About Robin Beers, PhD

My story

For more than 25 years, I’ve worked at ​​the intersection of organizational psychology, digital design and research, and diversity, equity, and inclusion to catalyze transformation for organizations, their employees, and their customers. I hold a doctorate in organizational psychology, a Master’s in African American Studies, and I’ve spent most of my career in senior leadership roles at Wells Fargo and Workday.

I believe that all strategies are better when they are deliberately designed from a humanistic perspective. Through generating new possibilities, I will help your organization define, design, and decide your way into a successful, sustainable future.  

I love being a “provocateur” and “evangelist” for human-centered approaches and am honored to write and speak globally on customer experience, design thinking, organizational culture, and research as a catalyst for change.

Honor + Recognize

I am a white woman living in Marin County, California and recognize that the land I live and work on is the ancestral lands of the Coastal Miwok people who were removed and displaced unjustly; and that I am a beneficiary of that removal and displacement. I honor the Miwok people and culture as I live and work on their land.

I am deeply inspired by and use the the teachings and wisdom of the indigenous, Southern African Ubuntu worldview. I acknowledge that I was not born into the Ubuntu ontology (way of being) or epistemology (way of knowing) as a white American. I incorporate Ubuntu philosophy into my offerings as a humble student who sees the tremendous value of balancing individual needs with collective caretaking and the world liberating possibilities that will arise from embracing systemic and relational interconnection.

I endeavor to honor the African Ubuntu worldview by learning from experts for whom the philosophy is indigenous and work to maintain the integrity of their teaching in my work. Here are a couple of resources for learning more about Ubuntu philosophy:

DUMISANI MAGADLELA - ICF Coach and Author: Ubuntu Coaching and Connection Practices for Leader-Manager: Selected Practices to grow your team in a fast-changing world. (2023, Johannesburg, Knowledge Resources)

NOBANTU MPOTULO - Master ICF Coach of Coaches. You can learn more about Nobantu’s workshops and thought leadership at her website.

Publications

Stories That Deliver Business Insights
MIT, Sloan Management Review

Women in Design: Suzanne Howard and Robin Beers
IDEO & Design & Innovation Global, 2020

Humanizing Organizations: Researchers as Knowledge Brokers and Change Agents International Journal of Business Anthropology & Collaborative Ethnography in Business Environments

The Right Way to Democratize Research
WEVO

From Ethnographic Insights to User-centered Design Tools
EPIC Conference Paper

Ethnography as a Catalyst for Organizational Change: Creating a Multichannel Customer Experience
EPIC Conference Paper

Zooming In and Zooming Out: Real-life Customer Experience Research
User Experience Magazine