Fix the Environment, Not the People: Collecting Actionable Data to Mitigate Work Friction | Christophe Martel

02/13/24 • 71 min

According to Gartner Research, work friction costs employees 1.9 extra hours of work per day on routine tasks. For a company with 10,000 employees, that translates to a staggering loss of $78.4M annually. From excessive meetings to inefficient workplace processes, Christophe Martel is actively investigating the underlying causes of employee dissatisfaction. Armed with data-driven strategies, he's determined to implement lasting solutions.
Christophe Martel is a seasoned business leader with over three decades of experience. He is the co-founder and CEO of FOUNT Global, Inc., a company that assists organizations worldwide to identify and mitigate work friction, fostering improved outcomes for employees and companies alike.
In this episode, Dart and Christophe discuss:
- How Christophe’s career led him to co-found FOUNT
- The types of work friction and their company impact
- The difference between work friction and organizational friction
- Who is responsible for the sites of friction
- The data-driven model behind FOUNT
- Using first-person experiences to solve large-scale business problems
- And other topics...
Christophe Martel is the co-founder and CEO of FOUNT Global, Inc., a SaaS company that helps global organizations reduce work friction and improve employee experiences. With over three decades of experience as a business leader, Christophe has spent his career exploring the employee experience across four continents. Through FOUNT, he helps companies identify the root causes of employee dissatisfaction and prioritize solutions within company environments.
Prior to founding FOUNT, Christophe was president and co-founder of TI People, a company dedicated to human-centered design backed by data-driven methodologies. He is also the former chief HR Officer of CEB, a global research and advisory company acquired by Gartner in 2017. Currently, Christophe serves as a Board Member for Executive Networks, where he continues to share his expertise in organizational leadership and development.
Resources mentioned:
www.getfount.com
Connect with Christophe:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cxpmartel/

Work with Dart:
Dart is the CEO and co-founder of the work design firm 11fold. Build work that makes employees feel alive, connected to their work, and focused on what’s most important to the business. Book a call at 11fold.com.

Previous Episode

Beyond Workism: Rekindling Joy in a Work-Dominated World | Alice Katter

When Alice Katter moved from Europe to the U.S., she was startled by the prevalent 9-to-5 culture dominating her colleagues' lives. Witnessing many Americans trapped in this work-centric routine until retirement, Alice sought an alternative. Exploring the different approaches to work, she set out on a mission to help others discover connection, inspiration, and regenerative practices in the workplace.
Alice Katter is a Work Culture & Community Designer and Consultant and the founder of Out of Office Network, a pioneering research and design lab and hub. With over a decade of expertise in operations, programs, and strategy, Alice has collaborated with renowned organizations such as Dropbox Design, Red Bull, NOBL, and Creative Mornings.
In this episode, Dart and Alice discuss:
- The alternatives to a U.S. work-dominated culture
- Alice’s exploration of 6 rhythms of work
- How to create a regenerative work and lifestyle
- Insights from mushrooms on problem-solving
- Tools for human connectedness in remote corporations
- Fostering play in the workplace
- Defining joy in and outside of work
- And other topics...
Alice Katter is a Work Culture & Community Designer and Consultant on a mission to craft a future where creativity, joy, and well-being are at the heart of workplaces and everyday life. With over a decade of expertise in operations, programs, and strategy, Alice has collaborated with renowned organizations such as Dropbox Design, Red Bull, NOBL, and Creative Mornings.
As the founder of Out of Office Network, a pioneering research and design lab and hub, Alice is at the forefront of reimagining the way we work in a modern world. Leveraging her background in psychology, Alice enhanced her skill set through the Executive Program in Social Innovation Design, Design Thinking, and Life-Design at the University of Pennsylvania. Her impact spans across organizations from New York to London.
Resources mentioned:
Reimagining the Nature of Work booklet, by Alice Katter: https://www.getoutofoffice.network/shop/p/reimagining-the-nature-of-work
“Making Work More Than Just Agendas,” by Alice Katter: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/making-work-more-than-just-schedules-strategies-amplify-alice-katter%3FtrackingId=
Flourishing In and Out of Office interview with Alice Katter: https://zeusjones.com/athena/articles/flourishing-in-and-out-of-office
Corporate Tarot Connection Cards: https://dropbox.design/resource/corporate-tarot-connection-cards
Spirit of Joy Planner: https://dropbox.design/resource/spirit-of-joy-planner
Connect with Alice:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alicekatter
Out of Office newsletter: https://www.getoutofoffice.network/

Next Episode

Designing for Emergence: How Complex Systems Emerge From Simple Rules | Sharon Wohl

Work and urban design are continuously evolving, but there’s something to be learned from one of the oldest multi-sided businesses in history – the Grand Bazaar. This intricate market has somehow managed to sustain itself for over 500 years without a single leader at the helm. Dr. Sharon Wohl has spent countless hours analyzing the design of the Grand Bazaar, revealing how such bottom-up hierarchies can produce quality products and processes consistently for hundreds of years.
Dr. Sharon Wohl is a distinguished scholar specializing in complex adaptive systems within urban design. She is the current Associate Dean for the College of Architecture and Environmental Design at Kent State University.
In this episode, Dart and Sharon discuss:
- The emergence and sustainability of the Grand Bazaar
- Complex adaptive systems (CASTs) in decentralized settings
- Whether or not we need an overarching governance at work
- How simple rules can lead to complex results
- An analysis of bottom-up strategies for system design and urbanism
- The less visible flows within a business
- The way designers can enable thriving systems
- And other topics...
Dr. Sharon Wohl is a distinguished scholar specializing in complex adaptive systems within urban design. With a Ph.D. in Spatial Planning and Strategy from Delft Technical University, Sharon has taught at University of Manitoba and held a tenured position at Iowa State University. She is the current Associate Dean for the College of Architecture and Environmental Design at Kent State University. Prior to completing her doctorate, she practiced with the award-winning Canadian Architectural firm, 5468796 Architecture.
Wohl’s research examines how principles of complex adaptive systems can be operationalized within the built environment. Her expertise in complexity has been recognized through a research fellowship with the Institute for Advanced Studies in Amsterdam, invitations for speaking/guest lecture events, and her academic appointment as an FRK Faculty Fellow at ISU. Her research has been published in a variety of journals, including Planning Theory, Progress in Human Geography, and Space and Culture.
Resources mentioned:
“The Grand Bazaar in Istanbul,” by Sharon Wohl: https://dr.lib.iastate.edu/server/api/core/bitstreams/f478ee3b-4098-4630-996b-024d6eefca01/content
How Buildings Learn, by Stewart Brand: https://www.amazon.com/How-Buildings-Learn-Happens-Theyre/dp/0140139966
Connect with Sharon:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sharon-wohl-4168177
Google Scholar: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=mGa84LoAAAAJ&hl=en&oi=ao