1. Strategic People Management & Talent Acquisition.
Insight Driven’s Overview of “The Human Factors at
Work”
When thinking about the complexity of human behaviour at work, it can be
very useful to use this simple conceptual framework, which separates
behaviour at work into five “levels” as shown in the diagram below.
Each “level” can be drawn on to develop a more informed understanding of
the “human context” at work. An overview of the types of issues or
phenomena that might be considered or explored within each level is
provided below.
SELF &
SELF
(intra-personal) THE OTHER
(inter-personal)
Organisation
as a
whole
US US & THEM
(intra-group) (inter-group)

2. Strategic People Management & Talent Acquisition.
SELF
(INTRA-PERSONAL)
Issues to do with the internal / mental world of the individual
 Types of intelligence (including Emotional Intelligence)
 Feelings; their role , control and expression
 The unconscious mind
 Values as behavioural drivers
 Cognitive preferences as behavioural drivers
 Learning process and learning styles
 The nature of threat and categories of threat
 Unconscious defences; behavioural and thinking habits
 The nature of stress and categories of stress
 (healthy, accumulating, debilitating)
 Work - Life balance
 Change / transitions; the grief cycle
 The meaning and benefits of “self-mastery”

3. Strategic People Management & Talent Acquisition.
SELF & THE OTHER
(INTER-PERSONAL)
Issues to do with the interaction between any two individual human
beings
 Expectations and bias
 Role vs Person
 Constructive orientation (I’m OK, you’re OK)
 Adaptive orientation (awareness of differences / diversity)
 Trust
- disclosure & feedback
- the role of empathy
(recognising and acknowledging others’ feelings)
 Dialogue and listening (see separate list)
 Words, music, dance
 Influencing styles
 Conflict handling
US
(INTRA-GROUP)
Issues to do with the behaviours and feelings occurring within a
group of human beings
 Team Effectiveness – see The Insight Driven Team Effectiveness
Framework
 Group Dynamics - Acknowledgement of and insight into unconscious
collective behaviour

4. Strategic People Management & Talent Acquisition.
US & THEM
(INTER-GROUP)
Issues to do with the interactions between two or more groups of
human beings
 Team / group identity
 Boundaries and boundary management
 Representational roles and team / group responses to these
 Implications for co-operative relationships
 (e.g. partnership agreements, joint-ventures)
 Negotiating roles and authorities for inter-group collaboration
ORGANISATION AS A WHOLE / AS A SYSTEM
 Organisational paradigms / biases in thinking
 Complexity, dynamic change, and the illusion of “control”
 “Total system” leadership as a process and collective phenomenon
 Defining and delivering “total system” level accountabilities
 Total system “identity” and boundaries
 Multiple identities - creating a sense of belonging to the overall
organisation
 The contribution and role of symbols; managing these effectively
 Culture, levels of culture, and influencing “total system” culture
There is also of course a sixth and final level – that of the organisation as
an entity existing within its (various) environment(s). It is almost
always important to develop a good understanding of the overall context in
which the organisation as a whole is trying to operate. There are many useful
frameworks for doing so within the field of strategic management.

5. Strategic People Management & Talent Acquisition.
Practical Focus
Our work is informed and shaped by our belief that in contemporary
organisations, to get things done (and done well) it is invaluable to
understand groups, individuals and relationships deeply.
Further, we believe that to be able to begin to effectively implement
initiatives and solve complex problems within modern organisations,
managers and leaders need to develop clear understandings of the following
matters:
• the perspectives and motivations of key people – seniors, colleagues,
staff, clients and other significant internal and external stakeholders
• the nature of their own relationships with these key people and groups
• the nature of the relationships between and amongst those key others.
Therefore, a distinctive feature of our approach to getting things done is that
we help and encourage our clients to focus on the human factors as part
of each specific project or challenge they are working on.
As a result, through working with us, they build fresh insight and
understanding of the human context in which they are striving to get
things done.
We then help them to apply this in practical ways to obtain effective work
performance and outcomes.
For example, as a result of freshly developed insight, a client might decide to
convene a particular group of people to focus on certain “soft” issues that are
now seen as significant blockers to progress.
These issues might previously have not been detected, or might not have
been regarded as significant enough to warrant attention. The client would
enter such a meeting thoroughly prepared and equipped as a result of our
prior work with him/her.
Through working with us, our clients have been able to develop useful new
understandings and fresh, practical solutions that fit with their own particular
issues and organisational contexts.
Furthermore, many have been open in acknowledging that they have gained
insights of great value to them personally in leading and managing more
effectively.