Our intention for this blog

As the new year approaches, those of us on the People Science team have been reflecting on our own identities and where we want to go in the new year. We know the term “People Science” may not be a familiar one for everyone, heck, we’ve had to do some intense self-reflection on who we are ourselves! So, we wanted to post a blog with our honest, genuine thoughts on who we are and what the public can expect from a People Scientist. Here is where we landed. Without further ado, let us jump into what we mean by the term “People Science.”

People Scientists are deeply committed to using research insights to improve lives. We seek to understand what impacts human behavior and experience in the workplace. However, it is critical to us that expanding our depth of knowing is followed by a commitment to doing.  

We use the scientific approach to drive impactful organizational action and improve people's experiences of work.

We are interested in adding insight and value by asking questions such as:

• How can we help people experience purpose and meaning in their careers?
• How can we help managers have the tools they need to lead teams well?
• What makes some people thrive at work and how do we help more people access that?
• When things aren’t working on a team, how can we identify issues, swiftly fix them, and stay forward focused in a way that truly honors every person in the process?
• How can we play a role in collaborating with key stakeholders to help organizations thrive?
• The world of work is rapidly changing; what can we do to change it for the better?

Our dream is for the future of work to be full of engaged, purpose-driven, strengths-focused workers (if you have not yet, click here to check out Gallup’s 34 Strengths!) working together in alignment of big grand visions. 

We want everyone to have the tools they need to thrive, and for every leader to have the support they need to create positive, high impact work environments for their people. We believe in the power of using positive psychology to identify what leads to exceptional qualities for some so that we can replicate that for everyone – this does not mean we ignore the “bad” parts of the human experience, but instead that we fully love, accept, and study all aspects of what makes people so complex and wonderful.

People Scientists are great listeners, avid readers, analytical thinkers, and enthusiastic strategists who care deeply about others.

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We do the homework, so you don't have to.

Our strategy is to take the legwork out of knowing what works in people development and the workplace; this way, company leaders, HR, and everyone else can invest their energy into living out the approaches that work. Everyone else can focus their energy on leveraging their strengths, cultivating meaning, enhancing clarity, and growing a collaborative, coaching-driven culture because we can handle the science side of the equation.

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What this often looks like in practice:

• Developing and implementing rigorously validated assessments as well as translating subsequent results into accessible insights. (psst! currently, we are working on developing the MyPurpose assessment that helps individuals identify “why” they do the work they do)

• Acting as highly trained subject matter experts on people’s thought processes, experiences, and behaviors

• Conducting customized statistical methods to analyze trends, relationships, and important insights in a variety of different data sources

• Communicating workplace research clearly and concisely to provide actionable recommendations in our iAlign Blog, white papers, professional training, and whatever avenues can make the most impact

• Researching, synthesizing, and compiling best practices guides and recommendations for client concerns

• Actively collaborating with the product side of the house to ensure that everything we construct as a company is built to go beyond simply being solid tech, to also be grounded in the best scientific practices

• Serving as strategy partners to clients to identify themes to act on and spark meaningful change in organizations

• Staying up to date on the current knowledge bases in positive psychology, occupational health, and a host of workplace issues via in-depth reviews of scientific literature and engagement with the rest of the scientific community

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Our team is comprised of PhD and Master’s degree holding professionals with extensive experience in helping people achieve goals and teams thrive. As People Scientists, we love serving as strategic thought partners and wells of knowledge. At iAlign currently, our backgrounds include specialties in vocational psychology, career development, organizational change, among others... and we are always looking for ways to include other perspectives from the social sciences!

At iAlign, our People Science Team is the bridge between the science of what is effective and the lived, human experience of the challenges and opportunities at work. We have extensive training in a wide range of scientific tools, approaches, and research methods. This enables us to use customized approaches to achieve optimal outcomes for organizations, teams, and individuals.

Want to stay in the loop on what our People Science team is up to? Follow iAlign on LinkedIn!

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