Aaron Dignan

Everywhere he looks, Aaron Dignan sees the same phenomenon. Our most trusted and important institutions—in business, healthcare, government, philanthropy, and beyond – are struggling. They’re confronted with the fact that the scale and bureaucracy that once made them strong are now liabilities in an era of constant change. For over a decade, he has studied organizations and teams adopting new ways of working that prioritize adaptivity and autonomy over efficiency and control. Dignan contends that teams everywhere need to join them in the future of work, emphasizing his expertise in agile leadership and organizational transformation through actionable strategies for lasting success.

As the founder of The Ready—a global organizational transformation and coaching practice—Dignan helps companies, both large and small, adopt new forms of self-organization and dynamic teaming. Clients include Johnson & Johnson, Charles Schwab, Kaplan, Microsoft, Lloyds Bank, Citibank, Rabobank, Boeing, Macy’s, Mailchimp, Airbnb, Sweetgreen, Dropbox, Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian Design Museum, New York Public Radio, and charity: water. He is also a founding partner of the digital strategy firm Undercurrent, where he worked with major clients like GE, PepsiCo, JWT/Ford Motor Company, Virgin, and Disney. The firm's innovative approach to digital strategy and organizational development was recognized when their project with JWT/Team Detroit and Ford, known as the Fiesta Movement, was awarded a Gold Effie.

Aaron Dignan is also the founder of Murmur—a SaaS startup that helps teams improve through the magic of working agreements—building a platform that will allow every team on the planet to define and share their ways of working. In addition to his roles at The Ready and Undercurrent, he co-hosts the "Brave New Work" podcast and actively engages as an angel investor, helping to build partnerships between startups and established companies. His advisory roles have included positions with GE, American Express, and PepsiCo. He has delivered keynotes at prestigious venues such as the TED Conference and Digital Hollywood, discussing topics like "Digital as a Force for Cultural Change" and "Solving Problems With a Digital Worldview." He is the author of "Game Frame" (Free Press, 2011) and "Brave New Work" (Portfolio, 2019).