer” of
the operating model and working
environment
• Give personalized and elevated
experiences so that people contribute
their full potential and develop in the
flow of work - and in the flow of life!
From structure to capabilities + potential…
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26. Creating human
moments!
https://www.workhuman.com/blog/why-human-moments-that-matter-are-so-important-right-now/
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27. • Thank. Talk. Celebrate.
• Recognize them
• Provide frequent check-ins
and feedback
• Celebrate their personal and
professional milestones/
achievements
• These touchpoints provide
connection when the they
need it most
“Human Applications/Products”
Designed to bring humanity to the
workforce.
Deepen relationships between
employees
Solve the hierarchy of needs that are
above the physical – the needs of
the mind, the needs for social
connection, the need for positive
reinforcement, to become who you
want to be.
Creating “human moments”
https://www.workhuman.com/blog/why-human-moments-that-matter-are-so-important-right-now/
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28. Human applications make work human!
• Create human moments that matter
• They build and support relationships – while increasing alignment in terms of
shared values, goals, and culture.
• They reinforce the behaviors and soft skills you want to see from your workforce
while instilling a feeling of inclusion and belonging.
• By bringing your employees together through feedback, support, recognition,
and celebration, they promote connectivity, engagement, and well-being.
• Provide data that gives you a whole picture of work
• They give you never-before-seen insights on the lifeblood of the organization
• They let you see what people are doing each day, how they’re doing it, and what
results they’re achieving - through a lens of positivity.
• Give you a snapshot of work activity – You can see work activity in real
time – without waiting for a milestone to confirm that the right things
are happening.
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29. • Recognize the importance
“human moments” towards
people engagement
• Lack of them … and what
their absence does!
• In this worlds of hyper-
digitization, distributed, gig
economy, we need to
reinforce these by
“humanizing work”
• Kanban method, in the true
spirit, builds those human
moment, creating
opportunities for greater
engagement
• Flow based execution (flow of
work and flow of people’s
experience)
• Pull based execution
• Use the Kanban Board for
meaningful conversations that
build engagement
• Reinforce outcomes
• Card Ownership vs Task
assignment
In closing…
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