Being Liminal

Series 3 opens with Brian and Martin doing the thing the show is named after - sitting in the uncomfortable middle of a transition rather than analysing it from a safe distance. Brian is part-way through a staged shift from full-time consultant to full-time novelist, and describes himself as "neither and both": no longer fully one thing, not yet the other. Martin is moving deeper into independent...

Liminality is about existing in transition, where uncertainty and ambiguity dominate. Innovation, at its core, is a liminal activity —organisations step away from established norms to explore new futures. But how comfortable are businesses with this uncertainty? In this episode, Richard Walzer joins us to discuss: * Why innovation is inherently liminal —leaving the known to explore possible future...

A new format that we are trying out where one of us shares a shorter deep dive on a current topic - we are interested in your responses and thoughts on the topics in these shorter episodes and we will pick up on the topic together in our longer format sessions. In this episode of Being Liminal , I (Martin) explore the growing intersection of AI and creativity. The rise of AI-generated content is b...

Longwave Thinking – Thriving in Complex Systems Part 3 of 3 exploring three levels of disruption from Design Team to Wider Systems Introduction In the final episode of our three-part series, we move beyond organisations to the broader systems that shape them. We discuss the extended cycles of disruption impacting society and business alike. From climate change to economic upheaval, we explore how...

Navigating Transformation – Organizational Blind Spots Part 2 of 3 exploring three levels of disruption from Design Team to Wider Systems Introduction In part two of our series, we zoom out to explore transformation at the organisational level. We discuss why businesses often repeat past mistakes, how continuous improvement and transformation intertwine, and the systemic blind spots that hinder me...

Design's Woes Are a Symptom of Larger Business Challenges Part 1 of 3 exploring three levels of disruption from Design Team to Wider Sytems Introduction: In the first episode of this three-part series of Being Liminal , we begin at the team level, exploring why design often feels undervalued within organisations. We unpack how design’s challenges, from production-focused roles to mismatched values...

Joe Macleod: Endineering - Designing Ends This episode was recorded at the end of 2023 just before we took a hiatus in publishing. It is as relevant now as it was then but you may find references to current events of 2023. Our apologies but we did have some sound issues which we weren’t able to rectify - it doesn’t alter the content but you will hear a few seeming glitches in the matrix :-) Introd...

Ben Reason, one of the early pioneers of Service Design and co-founder of the boundary pushing agency Livework joins Martin and Brian for a thoughtful discussion on navigating the liminal spaces and the systemic changes that are shaping our world as we know it.  Ben's thought-leadership on designing in the Anthropocene was the stimulus for recording this conversation but it builds on the work of m...

In this episode Brian and Martin are in conversation with Bethany Jarroussié. Bethany is on the design leadership team at BP and her career as a design leader has seen her   take on distinctly non-design type activities.  It's a conversation that covers, how, if we're honest about the nature of   transformation, it can be very unpredictable, and with that comes a need to create psychological safet...

In this episode Brian and I are in conversation with Ola Gwozdz, a listener who reached out to share her perspective and we realised we just had to bring into our exploration.  Ola helps us delve into the intricacies of identity, power dynamics, and the transformative potential of liminal spaces.    She describes herself as a Data Philosopher, a concept and articulation I find fascinating – using...

Do you ever wonder how your organization can embrace change and thrive in the face of uncertainty? Join us on a journey into the world of regenerative design and leadership with our guest, Andy Thornton, the Head of Regenerative Design at the RSA - The Royal Society of Arts, Commerce, and Manufacturing. We explore design and systems thinking, discuss the importance of courage in leadership, and pe...

"The One where Brian and Martin realise they haven't been very 'liminal' in their approach to researching liminality"In response to both Listener and Guest feedback as well as some of our own reflection on what we've learnt so far from our guests  - this episode is a moment for us to reflect on our need to pivot our approach to the research and exploration that we are doing.  We said we would do t...

How do you leverage a moment of potential transformation?  How do you support fundamental change in an organisation that sees the need but doesn't know how to realise it? In our discussion with Professor Clive Grinyer, Head of Service Design at the Royal College of Art, we challenge the notion that organisations don't want to change and discuss how design can be a crucial catalyst for business tra...

What if you could transform your business while also putting ethics at the forefront? That's exactly what we tackle in our conversation with Cennydd Bowles, a designer and technologist turned ethicist, and author of Future Ethics. Cennydd sheds light on the importance of weaving ethics into the fabric of transformation and how ‘designed futures’ can help uncover potential harms. In an age whe...

What if the superpowers needed to navigate today's complex world were already within us? That's what we discovered in our fascinating conversation with Maria Giudice, co-author of "Changemakers," as we discussed the evolving nature of leadership in business transformation and the innate qualities designers possess that make them powerful agents of change. Maria shares her insights on the importanc...

What if you could elevate your design skills by incorporating systems thinking? We had the pleasure of discussing this fascinating approach with the brilliant Sheryl Cababa, author of "Closing the Loop." Sheryl shares her expertise in design, research, and strategy, providing valuable insights into her journey as a design leader. Whether you are a design, product, technology or business leader - d...

What does it take for businesses to adapt to the rapidly changing expectations on their role in society and what will it mean for how we Design, Build and Lead business of the future?  In this first full episode of Liminal Leaders Brian & I dive right into ESG as an example of a force for change in the way business interpret their purpose in Society.   We even dive back into histories of compa...

Welcome to Being Liminal -this short episode is an overview of what we're hoping to achieve with the podcast.  Because we are also researching and writing a book through this podcast - Episode Zero will set the scene and theme for the episodes that follow which will jump around between topics as we conduct our research. We'd also really appreciate your initial thoughts, ideas and questions that co...