Collaborative Innovation in Action: Initiatives Shaping the Future of People at Work

The Future of People at Work (FPW) movement has always been about more than just hosting events—it's about catalyzing real change through collaborative action. As we approach the June 2025 Symposium at O.C. Tanner in Salt Lake City, nine initiatives born from previous gatherings at MIT and Detroit stand ready to demonstrate how ideas can transform into impact when improvement-minded professionals work together.

Initiative Collaboration: BETTER TOGETHER!

These initiatives represent the heart of FPW's mission: bringing together diverse improvement methodologies and perspectives to solve real workplace challenges. Each started as a conversation, evolved through monthly community meetings, and now seeks fresh perspectives and renewed energy from symposium participants.

Bridging Divides, Building Connections

Several initiatives focus on breaking down traditional barriers. The Adjacent Communities initiative recognizes that lean thinking needs harmonization with other improvement methodologies. Rather than perpetuating "Lean vs. Agile" debates, this initiative maps relationships with allied communities, identifying opportunities for collaboration that can expand improvement's reach beyond traditional boundaries and accelerate the work of all improvement communities.

Similarly, the Ways of Working initiative tackles the siloed nature of improvement methodologies. They're pioneering a paradigm shift from "process and people" to "people and process," making continuous improvement more culturally resonant and human-centered. Their work addresses a critical challenge: how do we create systems that enable employees to find "pride and joy" in their work while maintaining business viability?

Reaching New Audiences

The Non-Lean CEO initiative addresses a persistent challenge: senior leaders who remain unaware of lean's potential or delegate it without truly engaging. Through executive workshops and hands-on hospital experiences at Duke University Health, this initiative demonstrates that sustainable transformation requires leadership understanding and commitment.

The Marketing and Branding initiative confronts an uncomfortable truth: continuous improvement is not achieving its full potential in many sectors. With conference attendance declining and CI departments being eliminated, this initiative proposes data-driven research through University of Michigan's Ross School to understand what organizations actually need—moving beyond 1990s-era messaging to connect with modern executives.

Next Generation Engagement

Two initiatives specifically address generational and inclusivity challenges. Next Gen Lean focuses on access and inclusion within the improvement community. They're exploring how to create welcoming entry points, use inclusive language, and build co-learning relationships that honor diverse perspectives and expertise.

The Academic Teaching - L.E.A.N. initiative bridges the gap between academic theory and practical application. By connecting with global research communities and developing faculty training modules, they're working to ensure future leaders graduate with an improvement mindset from day one.

Practical Tools and Resources

Several initiatives focus on creating tangible resources for the community. Go See Tours addresses a simple but persistent problem: organizations struggle to find companies offering hands-on, in-person learning experiences. Their database of U.S. organizations offering tours provides a practical solution for those seeking firsthand improvement experiences.

The Lean Statements and Paradoxes initiative tackles lean's communication challenge head-on. Moving beyond confusing Japanese terminology and manufacturing stereotypes, they've developed clear definitions and identified twelve paradoxes that help people understand how opposing objectives can be achieved simultaneously—making lean more accessible and relevant.

Finally, the Lean HE Admin initiative applies improvement thinking to higher education's administrative challenges. By streamlining processes from admissions to HR, they're demonstrating how lean principles can free up resources for education's core mission while improving experiences for students and staff.

Your Voice Matters

Through the FPW framework, each initiative informs and strengthens the others—creating a network effect where progress in one area benefits all. For example, the Lean Statements initiative creates clear messaging that the Marketing & Branding initiative can share, while the Go See Tours database serves participants across all initiatives seeking real-world examples.

These nine initiatives represent hundreds of hours of volunteer effort and the collective wisdom of the FPW community. At the symposium, each will be showcased through visual posters featuring "What, So What, Now What" frameworks—inviting your feedback on possible paths forward: scale and expand, pivot direction, merge with others, sunset and document learnings, or re-energize with new team members.

The future of these initiatives—and the broader movement to improve how people work—depends on continued collaboration. Whether you're experiencing workplace challenges these initiatives address or have insights to share, your perspective is valuable.

Acknowledgments

Special recognition goes to the initiative leaders who have stewarded these efforts: @Jamie Bonini @Bruce Hamilton @Ken Snyder @Vickie Pisowicz @Josh Howell @Rachel Reuter @Susanna Watson @Angela Wolfram @Dana Miller @Christan Greer @Beau Keyte @David Ostreicher @Helen Zak @Rich Sheridan @Fabrice Bernhard @Sally Gatlin @Bill Balzer

Because at FPW, we know we're better together.

Get Involved with FPW:

🔗 Join us at the FPW Symposium, June 26-27, 2025, at OC Tanner's facility in Salt Lake City: Register at fpwork.org

👥 Follow the FPW LinkedIn page for updates and insights: linkedin.com/company/future-people-work

📅 Join our monthly FPW conversations (second Friday of each month): Register here

📧 Contact us to learn more about specific initiatives: eric.o@fpwork.org or rachel.r2@fpwork.org

🌐 Explore FPW events from our partner organizations: fpwork.org/fpw-events

This post represents the collective efforts of the Future of People at Work community, a collaboration of seven leading improvement organizations working to solve real workplace challenges through shared learning and action.