Anti-Fragile Companies Turn Stress Into Strength
Mon Jun 09 2025
Innovation is a word that's often used but rarely understood. But research out of the Upwork Research Institute sheds light on what innovative companies have in common.
Upwork Research Institute's Kelly Monahan joins Get Reworked to discuss her research into how innovative companies approach hiring, AI use and distributed work as a cohesive business operating model — and why that helps them deliver change under tight budget restrictions.
"The three things we all need in a job is we need autonomy, we need to feel like we're learning and mastering, and we also need to feel connected to community. And those three things I think are in really rare regard today for the ways we think about innovation. I would rather ask, well, do you have autonomy? Do you feel connected to your colleagues? Do you feel like you're contributing to something bigger than yourself than necessarily perks? Again, in a perfect world, you'd have both firing on all cylinders, but I think we overlook at the intrinsic side," said Kelly.
Highlights of the conversation include:
How workplace innovators maintain culture across a blended organization. Why Kelly doesn't see innovation and efficiency as being at odds. How self-determination theory applies to workplace motivation and satisfaction.
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Innovation is a word that's often used but rarely understood. But research out of the Upwork Research Institute sheds light on what innovative companies have in common. Upwork Research Institute's Kelly Monahan joins Get Reworked to discuss her research into how innovative companies approach hiring, AI use and distributed work as a cohesive business operating model — and why that helps them deliver change under tight budget restrictions. "The three things we all need in a job is we need autonomy, we need to feel like we're learning and mastering, and we also need to feel connected to community. And those three things I think are in really rare regard today for the ways we think about innovation. I would rather ask, well, do you have autonomy? Do you feel connected to your colleagues? Do you feel like you're contributing to something bigger than yourself than necessarily perks? Again, in a perfect world, you'd have both firing on all cylinders, but I think we overlook at the intrinsic side," said Kelly. Highlights of the conversation include: How workplace innovators maintain culture across a blended organization. Why Kelly doesn't see innovation and efficiency as being at odds. How self-determination theory applies to workplace motivation and satisfaction.