The ScienceForWork Podcast

What if the problem with an employee's performance isn't simply the employee?

We spend a lot of time thinking about how to set better goals, making them specific, measurable, aligned, and clear. But goals don't exist in isolation. They're pursued by people working within teams, organizations, and systems that can either enable performance or make it much harder.

In this episode of the ScienceForWork podcast, host Matt Lampe, PsyD, talks with Michelle Riconscente, PhD, educational psychologist and CEO and co-founder of Valutare, about what the science of goal pursuit can teach us about creating the conditions for people to succeed.

Michelle draws on research from across psychology and organizational science to move the conversation beyond simply writing better goals and toward a broader view of performance enablement.

In this conversation, Michelle and Matt explore:

• Why understanding the context behind a goal can matter as much as the goal itself

• How greater clarity about what success looks like can improve goal pursuit

• Why persistence isn't always the right response when circumstances change

• What managers commit to when goals are treated as a two-way street

• Why organizations may need to think differently about goals for execution versus exploration

• How goal setting fits into a larger system for enabling people and organizations to succeed

More from Michelle:

• Valutare: valutare.ai

Enjoying the ScienceForWork podcast? Follow the show, leave a review, and share this episode with a friend.

ScienceForWork is an independent, non-profit foundation of evidence-based practitioners who want to #MakeWorkBetter.

ScienceForWork.com

Have you ever sat through a presentation that felt completely correct, and somehow also completely forgettable?

In this episode of the ScienceForWork podcast, host Matt Lampe, PsyD, talks with AJ Thurston, PhD, Chief of Market Research for military recruiting within the DoD Office of People Analytics and a professor of I/O psychology at George Mason University, about what it actually takes to communicate data so people understand it.

AJ makes the case that being understood is almost entirely the communicator's responsibility, not the audience's, and that simple, honest communication is a skill worth deliberately building, no matter who you're talking to.

In this conversation, AJ and Matt explore:

• Why the responsibility to be understood belongs to the communicator, not the audience
• How to structure a message so it sticks
• Why bar charts, not fancy dashboards, are often the most effective visual you can use
• How to talk about correlations and effect sizes in language a non-technical audience actually finds compelling
• Where AI fits as a genuine assistant in writing, coding, and data visualization, and why the underlying skill still matters

More from AJ:

• Website: ajthurston.com
• Advanced resources (expectancy charts, predictive probabilities, dominance analysis): ajthurston.com/sfw
• LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/ajthurston
• Twitter/X: @ajthurston

Enjoying the ScienceForWork podcast? Follow the show, leave a review, and share this episode with a friend.

ScienceForWork is an independent, non-profit foundation of evidence-based practitioners who want to #MakeWorkBetter.
ScienceForWork.com

Most organizations invest heavily in culture. Very few understand what their culture is.

Kyle Mack, PhD, is an industrial and organizational psychologist who spent years inside large-scale employee listening programs, reading what employees actually experience versus what their companies say is their culture. In this conversation, Kyle talks about how culture is not what you say. It's what your systems reward.

In this episode:

• Why the gap between espoused and enacted culture is the default state, not the exception
• How hiring, promotion, and performance management are your real culture, not your values deck
• Why founder imprinting persists long after the founder is gone
• A practical framework for HR leaders to start closing the gap

Connect with Kyle: cultureagent.ai

Follow ScienceForWork: ScienceForWork.com

In this episode of the Science for Work podcast, Matt Lampe is joined by Patricia Grabarek and Katina Sawyer to talk about the critical role of leadership in shaping workplace wellness. Patricia and Katina, co-founders of Workr Beeing and authors of Leading for Wellness, explore the journey of writing the book and their commitment to translating research into practical tools for leaders. The conversation covers authenticity and vulnerability as the foundation of trust-based leadership, flexibility and work-life balance, how leaders can create microcultures of wellness even inside difficult organizations, and the role of person-centered planning in supporting employee mental health. They also discuss where they hope organizational practice and future research go next, including the case for investing in leaders rather than programs and taking a longer view on organizational performance.

Resources:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/workrbeeing/

https://workrbeeing.com/

ScienceForWork is an independent, non-profit foundation of evidence-based practitioners who want to #MakeWorkBetter.

ScienceForWork.com

How do you lead well when the ground keeps moving?

In this episode of the ScienceForWork podcast, host Matt Lampe talks with leadership coach Joshua Steinfeldt about what it looks like to lead through uncertainty.

Drawing on positive psychology, contemplative science, and years of one-on-one work with leaders, Joshua brings together modern research and ancient wisdom in a way that's refreshingly practical for a moment that often feels anything but.

Together, they explore:

• Equanimity as a leadership capacity, not just a meditation concept
• The role of the pause in agility and decision-making
• What it means to be a secure base for the people you lead
• How to hold both loss and new beginnings at the same time

This episode is for leaders, coaches, and anyone feeling the weight of leading through change right now and looking for something worth carrying with them.

Links: https://practicingcourage.com/

The Courageous Life podcast (available wherever you listen)

ScienceForWork is an independent, non-profit foundation of evidence-based practitioners who #MakeWorkBetter.ScienceForWork.com

Cole Napper returns to ScienceForWork as the newly appointed Chief People Intelligence Officer at HR Bench, and brings a provocative claim: people analytics is now a commodity, and what comes next is something he calls people intelligence.

In this conversation, Cole and Matt explore:

• Why the four branches of HR data — people analytics, talent intelligence, workforce planning, and behavioral science — are collapsing into a single intelligence layer
• How AI is forcing a rebuild of HR from first principles, and why large enterprises may face the steepest climb
• The case for "tokenomics" as the next workforce planning challenge — and why hourly token cost vs. hourly human cost is closer than most leaders think
• What it means to do science when the field is changing faster than the research can keep up

More from Cole:

• Directionally Correct podcast: https://www.colenapper.com/podcast
• People Analytics: Using Data-Driven HR and Gen AI as a Business Asset (book): https://www.colenapper.com/book
• Cole's site & newsletter: ⁠https://www.colenapper.com⁠
• HR Bench: https://hrbench.com

Enjoying ScienceForWork? Follow the show on Spotify and share this episode with a colleague who's thinking about the future of HR.

ScienceForWork is an independent, non-profit foundation of evidence-based practitioners who #MakeWorkBetter.

ScienceForWork.com

What does it actually take to turn employee listening into meaningful organizational change?

In this episode of the ScienceForWork podcast, host Matt Lampe talks with Craig Starbuck, PhD — CEO and co-founder of OrgAcuity and President of the Society for People Analytics — about what it means to build listening programs that drive action.

Craig makes the case that people analytics is fundamentally a change management function, and that listening programs built without that lens will rarely move the needle. Drawing on his background spanning engineering, people analytics, and organizational leadership, he shares what a smarter approach looks like — one that reflects how people actually work, not just how the org chart says they should.

Together, they explore:

• Why change appetite has to be assessed before any listening effort begins
• How stakeholder buy-in shapes whether insights ever become action
• What organizational network analysis reveals that traditional survey platforms miss
• How employee listening needs to evolve alongside the way work is changing

This episode is for HR leaders, people analytics practitioners, and anyone who has wondered why employee feedback so rarely leads to meaningful change.

Links:

https://orgacuity.com/

https://societyforpeopleanalytics.org/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/craig-starbuck-phd/

ScienceForWork is an independent, non-profit foundation of evidence-based practitioners who #MakeWorkBetter.

ScienceForWork.com

In this episode of the Science For Work podcast, Matt Lampe talks with Shonna Waters about the human experience of change in organizations. Shonna emphasizes the importance of addressing fundamental human needs—security, growth, and significance—during periods of change, and how psychological ergonomics can help align organizational goals with these needs. The conversation also explores the challenges of communication during change, the impact of altitude sickness on leaders' perceptions, and the significance of identity in navigating change. Shonna offers insights on building trust, managing performance dips, and fostering resilience by focusing on identity.

Links:

Shonna Waters on Substack: https://substack.com/@drshonnawaters
Shonna Waters on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shonna-waters/

ScienceForWork is an independent, non-profit foundation of evidence-based practitioners working to #MakeWorkBetter.

ScienceForWork.com

In this episode of the Science for Work podcast, Matt Lampe and Todd Kashdan discuss the importance of wellbeing in the workplace, emphasizing that authenticity is often misunderstood. They explore how managers can create environments that foster curiosity and engagement while navigating conflicts. Kashdan also highlights the role of AI in enhancing meaning and purpose at work, and the significance of cognitive flexibility. The episode concludes with practical advice on using personal life to heal from workplace challenges and the importance of curiosity as a tool for growth.

Links:

Todd Kashdan’s Substack: https://toddkashdan.substack.com/
Todd Kashdan on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/toddkashdan/

ScienceForWork is an independent, non-profit foundation of evidence-based practitioners working to #MakeWorkBetter.

ScienceForWork.com

How does people analytics create real value in organizations?

In this episode of the ScienceForWork Podcast, host Matt Lampe is joined by Colby Kennedy-Nesbitt for a thoughtful conversation about how people analytics can move beyond reporting and measurement to support better decisions and action at work.

Drawing on evidence-based insights from I/O psychology and real-world practice, Colby shares a grounded perspective on how engagement data and analytics actually show up inside organizations, and where teams often struggle to translate insight into meaningful change.

Together, they explore:

• Why engagement is better understood as a system rather than a single score

• How and where analytics efforts tend to lose momentum between insight and action

• How organizational context, including size and maturity, shapes effective people analytics

• The role of communication and storytelling in helping leaders make sense of data without diluting the science

This episode is designed for leaders, HR partners, and practitioners who are interested in thoughtfully developing their use of people data over time, and in using evidence to support clearer sensemaking, stronger decisions, and more meaningful outcomes at work.

Resources:

Colby's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/colby-kennedy-nesbitt-phd-0824b979/

ScienceForWork is an independent, non-profit foundation of evidence-based practitioners working to #MakeWorkBetter.

ScienceForWork.com