research-drop
The First 45 Days
22% of turnover happens in the first 45 days. It's not an onboarding content problem. It's a belonging signal problem. New hires are scanning every interaction for one thing: do I fit here?
Tareef Jafferi
A researcher and product builder dedicated to improving organizational outcomes. His work began during his time at MIT, where his research in people analytics revealed insights about how to improve employee wellbeing, happiness, and performance.
think-piece
The Case Against Consensus
Teams that seek consensus don't get better decisions. They get faster convergence and suppressed information. Disagreement isn't a bug. It's a feature.
behavior-hack
The Family Meal
In restaurants, the "family meal" isn't about food. It's a brief daily ritual that synchronizes the team and surfaces problems before they escalate. Any team can steal it.
research-drop
The Seven-Person Threshold
Every person added to a meeting beyond seven reduces decision quality by roughly 10%. Not because of introversion. Because of math.
think-piece
Why Training Doesn't Work
Companies spend $380 billion annually on training. Only 10-30% transfers to the job. The issue isn't learning. It's that old environments trigger old habits.
behavior-hack
The Bright Spots Audit
When teams underperform, the instinct is to diagnose problems. But deficit analysis triggers blame. A faster path: find your bright spots and replicate them.
research-drop
The Mere Exposure Effect
Zajonc's research revealed something counterintuitive: we don't like things because we know them. We like them because we've seen them. Remote workers lose influence not from worse work, but from less visibility.
think-piece
Stop Buying Ping Pong Tables
Companies spend billions on perks that don't move engagement, retention, or performance. The research points to three things employees actually want, and none of them are free snacks.
behavior-hack
The Question Nobody Asks in Exit Interviews
Most exit interviews ask "why are you leaving?" The better question: "what almost made you leave before?" It surfaces fixable problems instead of post-hoc rationalizations.
research-drop
The Towel Experiment
Robert Cialdini placed a simple sign in hotel rooms: "75% of guests in this room reused their towels." Reuse rates jumped 26%. The sign cost nothing. The mechanism is social proof.
think-piece
The Dark Side of Psychological Safety
Psychological safety is the most cited concept in modern management. But without accountability, it produces comfortable teams that never improve. Safety needs a counterweight.
behavior-hack
Temptation Bundling
Katy Milkman's research shows that bundling unpleasant tasks with enjoyable ones increases follow-through by 29-51%. The trick works for exercise, admin work, and manager duties.