Human-Centered Innovation & Resilience | DisrupTV Ep.114

Guests:

  • Navi Radjou — Innovation & leadership thinker (Thinkers50), speaker, and author. Known for advocating frugal innovation, inclusive growth, and leading change that blends human purpose with business resilience. 
  • Jeanne Bliss — Founder & CEO of Customer Bliss, author, and pioneer in the field of Customer Experience (CX). Her work centers on how companies can build customer loyalty, trust, and culture from the inside out. 
  • Dr. Janice Presser — Founder & CTO of Teamability.com; an expert in team dynamics, human potential, and measuring/interpreting human traits to improve collaboration and performance.

Hosted by R “Ray” Wang and Vala Afshar, DisrupTV Ep. 114 brings together insights from innovation, CX, and organizational behavior to explore what makes teams, leaders, and companies thrive in changing times.

Major Themes & Insights

Human-Centered Innovation & Frugality
Navi Radjou discusses how innovation need not be expensive or resource-heavy. Frugality is not scarcity; it’s about optimizing resources, being creative with constraints, and focusing on impact. Innovation driven by human needs and context yields resilient, sustainable solutions.

Leading with Empathy & Trust in Customer Experience
Jeanne Bliss emphasizes the importance of empathy, transparency, and designing experiences that earn customer trust. Culture starts internally — the way employees are treated and led ripples outward to customers. Listening, empowering front-line teams, and being responsive to feedback are essential.

Team Dynamics & Human Metrics
Dr. Janice Presser brings in the idea that teams are made up of individuals with varied traits and potential. Understanding human elements—what she calls human metrics—enables better collaboration, reduces burnout, improves alignment, and makes for more adaptive, resilient organizations.

Resilience Through Purpose & Culture
Across the discussion is the idea that purpose, culture, and human-centric leadership are not optional extras; they are central to how organizations withstand disruption, change, and rapid external pressures.

Bridging Innovation & Organizational Psychology
The intersection of innovation (Radjou), experience & trust (Bliss), and team psychology (Presser) shows that to transform effectively, organizations need both strategic change and deep human insight. Tools, strategy, and customer-centric systems must be paired with culture, mindset, and empathy.

Final Thoughts & Implications for Leaders

  • Prioritize human metrics: Measuring performance is necessary, but measuring empathy, collaboration, psychological safety, and well-being can unlock deeper performance and resilience.
  • Embed empathy in leadership and CX: Customer trust and loyalty come when organizations treat people—employees & customers—with empathy, listen to feedback, and act on it.
  • Use constraints as creative fuel: Frugality or limited resources aren’t just obstacles; when approached well, they force clarity of purpose and creative problem solving.
  • Culture and purpose are strategic levers: They are not fluff; they are critical assets in innovation, resilience through disruption, and employee retention.
  • Bridging disciplines yields strength: Innovation leaders, CX experts, and organizational psychologists need to collaborate. Strategy, system design, and people practices must align.

Related Episodes

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Business Research Themes

Future of Work, Next-Generation Customer Experience

Roles

Chief Customer Officer, Chief Executive Officer, Chief People Officer