From Factor Research

Weekly insights
at the intersection
of AI and work.

Research on leadership, motivation, and building high-performing cultures — backed by science.

63 articles 6 topics Updated weekly

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63 articles
Forget the 5 stages of automation: AI maturity requires the stages of augmentation.
AI Strategy & Transformation 10 min read

Forget the 5 stages of automation: AI maturity requires the stages of augmentation.

Lead through Artificial Intelligence by putting experts in control of agentic systems and workflows.

Faux performers are taking over the workplace, but don't blame them
Culture & Motivation 10 min read

Faux performers are taking over the workplace, but don't blame them

End performance theater by aligning Employee Engagement with genuine impact rather than optics.

Why psychological safety isn't fixing your performance problems
Leadership & Team Dynamics 10 min read

Why psychological safety isn't fixing your performance problems

Move beyond bureaucratic politeness and use Psychological Safety to fuel the intellectual friction your organization needs to win.

How much is AI worth to your company?
AI Strategy & Transformation 2 min read

How much is AI worth to your company?

Build the business case for Artificial Intelligence by quantifying the ROI of human-AI synergy.

Don't build a culture to change your habits
Culture & Motivation 7 min read

Don't build a culture to change your habits

Transform your Company Culture by focusing on the small, daily habits that define excellence.

Is your OKR process a strategic engine or just bureaucratic theatre?
Strategy & Execution 14 min read

Is your OKR process a strategic engine or just bureaucratic theatre?

Reclaim your Strategic Planning process from administrative bloat and return focus to impact.

The 10-minute coaching script to help your team set impactful OKRs.
Strategy & Execution 13 min read

The 10-minute coaching script to help your team set impactful OKRs.

Empower your managers to lead better with a simple Coaching & Feedback script for OKRs.

Should we fire our engineers and have everyone vibe-code products? Probably not.
AI Strategy & Transformation 10 min read

Should we fire our engineers and have everyone vibe-code products? Probably not.

Master the transition to Artificial Intelligence while retaining the human engineering expertise you need.

How excuse-making derails transformational change and leads to the death of companies
Culture & Motivation 10 min read

How excuse-making derails transformational change and leads to the death of companies

Shift from seeking buy-in to seeking action in your next Change Management initiative.

Fixing broken Product organizations (B2B edition CEO's guide)
Organization Design & Operations 8 min read

Fixing broken Product organizations (B2B edition CEO's guide)

Evolve your Operating Models to solve prioritization hell and restore product development velocity.

Your essential guide to making OKRs actually work for your organization
Strategy & Execution 12 min read

Your essential guide to making OKRs actually work for your organization

Turn bureaucratic overhead into a competitive engine through enterprise-wide Strategic Planning and execution.

Unclear leadership expectations make your company low-performing
Talent & People Operations 14 min read

Unclear leadership expectations make your company low-performing

Fix grade inflation and clarify career paths through skill-based Performance Management and mastery levels.

Why your AI transformation has become an AI slop factory
AI Strategy & Transformation 11 min read

Why your AI transformation has become an AI slop factory

Solve the quality gap and scale Artificial Intelligence without sacrificing organizational standards or integrity.

Don't implement Cross-Functional Teams before reading this
Organization Design & Operations 17 min read

Don't implement Cross-Functional Teams before reading this

Master Organizational Design by aligning cross-functional teams around end-to-end customer missions.

How to fix a culture of complacency
Culture & Motivation 9 min read

How to fix a culture of complacency

Re-energize stagnant teams by infusing your Employee Motivation strategy with high-frequency feedback loops.

The six dysfunctions of accountability - and how to solve them with AI
Organization Design & Operations 10 min read

The six dysfunctions of accountability - and how to solve them with AI

Repair broken Operating Models by using AI to facilitate transparent, system-wide accountability loops.

It's time to retire RACI.
Organization Design & Operations 7 min read

It's time to retire RACI.

Streamline Accountability by moving from static matrices to a dynamic, high-performance ownership model.

EOS got you this far. But how can you scale it?
Organization Design & Operations 13 min read

EOS got you this far. But how can you scale it?

Scale your Operating Models for complexity without losing the rhythm of high-performance execution.

Why the ---- is my company so slow?
Organization Design & Operations 10 min read

Why the ---- is my company so slow?

Eliminate organizational drag by modernizing your Operating Models for faster, high-authority decision-making.

How can I drive results without burning out my people?
Culture & Motivation 6 min read

How can I drive results without burning out my people?

Optimize your Burnout prevention strategy while maintaining high-intensity performance cadences.

An AI toolkit for running your company
Organization Design & Operations 2 min read

An AI toolkit for running your company

Lead your Organizational & AI Transformation with a specialized toolkit that makes the hardest management processes more intuitive and motivating

Learn from ants: how 8 simple habits drive extraordinary team performance
Organization Design & Operations 8 min read

Learn from ants: how 8 simple habits drive extraordinary team performance

Achieve radical Team Alignment by adopting simple, decentralized habits that drive enterprise-scale velocity.

Legacy performance frameworks are destroying iconic companies. Make sure yours isn't one of them.
Organization Design & Operations 16 min read

Legacy performance frameworks are destroying iconic companies. Make sure yours isn't one of them.

Modernize your Operating Models to outpace volatility and avoid the decay of legacy bureaucracy.

Is lack of discipline causing your organization's underperformance?
Culture & Motivation 11 min read

Is lack of discipline causing your organization's underperformance?

Build a high-discipline Company Culture where supportive systems replace performance-killing pressure.

Four proven insights to know if your product resonates
AI Strategy & Transformation 7 min read

Four proven insights to know if your product resonates

Accelerate product innovation by applying Problem Solving science to gain real-world market feedback.

Values statements are no longer a good use of time or money. So what is?
Organization Design & Operations 12 min read

Values statements are no longer a good use of time or money. So what is?

Replace empty posters with high-performance Company Culture habits that drive measurable organizational impact.

Transform your culture: start with a Primed to Perform book club
Culture & Motivation 21 min read

Transform your culture: start with a Primed to Perform book club

Ignite your Employee Engagement strategy by turning leadership research into actionable cultural change.

How executive teams can diagnose and build high-performing cultures
Organization Design & Operations 14 min read

How executive teams can diagnose and build high-performing cultures

Build a resilient Operating Model by identifying and solving the root causes of dysfunction.

The two most important topics for every HR leader's agenda
Talent & People Operations 13 min read

The two most important topics for every HR leader's agenda

Modernize HR Strategy by focusing on AI-native workforce design and agile performance systems.

What's even more important than work-life balance?
Talent & People Operations 2 min read

What's even more important than work-life balance?

Attract top talent by replacing burnout with a culture of meaningful Talent Management and apprenticeship.

Is everyone fit to be a leader?
Leadership & Team Dynamics 9 min read

Is everyone fit to be a leader?

Clarify Leadership Training needs by distinguishing leaders' coaching skills from individual technical expertise.

Metrics - good or bad for motivation?
Culture & Motivation 2 min read

Metrics - good or bad for motivation?

De-weaponize data to boost Employee Motivation and turn KPIs into tools for experimental learning.

Three ways to build a culture that lets high performers thrive
Culture & Motivation 3 min read

Three ways to build a culture that lets high performers thrive

Stop high-performer burnout and improve Employee Retention by ruthlessly cutting meetings and friction.

Why boring work leads to low performance
Culture & Motivation 6 min read

Why boring work leads to low performance

Move beyond performance theater and design roles that prioritize high-impact problem solving.

Should Wells Fargo have fired employees who were simulating keyboard activity?
Leadership & Team Dynamics 10 min read

Should Wells Fargo have fired employees who were simulating keyboard activity?

Ditch invasive surveillance and build a high-performance culture grounded in trust and clear expectations.

My employees are demotivated. What should I do?
Culture & Motivation 11 min read

My employees are demotivated. What should I do?

How to stop managing symptoms and solve team disengagement by rebuilding your operating model for high-intent motivation.

I wish my people would take more ownership!
Strategy & Execution 12 min read

I wish my people would take more ownership!

Move beyond task-tracking and build a Strategy Cascade that transforms Accountability into a competitive edge.

The four personal archetypes that create growth in a company
Leadership & Team Dynamics 8 min read

The four personal archetypes that create growth in a company

Revolutionize Leadership Development by matching talent to the work they find most energizing.

Freedom from micromanagement and bureaucracy, in three lessons
Leadership & Team Dynamics 6 min read

Freedom from micromanagement and bureaucracy, in three lessons

Eliminate Micromanagement by empowering teams to test their thinking and lead with impact.

Disorganized work creates dysfunctional teams
Organization Design & Operations 14 min read

Disorganized work creates dysfunctional teams

Eliminate chaotic work-life hurdles by implementing high-authority operating models to drive enterprise-wide operational clarity.

Why should your employees follow you? I wish Boeing asked this question.
Leadership & Team Dynamics 16 min read

Why should your employees follow you? I wish Boeing asked this question.

Move beyond pressure-based tactics to build Leadership Development routines that inspire genuine ownership.

Org structure might be causing your company's dysfunction
Organization Design & Operations 13 min read

Org structure might be causing your company's dysfunction

Rebuild your Organizational Design to support fast feedback loops and high-authority mission ownership.

Bureaucratic companies: inevitable, or unforced error?
Organization Design & Operations 11 min read

Bureaucratic companies: inevitable, or unforced error?

Dismantle Operating Models built on control and rebuild them for high-performance autonomy.

Middle management: is it even possible to enjoy it?
Leadership & Team Dynamics 11 min read

Middle management: is it even possible to enjoy it?

Empower Middle Management to lead through problem-solving rather than just passing down instructions.

Blame is why your culture is low-performing
Culture & Motivation 12 min read

Blame is why your culture is low-performing

Shift from blame to systems thinking to elevate Employee Engagement and long-term results.

It isn't just you - work really has become more dysfunctional
AI Strategy & Transformation 11 min read

It isn't just you - work really has become more dysfunctional

Rebuild organizational performance in an era where new norm volatility and change is the current reality

Stop blaming me and calling it "accountability"
Leadership & Team Dynamics 12 min read

Stop blaming me and calling it "accountability"

Shift from punitive cultures to supportive Accountability systems that drive collective growth and performance.

It's not your fault. Negative feedback is harmful (usually).
Talent & People Operations 13 min read

It's not your fault. Negative feedback is harmful (usually).

Replace outdated Coaching & Feedback models with apprenticeship habits that accelerate skill mastery.

It's time to end meeting cultures
Organization Design & Operations 11 min read

It's time to end meeting cultures

Unlock team productivity by evolving Operating Models that balances asynchronous collaboration and meetings.

Expensive mindfulness training doesn't work. Do this instead.
Culture & Motivation 13 min read

Expensive mindfulness training doesn't work. Do this instead.

Address systemic friction to improve Workplace Belonging and performance more effectively than stand-alone workshops.

Why do most strategic goals fail?
Strategy & Execution 11 min read

Why do most strategic goals fail?

Bridge the execution gap by evolving Strategic Planning into a weekly rhythm of problem-solving.

How to build a high-performing job culture, in ten pictures
Organization Design & Operations 12 min read

How to build a high-performing job culture, in ten pictures

Visualizing the path to Operating Models that maximize performance through higher engagement.

How to write job descriptions that actually motivate people
Talent & People Operations 12 min read

How to write job descriptions that actually motivate people

Transform Job Design to attract top-tier talent with impact-oriented roles and growth paths.

Kicking off a project? Six proven ways to unlock your team's creativity
Leadership & Team Dynamics 9 min read

Kicking off a project? Six proven ways to unlock your team's creativity

Drive Problem Solving excellence by leading project kickoffs that prioritize diverse ideas and speed.

The problem with performance management - and how to fix it
Organization Design & Operations 18 min read

The problem with performance management - and how to fix it

Replace outdated annual ratings with high-velocity feedback to lead your next performance management transformation.

Why did Volkswagen cheat on their emissions testing?
Culture & Motivation 2 min read

Why did Volkswagen cheat on their emissions testing?

6 Actions to Prevent Your Company Becoming the Next Volkswagen

The critical problem of our generation
Culture & Motivation 6 min read

The critical problem of our generation

Navigate the automation era by building an performance model centered on continuous learning.

How company culture shapes employee motivation
Culture & Motivation 1 min read

How company culture shapes employee motivation

a Harvard Business Review article

How to keep your team motivated, remotely
Culture & Motivation 2 min read

How to keep your team motivated, remotely

Bridge the distance gap and transform Employee Motivation into a measurable high-performance enterprise advantage.

Amazon's no outlier: the science behind broken work cultures
Culture & Motivation 1 min read

Amazon's no outlier: the science behind broken work cultures

Research shows that the better our reasons for working, the better we work. And it isn’t just Amazon that should take note.

There are two types of performance - but most organizations only focus on one
Culture & Motivation 2 min read

There are two types of performance - but most organizations only focus on one

a Harvard Business Review article

Why Agile goes awry - and how to fix it
Culture & Motivation 2 min read

Why Agile goes awry - and how to fix it

a Harvard Business Review article

Building high-performing teams with Culture Checks
Culture & Motivation 15 min read

Building high-performing teams with Culture Checks

Establish a sustainable rhythm for Team Pulse Check that continuously identifies and removes performance blockers.

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