It’s time to design work that FLOWs

In our journey working with incredible teams to achieve incredible things, we’ve noticed something that we now have words to explain. A deceivingly simple concept.. FLOW.

I know what you’re wondering.. what the fluff are you talking about?

Let’s break this thing down a little more.

Similar to the psychological concept of flow, where the mind gets into a rhythm of doing all the things that need doing, work that has flow allows for incredible things to happen without unnecessary hurdles.

To be clear, flow is not a state of ease, low complexity, or downtime. Just like with rivers, where fast moving water in one river could result in choppy conditions, sending boats every which way, but in another river, that same fast water could be moving smoothly unobstructed with no boats overturned. It’s not the water, it’s the river! Designing for high-performance, superb impact, and deep engagement, is about designing work that allows for flow. No unnecessary rocks, dips, or obstacles, just enough resistance to allow for the right checks and balances before the water moves along down the river to its destination.

Now let’s get out of the river and into the workplace, shall we!

In the workplace, we’re seeing flow as all the pieces that together are everyone’s responsibility and yet no one’s. It’s all the “fluffy” things that find their way onto an ambitious 1-year roadmap but often get pushed aside to make room for the more urgent matters of the day. Yet, these are the very things that when left incomplete or untouched, erode trust, create inefficiencies, and limit the potential of people, teams, and organizations. Take a quick scan on Glassdoor and notice the patterns in what makes a company a fave or a flop. Themes in comments generally refer to the feeling of working at a given company - the quality and fulfillment of the work, the culture, environment, opportunities for growth and connection. In our work with organizations, we often find that the quality of plans is rarely an issue, it’s how the plans are implemented. This is where flow takes over.

The FLOW framework

Yes, like true strategists, we come bearing a framework for you. Let’s unpack what FLOW means in more practical terms.

Fulfillment is about more than just the “I love my job” feeling. It’s when the work that teams and individuals are engaged in is truly mutually beneficial. The work offers challenges that are rewarding to solve for the person and are challenges are ones the organization needs solved.

Learning & Growth comes from stretching in ways that help people and teams grow in the direction that aligns with their goals and strengths while deepening their value to the organization.

Ownership & Accountability come from mattering. It matters when work is done on time, of good quality, not just because of a line in the job description, but because late, incomplete, or low quality work truly has a consequence. The work matters.

Wellbeing & Connection is about work contributing rather than taking away well-being, and offers connection not only to other people, but a purpose bigger than oneself.

Making FLOW Happen

Making FLOW happen, you say? Okay, are you also getting a flashback to Mean Girls (making fetch happen")? Just like in the movie Mean Girls, fetch is cool, flow is also awesome and yes, we’re here to make it happen!

Flow happens at the intersections, where employee experience meets organizational structure. It’s where “what” happens is secondary to “how”. How initiatives are communicated and the style of language used. What about the initiatives themselves, are they accessible to everyone, do they truly address the needs? How about the sequence of events and communications leading up to a big change. This is the space where details matter and flow happens when expectations remain high, and the river allows for it!

Flow is not that shiny, doesn’t usually glitter, but when it’s there, it’s like gold!