S6 E5: Making space for the unexpected, featuring Neil Usher

Throughout his career, Chris Kane has challenged conventional thinking around workplace strategy, urging leaders in real estate and workplace management to look beyond the building itself to create value. In this episode, he shares why the most effective workplace strategies aren't rooted in real estate decisions, but in understanding the broader systems that shape value for people. Host: news.millerknoll.com/Ryan-Anderson linkedin.com/in/ryaningr/ For more About Place, visit: millerknoll.com/ideas-in-action/about-place-podcast Connect with MillerKnoll: Instagram: Instagram.com/millerknoll/ LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/millerknoll/

Throughout his decades of research and work in AI-enabled workplaces, Neil Usher has learned that the best workplaces help people maximize unexpected opportunities. In this episode, we dive into the appeal of “messy” distributed work, the value of brand expression in physical spaces, and the benefits of personalizing the speed of work in an age of AI. Host: news.millerknoll.com/Ryan-Anderson linkedin.com/in/ryaningr/ For more About Place, visit: millerknoll.com/ideas-in-action/about-place-podcast Connect with MillerKnoll: Instagram: Instagram.com/millerknoll/ LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/millerknoll/

Rebecca Sistruck, a leader at architecture and planning firm Little, helps organizations navigate transformation with confidence. In this episode, we examine the high-impact space where design, change readiness, and business objectives converge, and the role that inclusivity, social equity, and psychological safety play in the mix.   Host: news.millerknoll.com/Ryan-Anderson linkedin.com/in/ryaningr/ For more About Place, visit: millerknoll.com/ideas-in-action/about-place-podcast Connect with MillerKnoll: Instagram: instagram.com/millerknoll/ LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/millerknoll/

Workplace strategist Ben Lancaster approaches workplace design like an architect, starting with a holistic vision for the space and the human experience it should support before focusing on business objectives. In this episode, we unpack how organizations gather insights, bring the right people together, and create workplaces that draw people in rather than require them to show up. HOST Ryan Anderson news.millerknoll.com/Ryan-Anderson linkedin.com/in/ryaningr/ FOR MORE ABOUT PLACE, VISIT millerknoll.com/ideas-in-action/about-place-podcast CONNECT WITH MILLERKNOLL Instagram: instagram.com/millerknoll/ LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/millerknoll/

With IIDA’s new future forecasting team, Mark Bryan is working on a rewarding project: detecting trends, challenges, and opportunities in the factors shaping interior design and the built environment. He joins us to discuss the superpower of continuity management, holding AI accountable, the groundbreaking materials that are intelligently shaping spaces, and much more. Recommended reading and resources: Tunable stiffness/metamaterials (link) Materials that signal damage (link) AI and the emerging two-speed workforce (link) Data centers heating cities (link) The expanding role of the home (link) IIDA Futures Readiness Index (link) IIDA Certified Design Futurist (link) Host: news.millerknoll.com/Ryan-Anderson linkedin.com/in/ryaningr/ For more About Place, visit: millerknoll.com/ideas-in-action/about-place-podcast Connect with MillerKnoll: Instagram: instagram.com/millerknoll/ LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/millerknoll/

At Cloudflare, Caroline Quick, VP and Head of Global Real Estate and Workplace, is building a workplace culture that embraces change, learns from the unexpected, and strengthens connection wherever work happens. Listen in as she discusses lessons from AI-native talent, how belonging is cultivated across teams, continents, and age groups, and why culture grows strongest when people are empowered to shape the spaces where they work.    Host: news.millerknoll.com/Ryan-Anderson linkedin.com/in/ryaningr/ For more About Place, visit: millerknoll.com/ideas-in-action/about-place-podcast Connect with MillerKnoll: Instagram: Instagram.com/millerknoll/ LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/millerknoll/

Our final episode of season 5 dives into key takeaways from this season, starting with a lesson about amenity-rich workplaces, and ending with an important question: How is AI impacting human interactions at work, and how must workplace design adapt?    Host: news.millerknoll.com/Ryan-Anderson linkedin.com/in/ryaningr/   For more About Place, visit: millerknoll.com/ideas-in-action/about-place-podcast   Connect with MillerKnoll: Instagram: instagram.com/millerknoll/ LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/millerknoll/

Set within San Francisco’s historic Mills Building, Gensler’s LEED Platinum and Fitwel 3‑Star-certified workplace reflects the firm’s commitment to research-driven, human‑centered design. In this episode, Randy Howder shares insights that shaped this destination workplace, which attracts people through inclusive, culture-forward space planning rather than return-to-office mandates. Guest: https://www.linkedin.com/in/howder/ gensler.com/people/randy-howder    More info: www.gensler.com/offices/san-francisco   Host: news.millerknoll.com/Ryan-Anderson linkedin.com/in/ryaningr   For more About Place, visit: millerknoll.com/ideas-in-action/about-place-podcast   Connect with MillerKnoll: Instagram: instagram.com/millerknoll/ LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/millerknoll/

Lindsay Wilson, president of the fourth-largest architecture firm in the US, has a clear perspective on what makes spaces successful. In this episode, she explores how we experience great design, the shifting role of the office in our social networks, and the growing influence of brain health on her work at Corgan. Guest: corgan.com/firm/leadership/lindsay-wilson linkedin.com/in/lindsay-wilson-a6ba047/   Host: news.millerknoll.com/Ryan-Anderson linkedin.com/in/ryaningr/   For more About Place, visit: millerknoll.com/ideas-in-action/about-place-podcast   Connect with MillerKnoll: Instagram: instagram.com/millerknoll/ LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/millerknoll/

On their Workplace Geeks podcast, Ian Ellison and Chris Moriarty mine today’s workplace research for applicable insights. In this episode, they join us for an in-depth discussion on the impact of AI in facilities management and how it’s helping organizations uncover insights on the effectiveness of RTO strategies.   Guests: linkedin.com/in/ian-ellison/ linkedin.com/in/chris-moriarty-4029aa2/ linkedin.com/company/workplacegeeks/ linkedin.com/company/audiem/   Host: news.millerknoll.com/Ryan-Anderson   For more About Place, visit: millerknoll.com/ideas-in-action/about-place-podcast   Connect with MillerKnoll: Instagram: instagram.com/millerknoll/ LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/millerknoll/