June 2, 2026
Episode 189: AI, Meetings, and the Future of Teamwork with Rebecca Hinds, PhD
What if AI wasn’t just a tool, but a valuable member of your team? In this episode of The Future of Teamwork, Dane Groeneveld sits down with Rebecca Hinds, Head of the Work AI Institute at Glean and author of the best-selling book Your Best Meeting Ever. Together, they explore how AI is reshaping collaboration, meetings, and organizational culture.
Rebecca unpacks why so many teams feel overwhelmed by meetings, how “meeting debt” and “AI debt” drain productivity, and the signs that your organization is confusing activity with meaningful outcomes. They also explore how AI is already helping organizations identify overlap in team member responsibilities, map workflows, and rethink how teams are assembled. Finally, Rebecca explains how AI could help build project teams based on strengths and personalities, so your teams have more joy and inspiration in their day-to-day work.
If you’re trying to navigate the human side of AI at work, this conversation is a practical take on what comes next.
🔗 Learn more about Rebecca Hinds and Work AI Institute
AI, Meetings, and the Future of Teamwork with Rebecca Hinds, PhD
Guest Bio
Rebecca Hinds is a leading expert on organizational behavior and the future of work. She holds a BS, MS, and PhD from Stanford University. Rebecca founded the Work Innovation Lab at Asana and the Work AI Institute at Glean, first-of-their-kind corporate think tanks dedicated to conducting cutting-edge research on the future of work. Her research is consistently featured in top-tier publications and has appeared in places like Harvard Business Review, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Fast Company, Wired, TIME, CNBC, Bloomberg, Axios, the Washington Post, and more. Rebecca has been invited to speak on major stages all across the world, including Dreamforce, SXSW, INBOUND, Ai4, Cloudfest, and the Gartner Digital Workplace Summit. She regularly appears on podcasts, webinars, and online education programs, including appearances on Adam Grant’s Worklife podcast, Deloitte’s Capital H podcast, and as an instructor for CNBC’s Make It Masterclass, “How to Use AI to be More Productive and Successful at Work.” She is a trusted advisor to companies navigating the challenges of modern work—from meeting overload and hybrid dysfunction to the messy realities of AI adoption and organizational change.
Key Takeaways
00:00 Welcome to the Future of Teamwork Podcast
00:28 Meet Rebecca Hinds, PhD
03:40 Why Collaboration Fails
06:15 Coordination Neglect
09:50 AI Polish And Debt
11:07 Meeting Debt Explained
15:01 Outcomes Over Outputs
17:26 AI Debt And Flattening
21:57 Culture As Differentiator
24:46 Mapping Work With AI
31:23 Dynamic Teams Future
39:02 Fixing Communication Systems
42:23 Wrap Up And Where To Find
45:28 Disclaimer And Outro
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