Performance Starts with People: Unlocking the Human Drivers of Workplace Success

In today’s climate of constant change, organizations are striving to stay resilient, innovative, and productive. But according to recent data from Wiley Workplace Intelligence, the key to long-term success isn’t just found in systems or strategy, it’s found in people.

How well people work together lies at the heart of every business and is essential to its longevity. Skills once labeled “soft,” like giving constructive feedback, navigating conflict, empowering others, adapting to change, and motivating teams, are now recognized as the backbone of a thriving workplace culture.

Over the past five months, our research has revealed a consistent truth: when employees feel psychologically safe, trusted, and clearly guided, performance follows.

Read on to discover how investing in the human dynamics of work can unlock lasting success and strengthen your culture, especially as we continue to navigate uncertainty.

The Power of Constructive Feedback in Organizational Culture

Learning how to give and receive constructive feedback is a core element of positive team dynamics. Our research into this topic found that frequent feedback is a cornerstone of effective management, fostering trust and driving employee development. While many employees desire direct feedback, its true impact lies in how regularly it's delivered. Weekly feedback leads to significantly better results: 92% of recipients feel supported when they receive more frequent feedback.

Managers who engage weekly are far more likely to identify skill gaps and provide specific training, creating a psychologically safe environment where feedback becomes a tool for growth rather than criticism. Frequent connection points also increase trust and cohesion, making constructive feedback easier to receive and act upon.

The Feedback Disconnect

Training amplifies this effect by equipping managers to be proactive talent developers. Although 70% of managers have received some form of feedback training, only 41% have undergone formal programs—those who have report a 14-point boost in confidence.

This translates into more effective coaching: trained managers are more likely to identify skill gaps and offer targeted guidance. Investing in formal training not only builds managerial confidence but also cultivates a culture of continuous development, where everyday interactions become opportunities for measurable improvement.

Organizations and leaders can follow these top tips to build a feedback-positive culture.

Why Constructive Conflict Is Key to Thriving Workplaces

Navigating conflict can feel overwhelming, especially for more reserved individuals who associate conflict with anxiety and stress. However, building these skills is imperative to building trust and breaking through to new discoveries while elevating your business. Conflict isn’t a bad thing when navigated clearly and respectfully and can even strengthen trust that boosts productivity.

Our research showed that workplace conflict remains a nuanced challenge, even in environments where psychological safety is high. While most employees feel comfortable expressing differing perspectives, nearly nine in ten still find conflict difficult to engage in—often due to concerns about how they’ll be perceived. The emotional toll is significant, with many individuals reporting that they ruminate outside of work and even have physical symptoms.

Trust and relationship quality play a pivotal role in conflict engagement: employees are far more likely to address difficult topics with coworkers they feel close to, especially when mutual respect, shared understanding, and established trust are present.

Communication preferences further complicate conflict resolution. Although many employees favor direct and immediate feedback, a majority also want time to process and prefer scheduled conversations—highlighting a tension between urgency and emotional readiness. Managers tend to show more confidence in handling conflict, especially when in leadership roles, but relationship dynamics still heavily influence how people approach disagreements. Encouragingly, conflict can lead to stronger relationships and improved team outcomes when handled well, especially in environments that support boundary-setting and authentic emotional expression.

Rethinking Empowerment: How to Turn Employee Potential into Action

We learned that empowering employees isn't just about making them feel confident, it's about creating the right conditions for them to take action. While many employees say they feel empowered, far fewer actually take the initiative without being prompted. This gap suggests that true empowerment takes more than good intentions. Flexibility, especially through remote work, seems to help people feel more in control, but it's not just where people work that matters, it’s how clearly they understand their goals, whether they feel trusted, and if they have the authority to make decisions that count.

The length of time someone’s worked with their manager doesn’t make a big difference, which challenges the idea that empowerment grows naturally over time. Instead, clarity, trust, and psychological safety lay the foundation.

The real challenge is turning that sense of empowerment into action. Many employees are holding back, not because they lack motivation, but because key support systems are missing. When people aren’t given meaningful authority or access to the information they need, it's hard to take ownership.

Recognition, direction, and development opportunities play a big role, and these are areas where many managers are still coming up short. Employees who understand their strengths are eager to grow, but without organizational support, that potential often stalls. Empowerment doesn’t just happen, it has to be built into the culture, the systems, and the everyday interactions that define the employee experience.

These tips to foster empowerment can help you start turning potential into reality.

Navigating the AI Era: Key Insights for Managing Change

Organizations today are navigating nonstop change and it's taking a toll as we learned in a recent survey. Employees are feeling the pressure, with many stuck in a constant cycle of adjustment that leaves little room to catch their breath. Stress is on the rise, and change fatigue is becoming a real concern. At the center of it all are middle managers, who are being asked to guide their teams through shifting priorities without always getting the support or clarity they need.

What employees say they need most is simple: clear, consistent communication. It's not resistance to change that's slowing progress — it's the lack of direction and the struggle to balance business as usual with the demands of ongoing transformation.

AI is adding another layer to this shift. While employees are generally curious and even enthusiastic about using AI tools, many are operating without clear guidance from their organizations. There's a gap between AI readiness and the systems needed to support it. Most people aren't receiving the training they need, and few organizations have strong policies in place.

To move forward successfully, organizations need to focus on cultural readiness — that means empowering middle managers, communicating with clarity, and building the kind of change infrastructure that supports both innovation and wellbeing.

Why Most Employees Aren’t Thriving and What You Can Do About It

Motivation in today’s workplace is under pressure. As organizations push toward pre-pandemic norms with more time in the office, increased demands, and rapid tech adoption, many employees are asking, What’s in it for me? Despite leadership's upbeat messaging, the reality for most employees is mounting stress, shrinking autonomy, and eroding trust. Motivation doesn’t live in isolation — it’s deeply affected by stress and organizational culture. Right now, that balance is off.

In a recent study, we found that only 17% of employees reported being in the “sweet spot” of high motivation and manageable stress. Most are either burning out or disengaging, and mid-career employees are especially at risk. These team anchors are often overextended and under-supported, which is taking a toll on performance and retention.

If organizations want to unlock the full potential of their workforce, motivation needs to move up the priority list. It's not just a feel-good factor; it's a performance driver. Motivated employees are more productive, creative, and resilient. To get there, leaders must act with intention: support and train managers, invest in mid-career talent, and build strong, connected teams. Clear communication, consistent feedback, and real-time engagement tools are key to understanding how people are really doing. The bottom line is simple: when employees feel seen, supported, and energized, they thrive and so does your business.

What Leaders Can Do Right Now

As our latest research underscores, the future of work hinges not just on what organizations do, but on how their people connect, communicate, and collaborate. Across all five studies, one message remains clear: investing in the human side of work through psychological safety, trust, and clear guidance isn’t a nice-to-have, it’s a strategic imperative. When organizations prioritize these dynamics, they don’t just weather change; they grow through it. By cultivating a culture where people feel seen, supported, and empowered, businesses can unlock the kind of performance that endures, even in the face of uncertainty.

Wiley’s suite of professional solutions provides a structure and common language to help empower entire organizations with the skills needed to get to the next level. From building better teams with The Five Behaviors^®, and improving understanding to create engaged, collaborative, and adaptive cultures with Everything DiSC^® on Catalyst™, helping you make confident hiring decisions with PXT Select^®, or unlocking the power of leadership at every level with The Leadership Challenge^®, Wiley has innovative solutions that help make the workplace a better place.

Catalyst’s newest offering, Worksmart, drives manager performance and is an essential tool for managers that helps them tackle real-world challenges in the moment, with confidence. Featuring five targeted learning modules facilitated by a Practitioner, in about an hour each, that provide action plans managers can apply immediately with their teams to tackle real-world challenges such as those featured in Wiley Workplace Intelligence research.

Wiley Workplace Intelligence conducts in-depth research on key workplace issues by gathering insights from individual contributors, managers, and leaders. Wiley Workplace Intelligence then analyzes these findings to provide actionable solutions that are shared in our blog.