Join us for our series of events “Making Work Worth Doing” in 2026.
This is relevant for anyone interested in learning about meaningful work, flexibility and autonomy.
The events will take place on the 4th Thursday of each month starting in March.
We hope to see you there.
What:
- Each event in the series will feature a specific topic and a dedicated facilitator;
- At 10 to 11:30 AM Pacific Time; 1 to 2:30 PM Eastern Time;
- Upcoming event dates are:
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- Thursday, 23rd Apr 2026 – led by Trond Hjorteland — ‘’Real World Examples: Designing Workshops Using Open Systems Theory.‘’
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- Thursday, 28th May 2026 – led by Dr. Ann-Louise Howard —‘’Designing for Gender Equity: The Case of Women in Engineering‘’.
UPCOMING SESSION
Real World Examples: Designing Workshops Using Open Systems Theory
Thursday, 23 April 2026
In this session, Trond Hjorteland — an IT system developer and architect — shares his journey of discovering Socio-Technical Systems (STS) and Open Systems Theory, and how these powerful frameworks shaped the way he approaches his work in practice.
Key takeaways:
- Open Systems Theory as a practical tool — learn how a conceptual framework rooted in social science can be directly applied in day-to-day IT architecture work.e directly applied in day-to-day IT architecture work
- A natural fit with agile — discover how Open Systems Theory aligns with and enhances agile software development
- Digitalisation demands getting agile right —understand why getting agile right is critical for digitalisation, and how Open Systems Theory offers a research-backed path to get there.
- People at the centre of design —explore why jointly optimising the social and technical aspects of an organisation leads to more sustainable IT solutions.
- Participative design leads to better outcomes — see how involving people in the design of their own work creates more committed, adaptive, and resilient teams.
- Self-organisation needs a foundation — understand that true self-managing teams don’t emerge by accident; they require intentional organisational structures and a shared understanding of what self-organisation actually means.
Most companies have to embrace digitalisation in one form or another, and getting agile right is critical in that regard and one way to get there is by using Open Systems Theory.
Come join us to learn more.
Workshop Presenters & Facilitators
Trond Hjorteland is an IT architect and open sociotechnical systems practitioner with extensive experience working with large, complex, and business-critical systems in industries such as telecom, media, TV, and the public sector. His main interests are service-orientation, domain-driven design, event-driven architectures, and open sociotechnical systems. His mantra: Great solutions emerge from collaborative sense-making and design.
Ann-Louise Howard, PhD, is a change practitioner and researcher whose work bridges engineering, organizational learning, and gender equity. With 15 years of engineering experience and advanced training in Human Systems Intervention, she completed a multidisciplinary PhD examining the lived experiences of women in engineering and the systemic barriers that shape their careers. Ann-Louise founded Her Work in Engineering and now partners with organizations to illuminate hidden workplace dynamics, deepen collective understanding, and create meaningful pathways toward equity and inclusion in the engineering profession.
Sign up for the sessions below.
