{"podcast":{"title":"Workplace Stories by RedThread Research","slug":"workplace-stories-by-redthread-research-3600959","podcast_index_feed_id":3600959,"rss_url":"https://www.spreaker.com/show/4800257/episodes/feed","website_url":"http://redthreadresearch.com/podcast","image_url":"https://d3wo5wojvuv7l.cloudfront.net/t_rss_itunes_square_1400/images.spreaker.com/original/48f82915396d22a82e8e5b9b202f0df2.jpg","author":"Stacia Garr & Dani Johnson","episode_count":133,"summary":"Workplace Stories is a podcast for HR and people leaders who are tired of noise and need clarity that actually holds up. It is hosted by Stacia Garr and Dani Johnson of RedThread Research. Each episode features candid conversations with practitioners, thinkers, and executives who are navigating real decisions inside complex organizations. Not hypotheticals. Not vendor promises. Real tradeoffs, real experiments, and real lessons learned along the way. You’ll hear how leaders are making sense of skills, AI, organizational design, and culture when there’s no clear playbook and pressure to show progress is high. The focus is always the same: what’s actually working, what isn’t, and what leaders are doing next. Workplace Stories helps you make sense of complexity, build credibility with evidence, and move from ideas to action with more confidence. Want to be part of the conversation? Join our community for free and connect with others shaping the future of work. Learn more about RedThread Research here: https://redthreadresearch.com/home","last_synced_at":"2026-07-22T14:18:52.086994+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/workplace-stories-by-redthread-research-3600959"},"episode":{"title":"Inside Hearst Networks’ Culture and Profit Revolution: Lucy King & Dean Possenniskie","slug":"inside-hearst-networks-culture-and-profit-revolution-lucy-king-dean-possenniskie","published_at":"2026-06-10T05:00:03+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/workplace-stories-by-redthread-research-3600959/inside-hearst-networks-culture-and-profit-revolution-lucy-king-dean-possenniskie","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/workplace-stories-by-redthread-research-3600959","url":"https://www.spreaker.com/episode/inside-hearst-networks-culture-and-profit-revolution-lucy-king-dean-possenniskie--72417822","audio_url":"https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/api.spreaker.com/download/episode/72417822/ws_129.mp3","summary":"Organizational change is now a constant rather than a phase. Few stories illustrate this better than Hearst Networks’ journey, as shared by Dean Possenniskie, CEO, and Lucy King, Chief People Officer, on this episode of Workplace Stories. Moving from a legacy cable business into a diversified, higher-margin media powerhouse, Hearst proves that reinvention is possible not just for startups but for well-established companies with deep roots and long histories. Hearst, an organization with a legacy and heritage, and a willingness to continually reinvent itself, has adopted the “phoenix” metaphor to frame its transformation. They’ve made hard choices, like closing brands, exiting joint ventures, and even shutting offices, before expanding into new partnerships with giants like Sky, Amazon, Apple, and YouTube. You will want to hear this episode if you are interested in... [07:59] Working in HR during transformations [12:36] Transitioning to full Hearst ownership [18:29] Crafting a purpose statement [21:12] Why it pays to implement a coaching mindset [25:30] Investing in learning and development [32:11] Defining company values and culture [37:08] Improving profitability and growth focus [39:16] Valuing autonomy and trust at Hearst [44:15] Encouraging innovation company-wide [47:14] Balancing governance with creative autonomy Culture at the Core Culture is often seen as a soft layer, a set of values on a wall, or the flavor of the latest offsite. Dean Possenniskie and Lucy King see it differently: culture had to be the engine of transformation, integral to performance and strategy. One of Dean’s earliest moves was to reposition the people and culture function away from finance, placing it directly alongside the CEO—a signal of culture’s importance as a business driver. The re…","meta_description":"Organizational change is now a constant rather than a phase. Few stories illustrate this better than Hearst Networks’ journey, as shared by Dean Possennis…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":3141,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/workplace-stories-by-redthread-research-3600959/episodes/inside-hearst-networks-culture-and-profit-revolution-lucy-king-dean-possenniskie/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/workplace-stories-by-redthread-research-3600959/inside-hearst-networks-culture-and-profit-revolution-lucy-king-dean-possenniskie.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}