Featuring scholarly and practitioner insights from HR and people leaders, industry experts, and researchers.

In this HCI Webinar, I talk with Kevin Gaskell about building high-performance cultures and unlocking discretionary effort. Recognized as ‘the man who fixes businesses’ Kevin Gaskell has an impressive track record in building and leading successful companies. As Managing Director of Porsche, Lamborghini, and BMW, Kevin led hugely successful turnarounds and business growth. Today he remains actively involved in numerous companies worldwide, as both an investor and founder, including the UK’s fastest-growing B2B fibre network provider and Radical Motorsport, the world’s largest race car manufacturer. Gaskell's entrepreneurial approach to business has earned him numerous accolades. He was recognized as one of the UK’s Top 40 leaders reflecting his exceptional ability to inspire teams to transform companies and achieve extraordinary results. His focus on developing innovative strategies and building high-performance cultures has been instrumental in driving business growth and success. Alongside his business successes, Kevin has climbed the world’s highest mountains, walked to the North and South Poles, and in 2020 and 2025, was a member of the crew setting a new world record for the fastest row across the Atlantic and Pacific Ocean. He has played international cricket but now relaxes by playing in a rock band. His most recent book, Catching Giants, was shortlisted for Business Book of the Year 2023.

Abstract: Planned organizational change initiatives frequently fall short of their objectives, with asynchronicity between change initiators and recipients emerging as a critical impediment. This article examines how the timing and design of employee participation events influence synchronicity across organizational levels during change processes. Drawing on event system theory and empirical research with change consultants, we identify four distinct employee participation event designs—collective early, collective late, selective early, and selective late—each producing different patterns of engagement, spatial dispersion, and temporal duration. The timing of participation emerges as a crucial yet underexplored dimension that determines both the adaptive capacity available to employees and the degree of alignment achieved between management and workforce. Evidence suggests that early, broadly inclusive participation designs create longer event chains with deeper organizational penetration, enhancing synchronicity and change readiness. Conversely, late or narrowly targeted participation constrains adaptation time and organizational reach, potentially perpetuating misalignment. These findings offer change leaders a framework for intentionally designing participation interventions that match the behavioral demands and contextual requirements of specific change initiatives. By reconceptualizing employee participation as a dynamic, temporally bounded event chain rather than a static intervention, this article advances our understanding of how participation designs influence planned change outcomes through their impact on organizational synchronicity. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This research explores how the timing and structure of employee involvement influence the success of organizational transformations. It highlights the problem of asynchronicity, where a temporal gap between leadership planning and staff awareness leads to resistance and diminished performance. To address this, the research identifies four distinct participation designs—collective early, collective late, selective early, and selective late—which vary in their ability to build organizational synchronicity. The research argues that early and broad engagement generally enhances change readiness and decision quality by allowing employees sufficient time for psychological and behavioral adaptation. Ultimately, the research offers a framework for leaders to intentionally design interventions that align management goals with workforce implementation. This approach positions participation as a dynamic, time-sensitive process rather than a one-time event to ensure sustainable long-term results. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This research explores how the timing and structure of employee involvement influence the success of organizational transformations. It highlights the problem of asynchronicity, where a temporal gap between leadership planning and staff awareness leads to resistance and diminished performance. To address this, the research identifies four distinct participation designs—collective early, collective late, selective early, and selective late—which vary in their ability to build organizational synchronicity. The research argues that early and broad engagement generally enhances change readiness and decision quality by allowing employees sufficient time for psychological and behavioral adaptation. Ultimately, the research offers a framework for leaders to intentionally design interventions that align management goals with workforce implementation. This approach positions participation as a dynamic, time-sensitive process rather than a one-time event to ensure sustainable long-term results. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This research explores how the timing and structure of employee involvement influence the success of organizational transformations. It highlights the problem of asynchronicity, where a temporal gap between leadership planning and staff awareness leads to resistance and diminished performance. To address this, the research identifies four distinct participation designs—collective early, collective late, selective early, and selective late—which vary in their ability to build organizational synchronicity. The research argues that early and broad engagement generally enhances change readiness and decision quality by allowing employees sufficient time for psychological and behavioral adaptation. Ultimately, the research offers a framework for leaders to intentionally design interventions that align management goals with workforce implementation. This approach positions participation as a dynamic, time-sensitive process rather than a one-time event to ensure sustainable long-term results. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This research introduces the concept of a control tax, describing the hidden financial and cultural costs incurred when organizations prioritize micromanagement over professional autonomy. By utilizing surveillance and rigid approvals, leaders inadvertently alienate high-performing employees, leading to decreased innovation and significant turnover expenses. The research advocates for a shift toward trust-based leadership, which emphasizes psychological safety and the redistribution of decision-making rights to those closest to the work. To eliminate this tax, senior managers must move from tracking mere activity to measuring outcomes, ensuring that operational environments actually honor the expertise they originally hired. Ultimately, the research argues that designing for judgment and transparency is essential for retaining top talent and maintaining organizational agility. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this HCI Webinar, I talk with Ryan C. Warner about how leaders can effectively develop and apply emotional intelligence to enhance their leadership skills and improve team performance. Ryan C. Warner, PhD is a globally-recognized speaker, award-winning psychologist, published author, and esteemed executive coach. As the Chief Executive Officer of RC Warner Consulting, he strengthens organizational performance by boosting inclusion and mental wellness in the workplace for high-performing organizations, Fortune 500 companies, and government entities. He is passionate about supporting high-performing leaders in reaching the top 1% of their industry through improved leadership development and emotional intelligence. Through his captivating speaking, coaching, and consulting solutions, Dr. Warner empowers workplaces to achieve success by cultivating a positive and fulfilling work culture where all employees thrive. Dr. Warner has been a featured guest on numerous podcasts, has spoken on various radio/TV shows, and has authored a wealth of scholarly research articles, reaching millions worldwide.

In this HCI Webinar, I talk with Jamie Aitken about the end of performance management as we know it. As VP of HR Transformation at Betterworks, Jamie helps customers reimagine the way employee performance is managed with proven systems and processes that work. As co-author of Make Work Better, she draws inspiration from her more than twenty-five years of HR leadership experience, spearheading organizational development, HR transformation and employee engagement strategies that boost business performance. Her work as a consultant and an in-house HR practitioner spans the entire spectrum of human capital practices and multiple industries.