In my work helping companies on their New Work journey I’ve noticed something: there’s a pattern behind the most fulfilling workplaces—and it’s not about free snacks or unlimited vacation.
It’s about designing work in a way that makes people want to show up and contribute. Today, I want to share with you what I consider the nine key practices to turn New Work from a buzzword into reality.
The nine practices are a journey. Skip one, and you most likely won't reach your destination.
Let’s take a quick tour:
- Decision-Making → Co-create, don’t dictate. Involve people in decisions that shape their work. It creates commitment—and you won’t need to micro-manage.
- Transparency → Build trust through transparency. Share relevant info proactively, so smart decisions happen everywhere, not just at the top.
- Leadership → Gain authority through integrity, not by title. True leadership inspires voluntary followership and enables autonomy.
- Goal Alignment → Give people a “why.” Clear, meaningful goals provide direction and let autonomous teams pull together and self-align.
- Org Structure → Design for ownership. Let teams own topics from start to finish. Structure teams around customers and purpose, not hierarchy.
- Conflict Resolution → Use tension as fuel. Face conflict directly. It’s raw material for innovation and growth.
- Feedback → Give honest, growth-oriented feedback. Feedback should challenge and support—without getting hijacked by salary negotiations.
- Individual Growth → Help people become more themselves. Support development based on individual strengths and intrinsic motivation.
- Relationships → Make work human. Foster spaces where people can connect, be real, and belong.
🧩 Why Nine?
You might wonder: Why exactly these nine? Why not eight—or ten?
Because these nine form a system. They enable and reinforce each other. Take one out, and intrinsic motivation takes a hit. The structure wobbles. The magic fades.
Example:
Imagine a company that nails transparency but avoids conflict. People know what’s going on—but they don’t feel safe to challenge or disagree. So they disengage. Quietly. No tension = no traction.
Find a list of all interdependencies here.
🧪 A simple experiment
At your next retrospective, try this:
- Rate it – Everyone scores how they feel the team is doing on each of the nine practices (1–10).
- Map it – Put all the scores on visible scales—use sticky notes on a wall (or an online board if remote).
- Discuss it – Where are the biggest gaps? Which areas feel strong, and which need love?
- Focus it – Pick one practice to improve in the next iteration. Prioritize based on spread or lowest average.
- Act on it – Define clear action items, assign ownership, and revisit in your next retro.
This turns fuzzy culture talk into something visible, trackable, and team-owned.
🤓 Fun fact
In a study of 192 teams, researchers found that team success wasn’t about having the smartest individuals—it was about how teams worked together.
The top predictors?
→ High emotional sensitivity,
→ Equal turn-taking in conversations,
→ And… a higher proportion of women (likely due to stronger social sensitivity).
Turns out, emotional intelligence might matter more than IQ when it comes to collective performance.
🤔 What if...
...organizations had a dashboard showing live metrics of these key practices? Imagine a “culture cockpit” you could steer in real time. The people team would be half air traffic control, half coach.
If you want to receive visualized concepts like this with simple experiments in your inbox when they come out on Monday mornings, sign up at visuals.newworkbydesign.com
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