Catching the Next Wave

The pandemic has shown us that what seemed impossible is actually quite possible after all. With our amazing guest, April K. Mills, an author and a change agent, we discuss the challenges of progressing rather than regressing with the change that started happening around us. We discuss the importance of not being held accountable for trying to change things but above all the importance of trust in...

Is behavior change possible? Sure thing, it is but under certain conditions. With Natalia Romero Herrera, an associate professor from Delft University of Technology, we discuss how necessary it is to embed behavior change in values and beliefs. We dig into the topic of self-judgement, self-experimentation and personal storytelling as one of the most crucial tools to inspire change in people.   LIN...

Year 2020 has brought an unprecedented change to the world as we knew it: change that we might have not been quite ready to embrace. In this seventh season of Catching The Next Wave podcast we decided to embark on a journey to understand what change means, what are the necessary conditions for it to happen and how it can be successfully implemented. We chose to look at it from three perspectives:...

In the age of machines business needs more romanticism. In this bonus episode we talk to Tim Leberecht, an author of “The Business Romantic” and the co-founder of the Business Romantic Society and Monika Jiang, the communications and community manager at the Society about the need for radical change in the way business is conducted today. We also discuss their unique global conference The Great Wa...

Technological development should matter and should solve real problems, shouldn’t it? In this insightful conversation with David Millen,  a Senior Manager of Design Research at IBM Watson Health and an ACM Distinguished Scientist, we dive into the topics of purposeful innovation, developing an organizational culture that is ready to take risks and the need for diverse teams with a common language....

Can you get too much attention to innovation? In this insightful conversation with Ton Kalker, the CTO at Xperi and an IEEE Fellow we dive into the aspects of predictability, risk taking and trust, and their relationship with radical innovation. We discuss the role of an innovation-focused CTO and also chat about what are the aspects worthwhile considering if you think of doing innovation that mat...

Does scientific research equal innovation? Is there at least a common denominator? In an insightful conversation with Christoph Bartneck, a professor of human-robot interaction at Canterbury University in Christchurch, New Zealand, we discuss the actual need for constant progress and whether there is anything truly new “under the sun”. We talk about robots and their interactions with humans and al...

Many organisations think they innovate, but do they really? Ralph Talmont, the photographer, writer and creator, talks about the power of imagination to change your mindset towards true meaningful and, above all, ethical innovation. We discuss the importance of taking into account the environmental costs of doing business and we talk about the differences between easy innovation and the difficult...

Innovation takes time. You can only see its effects over time, so you need to step back and see a bigger picture. How to do so? In the conversation with Jens Heitland, a former Head of Innovation at IKEA Centres and now a business innovation designer at Fjord, we investigate how to create a powerful innovation team and what its role is in your organisation (and it is not one to create more innovat...

Big breakthroughs are, in fact, a series of incremental steps. If you have one, it means that you were patient enough and humble enough to stick to your course. With Steve Thomas, an Innovation Director at JPI Media, we dive into the ways to set up your innovation machine (no matter whether you are a startup or a mature organisation). We discuss the importance of empathy not only towards the custo...

If you are not different (and sometimes even disliked) you won’t be noticed.  And it also means that most likely you don’t innovate. With Jessica Mignone, a Principal Product Designer at Intuit (and a former UX Designer at Google), we discuss innovation from the perspective of constant improvement, or, in other words, we say that: going back to the stuff we built and making it better - this is inn...

Innovation is only true innovation when it is put on the market and validated with customers. With our esteemed guest, Joe Pine, the author of (among many others) “The Experience Economy”, we investigate the innovation space for experience design. We dig into the value of long-term thinking and the importance of considering the employee experience next to staging the experiences for customers. We...

Is there a universal definition of innovation? It seems there isn’t. But there are quite a few ingredients that seem universal such as purpose, long-term vision, diverse team, rebel spirit, trust, and protection of a boss who is willing to be patient. Once again our guests expand our worldview and make us rethink the concept we thought we had figured out. And what we conclude is this. If you want...

Innovation — do we know what we talk about? Is it something business-related or perhaps it links to academia? It is about the insight or the outcome? And what does trivial mean in this context? Or maybe innovation is like love — everybody talks about it but nobody has seen it… We are setting out to discover that in Season 6. LINKS Bill Buxton’s short article about innovation.

When we started this season about magic, we had no clue where it could take us. Actually, we had little clue of what magic meant in the first place. With our guests of Season 5 we had the great pleasure to look at magic from the perspective of an artist, designer, teacher, leader, and magician. And you might be surprised how much of it can be applied to both our personal and professional lives. We...

Is there a place for “magic” today, besides the theatrical dimension and the entertainment industry? Yes, there is! In our conversation, Ferdinando Buscema—a professional "Magic Experience Designer”—takes us on the journey of wonder, kindness and luck. We explore about how magic relates to the world of business, and what modern leaders can learn from the Archetype of the Magician. IMPORTANT LINKS...

There are always more than two options. In the way we see the world. In the way we collaborate. And in the way in which we hope to impact culture. Malcolm Campbell, an executive director of R&D labs at Canon Medical Systems, talks about how spirituality and science can create magic of desired culture through the narratives that people share. IMPORTANT LINKS Malcolm's "Skirnir" web page with his LA...

Artists today  have no other way but learn to become entrepreneurs. In a conversation with Rasmus Stride and Ariel Orah we investigate the challenges artists face in order to do their art. We also dig into the topics of collaboration and praise embracing diversity as a path to become an inspirational leader. IMPORTANT LINKS Soy Division Berlin by Ariel Empathy-based Artist Collective by Ariel Day...

Secret societies, immersive experiences - where is the magic in there? Together with Anthony Rocco - an immersive experience designer and one of the faces behind the Latitude Society in San Francisco, we unpack the magic of being together as a group that agree on certain rules and believe in a certain reality that leads to creation of a magic circle where new patterns of behavior can be formed. IM...

Magic is a part of us. Pim Schachtschabel, a bespoke experience architect of magic and founder of one of the world's best escape rooms shares his perspective on how magic is the way we see the world. How Magic can be a way of thinking and perceiving what is happening around us. He shares his insights on designing storylines in escape rooms and the experiential workshops he secretly co-creates. IMP...

What propels you to do more? What brings you satisfaction in life? Joana Mao, a strategic designer and the author of the Clear Purpose Framework convinces us that a way to live a fulfilling life is to find your deeper purpose: the purpose that goes beyond your own goals and desires. Once this purpose is surfaced the magic of inner alignment will happen. IMPORTANT LINKS Fundacao Bradesco Coexiste “...

Experiences are something we remember for a long time. Much longer than we remember things. How to design for them? With Anna Pohlmeyer, the assistant professor at the Institute for Positive Design at Delft University of Technology, we talk about the challenges behind hedonistic adaptation, designing for values and virtues. And we also consider designing for inefficiency as a way to engage people...

What is magic? Professor David Bassuk from Purchase College NYC returns to our podcast to discuss whether magic is more of a mindset or rather a toolbox. He digs into the danger of magical thinking as a trap for avoiding the current problems we should be addressing. IMPORTANT LINKS “ Fantasyland: How America Went Haywire: A 500-Year History ” by Kurt Andersen “ Sleights of Mind: What the Neuroscie...

Can magic have anything to do with business and leadership? What is magic for in the first place? Why would we even discuss it? Aga and Łukasz look at the different perspectives of magic and its applicability in work and life.

So many of us dream about living a creative life. But isn’t it just fantasy? In our first ever live conversation with Rachel Uwa and Katja Wessling we investigate the joy but also the difficulties of choosing to become an independent creative. IMPORTANT LINKS School of Machines by Rachel Kaospilot experience design program by Katja and Andy (our guest from the very first season) “ Buddhism for Mot...