Research behind the Change Leadership Lab
Reviewed 24 October 2026 (Eastern).
These sources informed the design of this Lab; they do not validate it. The scenarios are original fictional content. Industry surveys describe leader and employee perceptions, not the effect of any practice tool. Peer-reviewed evidence supports practice with feedback and structured debriefs in general, not this specific Lab. No cited organization, author or publication endorses this Lab, and no proprietary models or report imagery are reproduced.
Industry survey signals
These surveys describe what leaders and employees report. They are context for why the Lab's scenarios exist, not evidence that any practice tool works.
2026 Global Human Capital Trends
Deloitte · March 4, 2026
https://www.deloitte.com/us/en/about/press-room/deloitte-report-winning-organizations-will-build-the-human-advantage.html (opens in a new tab)Full report and methodology: https://www.deloitte.com/us/en/insights/topics/talent/human-capital-trends.html (opens in a new tab)Sample: More than 9,000 business and HR leaders across 89 countries, per the full report (methodology linked separately from the press release).
What it supports: Adaptability is widely named as critical: 85% of surveyed leaders call it critical, while 7% say they are leading well in helping their workforce continuously grow and adapt, and 27% say their organizations manage change well.
What it does not support: A self-report leadership survey. It does not evaluate this Lab, any practice tool, or any training method, and it does not show that any intervention improves outcomes.
Gartner HR Research Finds Just 32% of Business Leaders Report Achieving Healthy Change Adoption by Employees
Gartner · July 8, 2025
https://www.gartner.com/en/newsroom/press-releases/2025-07-08-gartner-hr-research-finds-just-32-percent-of-business-leaders-report-achieving-healthy-change-adoption-by-employees (opens in a new tab)Sample: April 2025 survey of more than 2,850 employees; 79% reported low trust in change. A separate HR leader sample is reported elsewhere and is not mixed here.
What it supports: Employee trust in change is low and healthy adoption is uncommon in the surveyed organizations, which is why this Lab practices trust repair and follow-through.
What it does not support: An employee perception survey. It does not establish causes, does not measure revenue effects, and does not test any practice method.
Gartner Says CHROs' Top Priorities for 2026 Center Around Realizing AI Value and Driving Performance Amid Uncertainty
Gartner · October 2, 2025
https://www.gartner.com/en/newsroom/press-releases/2025-10-02-gartner-says-chros-top-priorities-for-2026-center-around-realizing-ai-value-and-driving-performance-amid-uncertainty (opens in a new tab)What it supports: In this release, Gartner recommends that HR leaders build everyday practice, visible progress and managed discomfort into change leadership. These are Gartner's recommendations to HR leaders, not survey findings about respondents; they align with this Lab's emphasis on rehearsed decisions rather than one-time communication.
What it does not support: A priorities announcement with recommendations. It does not evaluate methods, and this Lab does not copy or reproduce any proprietary Gartner framework.
Pulse of Change, September 2025
Accenture · September 2025
https://www.accenture.com/en/insights/pulse-of-change-september-2025 (opens in a new tab)Sample: Separate May to June 2025 surveys of 3,000 executives and 3,000 non-C-suite workers across 22 industries and 18 countries, at organizations with revenue above $500 million.
What it supports: 75% of surveyed C-suite leaders report that change is outpacing their organization's training capacity, which is the gap this Lab's readiness and protected-learning decisions rehearse.
What it does not support: The figure comes from executives at large organizations. Applicability to small, public or nonprofit organizations is not established, and the survey does not test any training method.
The State of Organizations 2026
McKinsey & Company · February 19, 2026
https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/people-and-organization/our-insights/the-state-of-organizations/ (opens in a new tab)Sample: More than 10,000 senior executives across 15 countries and 16 industries.
What it supports: Technology shifts, economic pressure and changing employee expectations are reshaping how work is organized, which is the context this Lab's fictional scenarios are set in.
What it does not support: Descriptive context only. It provides no percentage claims used here and no evidence that this Lab or any specific practice improves outcomes.
Peer-reviewed learning-design evidence
These meta-analyses support practice with feedback and structured debriefs in general. Neither studied this Lab.
Leadership training design, delivery, and implementation: A meta-analysis
Lacerenza, C. N., Reyes, D. L., Marlow, S. L., Joseph, D. A., & Salas, E. (2017). Journal of Applied Psychology, 102(12), 1686-1718. · 2017
https://doi.org/10.1037/apl0000241 (opens in a new tab)Sample: 335 independent samples.
What it supports: Leadership training is more effective when it includes needs analysis, practice, feedback and spaced sessions, with support for facilitated face-to-face delivery as well. This is why the Lab is built around practiced decisions with feedback and a structured debrief.
What it does not support: The meta-analysis studied organized training programs, not self-directed web practice. It does not show that this Lab improves leadership outcomes.
Do team and individual debriefs enhance performance? A meta-analysis
Tannenbaum, S. I., & Cerasoli, C. P. (2013). Human Factors, 55(1), 231-245. · 2013
https://doi.org/10.1177/0018720812448394 (opens in a new tab)Sample: 46 samples, N = 2,136.
What it supports: Structured debriefs after practice improve subsequent performance, which is why every scenario ends with a structured debrief mapped to the H.U.M.A.N. dimensions.
What it does not support: The effect sizes from those studies are not effects of this Lab, and no percentage improvement is claimed for this Lab.
What is original here
The three scenarios, their decision moments, consequences, coaching and debriefs are original fictional content written for this Lab. They are reasoned applications of the cited research, not findings from it. The Lab has not been empirically validated, and no cited organization, author or publication endorses it.