In this HCI Webinar, Dr. Jonathan H. Westover talks with Stephanie Van Meter about talent enhancing development and employee engagement within your team. As Chief Operating Officer at Ammunition, Stephanie is a distinguished leader known for fostering teamwork, strengthening communication, and driving organizational growth. Joining Ammunition in 2022, she advanced from Chief of Staff to Chief Operating Officer in 2024, a testament to her leadership and impact across the agency. Her strategic guidance has been instrumental in Ammunition’s recognition by Adweek’s Fastest Growing Agencies, Inc. 5000, The Financial Times, and the Atlanta Business Chronicle. Previously, as Director of Operations, Process, and Development for Barry’s, an international boutique fitness brand, she launched the company’s first learning management system and optimized operational best practices. Stephanie’s passion for people development, operational excellence, and clear communication continues to drive her success and the success of the organizations she leads.

A surprising stat opens this video: 44% of employees reported significant stress yesterday. Stop Pushing Resilience—Build Thriving Teams Instead explores Dr. Westover’s blueprint for shifting corporate survival culture to genuine thriving by cultivating agency and connection. Learn actionable interventions—resource stewardship, the AIR method (Awareness, Inquiry, Reframing), cognitive flexibility, and procedural justice—plus real-world case examples from healthcare, tech, and manufacturing. Perfect for leaders, HR pros, and team managers seeking sustainable performance, retention, and wellbeing. Like and share if this helps you transform your workplace. #WorkplaceCulture #Thriving #Leadership #EmployeeWellbeing OUTLINE: 00:00:00 - The Resilience Trap 00:01:36 - The Cost of Survival vs The Case for Thriving 00:02:46 - A New Definition of Success: Agency at the Core 00:03:52 - From Resources to Mindset to Trust 00:05:13 - Trust, Case Examples, and Leader Actions 00:06:44 - The Leader's Playbook and Call to Action

Abstract: Corporate America's long-standing emphasis on resilience has inadvertently normalized a "survival mode" workplace culture characterized by chronic stress, reactive decision-making, and burnout. This article examines how organizations can shift from demanding resilience to fostering genuine thriving by cultivating employee agency—the capacity to make intentional choices supported by belief in their efficacy. Drawing on conservation of resources theory, self-determination theory, and recent organizational scholarship, we analyze the organizational and individual costs of survival-oriented cultures and present evidence-based interventions across three domains: resource stewardship, cognitive flexibility development, and social connection infrastructure. Case narratives from healthcare, technology, and manufacturing sectors illustrate practical implementation strategies. We argue that thriving workplaces require systemic commitment to reducing demands, expanding resources, empowering choice, and prioritizing relational wellbeing—shifts that simultaneously enhance talent retention, performance, and sustainable competitive advantage.

This conversation explores the article, "The Evolution of AI as Workplace Partner: From Chatbot Novelty to Strategic Collaborator," by Jonathan H. Westover, PhD, which examines the rapid transformation of artificial intelligence from simple conversational tools to strategic collaborators capable of autonomous planning and complex knowledge work. The article discusses "Agentic AI" systems like Google's Gemini 3, contrasting their multi-step planning and self-correction with traditional reactive AI, and explores the profound organizational and individual consequences of this shift. It stresses that organizations must develop new governance, quality assurance, and human-AI collaboration frameworks to integrate these systems effectively, moving from "human fixing AI mistakes" to "human directing AI work." The extensive references and the context of the Human Capital Leadership Review indicate a focus on the ethical, developmental, and strategic changes necessary for managing human capital in an increasingly AI-augmented work environment. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This conversation explores article titled "The Case for a Chief Innovation and Transformation Officer in the Age of AI," authored by Jonathan H. Westover, PhD, and published in the Human Capital Leadership Review. The article argues that organizations often fail to capture value from AI investments because they treat adoption as a technical implementation challenge rather than a holistic organizational transformation. This executive summary and detailed analysis suggest that traditional C-suite roles create a "structural hole" because AI transformation requires dedicated leadership focused on culture change, workforce reskilling, and cross-functional collaboration, which falls outside conventional domains. The author proposes establishing a Chief Innovation and Transformation Officer (CITO) role to bridge the gap between technical AI capability and organizational readiness, citing numerous corporate examples and organizational change literature to support this structural shift. The surrounding elements of the source material indicate it originates from an academic and professional resource focused on human capital and leadership. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Designing an effective hiring process is crucial for organizations to identify and attract top talent. However, many companies' hiring practices are inadequate and result in suboptimal outcomes. This discussion provides a synthesis of empirical studies and offers evidence-based recommendations for how to design a better hiring process. It discusses the importance of allocating proper resources and establishing structure, goals and accountabilities for the hiring function. Guidance is provided for developing an exceptional candidate experience through employer branding, user-friendly applications and personalized communication. Recommendations are made for holistic candidate evaluation methods and providing constructive feedback. The discussion also reviews the significance of onboarding and implementing a strategic process to set new hires up for success. By systematically applying the discussed strategies grounded in talent acquisition science, organizations can optimize their hiring and onboarding to gain competitive advantages through higher quality hires and lower turnover. The overarching goal is to transform recruitment into a strategic growth enabler. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this podcast episode, Dr. Jonathan H. Westover talks with Stephanie Van Meter about talent enhancing development and employee engagement within your team. As Chief Operating Officer at Ammunition, Stephanie is a distinguished leader known for fostering teamwork, strengthening communication, and driving organizational growth. Joining Ammunition in 2022, she advanced from Chief of Staff to Chief Operating Officer in 2024, a testament to her leadership and impact across the agency. Her strategic guidance has been instrumental in Ammunition’s recognition by Adweek’s Fastest Growing Agencies, Inc. 5000, The Financial Times, and the Atlanta Business Chronicle. Previously, as Director of Operations, Process, and Development for Barry’s, an international boutique fitness brand, she launched the company’s first learning management system and optimized operational best practices. Stephanie’s passion for people development, operational excellence, and clear communication continues to drive her success and the success of the organizations she leads.  Check out all of the podcasts in the HCI Podcast Network (https://www.podbean.com/podcast-network/HCI) !

This conversation explores an article that argues corporate America's traditional focus on employee resilience has created unsustainable "survival mode" workplaces, leading to chronic stress and burnout. The authors propose shifting organizational efforts toward fostering genuine thriving, defined as the simultaneous experience of vitality and learning. Central to this transformation is cultivating employee agency—the capacity for intentional choice and belief in one's efficacy—which the article supports with evidence-based interventions across several domains. These interventions include strategies for resource stewardship, developing cognitive flexibility through methods like the AIR model, improving procedural justice and communication transparency, and strategically investing in social connection infrastructure and material security. Ultimately, the article contends that transitioning from survival to thriving is not merely an ethical choice but a strategic imperative that enhances performance, talent retention, and long-term competitive advantage. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.