Keynote by Matt Johnson | Work Songs: Creating Narrative and Rhythm for the Workplace

The most powerful human inventions are stories and songs. They’re the the things that propelled us from mid-level primates to the rulers of the world. Stories and song inspire. They teach. They mobilize. And they make us who we are. So, it’s no accident that the greatest organizations and teams were all powered by them.

But in an increasingly data-driven world where we face more communication and decisions at work than ever before, it’s getting hard to find a narrative and rhythm that ties it all together.

Drawing its title from Matt’s new book, Work Songs looks at the history of song in the workplace – that rhythm of work that kept productivity and cohesion rolling. He discusses what has been lost through the digitization of the workplace and what leaders can do to use narrative and rhythm to bring that pulse and story back in these dispersed, remote times.