In this episode, host Michael Marchuk welcomes technologist David Dean to the Transform Now Podcast to discuss Dean’s book, An Inbox Between Us, which explores how work actually gets done through an “unwritten contract” of emails, meetings, and informal workarounds that sit alongside official processes. Dean explains how bottlenecks are overcome through human lived experience, creativity, and psychological safety, and argues AI should be used as a tool for organizational self-realization rather than a magic fix or a replacement for people. He outlines self-service vs controlled AI, likens AI agents to junior coworkers that require trust-building, guardrails, feedback loops, and optional autonomy, and says AI increases authenticity by exposing hidden workflows and artifacts like spreadsheets. The conversation emphasizes reclaiming time for critical thinking and the risks of ignoring human behavior when redesigning workflows with AI.

-The Invisible Contract

-Bottlenecks and Experience

-Resistance and Self Realization

-Self Service vs Controlled AI

-Accountability and Delegation

-Training Wheels to Autonomy

-AI Exposes Hidden Work

-Reclaiming Thinking Time

-Using AI to Understand Work

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