Discover how Dynamic Work Design is transforming cancer research at the Broad Institute, dramatically accelerating progress toward cures.
Learn MoreFew words strike more fear than "cancer." Despite decades of research and vast sums of funding, cancer remains a leading cause of death worldwide. Research labs work tirelessly to unlock its mysteries, but what if one of the biggest obstacles wasn't the science itself, but how the work was organized?
Researchers worked nights and weekends, yet the workflow remained erratic and costs were too high. There were even whispers that the lab's work should be outsourced since they couldn't keep up with demand 5 .
The breakthrough came from an unexpected source: not a new microscope or advanced technology, but an innovative approach to organizing work called Dynamic Work Design. This method, typically applied to manufacturing, would transform the institute's operations and dramatically accelerate their path to discoveries 1 .
Dynamic Work Design is a set of principles and an approach for configuring productive human activity. It emerged as a way to improve intellectual work – strategy, innovation, management, and technical functions – where work is "invisible" and complex 6 .
Unlike traditional static approaches that create rigid hierarchies and processes, Dynamic Work Design creates organizational systems that constantly learn and adapt. The framework helps make invisible work visible so it can be structured and improved 2 .
Ensure that daily activities directly support overarching goals and targets 2 .
Establish clear systems for identifying problems and responding to them 2 .
Create consistent approaches for addressing obstacles and generating innovations 2 .
Set targets that are challenging enough to spur improvement without causing burnout 2 .
These principles help organizations navigate between two essential modes of work: "Factory" work (serial, repeatable tasks) and "Studio" work (collaboration and innovation). Effective organizations dynamically move between these modes as needed 2 .
When Sheila Dodge was promoted to oversee the genomic sequence operation at the Broad Institute, she inherited a critical mission: producing genetic data to help understand diseases like cancer and schizophrenia.
The lab was responsible for extracting DNA data from tens of thousands of samples while simultaneously staying on the leading edge of one of the world's fastest-changing technologies 5 .
They created visual management systems to show the status and location of each piece of work, pulling it out of invisible email inboxes and into shared view.
They ensured everyone understood why they were doing their work, how it was going, and how they could improve the process.
They established better information transfer from one person to the next.
They limited new tasks entering the system to available capacity, preventing overload.
Perhaps most importantly, they shifted from a "push" method (adding work to piles regardless of capacity) to a "pull" method (only taking new work when there was capacity). This prevented the constant triaging and expediting that had characterized their previous approach 8 .
The implementation of Dynamic Work Design produced dramatic improvements at the Broad Institute, transforming their operations from overwhelmed to industry-leading.
| Metric | Improvement | Impact on Research |
|---|---|---|
| Turnaround Time | Improved by over 80% 5 | Faster results for disease researchers |
| Capacity | Quadrupled (4x increase) 5 | Ability to process many more samples |
| Technology Development Pace | Improved over three-fold 5 | Faster innovation in sequencing methods |
| Cost of Sequencing | Dramatically reduced 1 | More experiments possible within budget |
Improvement in Turnaround Time
Increase in Capacity
Faster Technology Development
These operational improvements had profound scientific implications. The gains in both cost and cycle time enabled researchers focused on cancer and other diseases to run more experiments and get results back sooner, significantly accelerating progress toward better therapies and potential cures 1 .
The transformation was so profound that when COVID-19 hit, the same team was able to quickly adapt, transforming "in the space of just a few months into one of the most efficient testing labs in the country" 5 .
| Aspect | Traditional Approach | Dynamic Work Design Approach |
|---|---|---|
| Work Organization | Static, rigid hierarchy | Flexible, adapts to work needs |
| Problem Response | Workarounds and shortcuts | Structured problem-solving |
| Work Visibility | Hidden in inboxes, emails | Visual management systems |
| Workflow | Push (add to pile) | Pull (limit by capacity) |
| Pace | Firefighting, expediting | Smooth flow, fewer interruptions |
Implementing Dynamic Work Design doesn't require expensive technology, but rather fundamental shifts in how work is organized and managed.
| Element | Function | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Visual Management | Makes invisible work visible to entire team | Post-it notes on work board, digital task boards |
| Andon Cord/Triggers | Signals problems immediately | Button to request help, visual alert systems |
| Factory Mode | Efficiently handles repetitive, standardized tasks | Processing samples, data entry |
| Studio Mode | Enables collaboration for complex problems | Team huddles, technical review meetings |
| Cadence | Matches management rhythm to work pace | Regular check-ins, escalation protocols |
Visual management sits at the heart of this approach. As MIT Sloan's Donald Kieffer explains, "Giving invisible work this physical manifestation makes it much easier to construct a dynamic design, and monitor the progress of work as it moves through the organization from idea to physical or intellectual product" 2 .
The power of these tools lies not in the tools themselves but in the conversations they enable. As one expert noted, "The magic of visual management is not the Post-its or the digital cards. It's the conversation that you and your team have in front of the board about why the work is moving and not moving" 8 .
The success at the Broad Institute demonstrates that Dynamic Work Design principles can transform even the most complex knowledge work. The approach has proven effective across diverse industries and functions – "from research laboratories sequencing the human genome to corporations drilling for natural gas and retailers looking to manage storefronts across broad geographies" 6 .
This case also resolves a long-standing tension in organizational theory: the presumed trade-off between efficiency and flexibility. Traditional thinking suggested organizations had to choose between mechanistic designs (efficient but rigid) for routine work and organic designs (flexible but inefficient) for innovative work 9 .
Dynamic Work Design transcends this false dichotomy by creating organizations that can fluidly move between "Factory" and "Studio" modes as circumstances require 9 . Much like modern traffic apps that dynamically adjust routes based on real-time conditions, organizations using Dynamic Work Design can respond nimbly to changing conditions without sacrificing efficiency 8 .
The story at the Broad Institute offers hope far beyond genomic sequencing. It demonstrates that by thoughtfully designing how we work, we can unlock tremendous untapped potential in our organizations and accelerate progress on society's most pressing challenges.
For cancer patients and their families awaiting breakthroughs, for researchers burning out in overwhelmed labs, and for scientists everywhere frustrated by bureaucratic inertia, Dynamic Work Design offers something precious: a faster path to cures. By removing the invisible barriers to progress, we enable our brightest minds to focus on what matters most – advancing human health and knowledge.