Episode 14
Season 4: Hierarchy at Work? Flattened
Vanya Boardman is Co-Founder of PlayInnové and co-author of The Innovation Imperative. This recorded conversation was one of several conversations Vanya and I have had diving into what play is and isn’t, what complicates doing work in the play space, and the successes of doing play in the work space. One of the ideas she shares that I find so fascinating, is that play can be disruptive - not because it takes away from work, but because it flattens work hierarchies, opening up more honest conversations and more generative ideas. That’s powerful play!
Guest: Vanya Boardman
Vanya Boardman has spent over two decades reshaping how organizations think about culture, leadership, and innovation from the inside out. With deep operational leadership experience across Financial Services, Telecommunications, Health Tech, and Commercial Real Estate, she has sat at the intersection of people and performance long enough to know where friction lives and how to eliminate it. Vanya doesn't just consult on culture; she has built it, scaled it, and sustained it across some of the most complex organizational environments in business today.
As Co-Founder of PlayInnové and co-author of The Innovation Imperative: How Extraordinary Leaders Sustain the Spark, Vanya brings a rare combination of strategic rigor and creative methodology to every stage she steps on. A certified LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® facilitator, FourSight® practitioner, and holder of an M.S. in Management and Leadership from Pepperdine University, she equips leaders with the tools to stop managing change and start leading transformation. When Vanya speaks, HR professionals don't just take notes; they rethink what's possible.
