44. Forget ROI: The Ethical Case for Org Design
From At Work with The Ready by Rodney Evans and Sam Spurlin
February 23, 2026 · 52 min · Season 9 · Episode 8
About this episode
Rodney and Sam explore the ethical implications of organizational design beyond just financial metrics.
Most org design conversations get forced through a narrow funnel: prove the ROI, justify the spend, make the numbers work. But if work is something most people can’t opt out of—and where we spend a huge chunk of our attention and waking lives—then “it pays off” feels like a painfully small standard. This week, Rodney and Sam explore the ethical case for organizational design. They move beyond spreadsheets and profit metrics to ask bigger questions about leadership, power, transparency, compensation, and the human impact of broken systems. What do organizations owe the people who work inside them? Is better workplace design a moral responsibility — not just a financial strategy? -------------------------------- Ready to change your organization? Let's talk. Get our newsletter: Sign up here. Follow us: LinkedIn Instagram -------------------------------- Mentioned references: r/antiwork Mihaly Csikzentmihalyi and Flow Target CEO comp package (note: New CEO’s comp package is roughly $16m, vs over $70m for the prior CEO in 2020) triple bottom line John…
People in this episode
Hosts: Rodney Evans, Sam Spurlin
Topics covered
- organizational design
- ethics in business
- leadership
- workplace culture
- human impact
- compensation
Keywords
- ROI
- organizational design
- ethics
- leadership
- workplace
- transparency
- compensation
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Target
Books & works: A Theory of Justice
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