Category: Humaculture™ 101

Humaculture® Featured Among Ten Thought Leaders Driving Change

We’re pleased to announce that Humaculture, Inc. has been recognized in the latest International Business Times feature: “Pathos Communications and PathosMind Unveil Ten Thought Leaders Driving Change”.

Co-founder Steve Cyboran is highlighted for the Humaculture® Topological Model – a distinctive, evidence-based framework that helps executives, entrepreneurs, and leaders across business, nonprofit, and public sectors build resilient, high-performing organizations.

Rooted in the prescient analogy of sustainable horticulture, the Model views the Environment Domain as the broader terrain, the Organization Domain (with its Structures, Assets, and Processes) as well-tended “soil” forming an intentional “garden or landscape,” and People as thriving “plants” that generate abundant Created Value.

The guiding maxim is simple and powerful: “feed the soil, not the plant.” By enriching systemic Processes rather than forcing outcomes on individuals, the non-hierarchical Dynamic Matrix enables fluid, cyclical interactions across three Domains and nine Expressions – delivering natural growth and sustainable results.

This approach stands apart from conventional top-down models by emphasizing Equality of Opportunity and Merit-Based Talent Cultivation. Rigorous application yields the Three Promises:

Effectual – tangible outcomes (reduced absenteeism, lower disability costs)
Emotional – resilience-building resonance
Economic – defensible viability and ROI

This recognition reinforces our commitment to providing merit-focused leaders with timeless, systems-level guidance for lasting organizational abundance – no ideology, no shortcuts.

Read the full profile here: IBTimes Feature

We welcome your thoughts – what organizational challenge are you working to solve right now?

#Humaculture #TopologicalModel #FeedTheSoilNotThePlant #CreatedValue #MeritBasedTalentCultivation #OrganizationalResilience

Humaculture, Inc., February 25, 2026. No Comments. Category: Community Support, Humaculture™ 101, Leadership, Organizational Development, Uncategorized. Tagged: company culture, humaculture, leadership development, strategy.

Beyond Pharmacology Alone: Integrative Soil Cultivation for Workforce Resilience

Above image: Modern industrial farming (pharmacology alone) can produce short-term results, but only as long as the constant chemical inputs continue. Stop the inputs and the plants quickly decline, because the underlying soil health was never built. Sustainable organic farming (integrative approach) cultivates rich, living soil that sustains healthy, nutrient-dense fruit even without constant intervention.

Part 4: Beyond Pharmacology Alone. Integrative Soil Cultivation for Lasting Chronic Condition Mitigation

February 20, 2026

By Humaculture, Inc.

This is the fourth in a 5-part companion series to ICSL’s analysis of post-COVID health trends and morbidity pressures.

In Part 1, we examined the broad crisis of rising chronic conditions driving costs.
In Part 2, we applied the Topological Model to variable-demand operations like trucking.
In Part 3, we explored chronic surges across large workforces using actual employer data.
Here, we build on these insights to examine why pharmacology alone falls short, and how an integrative Humaculture® Topological approach (“soil cultivation”) offers a sustainable, organic path forward.

While ICSL’s companion article, “Why GLP-1 Drugs Alone Aren’t Enough – The Case for Integrative Solutions,” highlights the limitations of a pharmacology-first mindset, Humaculture® focuses on the Organizational solution. We refine “soil” (Structure, Assets, Processes—the Organization Domain) to enable natural, lasting resilience and Created Value.

As a leader in health benefits, risk management, or workforce wellness, you’ve seen the promise of GLP-1 drugs. Impressive short-term weight loss. Better blood sugar control. Reduced cardiometabolic risks. Many hoped these medications would finally bend the curve on chronic disease burdens that drive medical claims, disability costs, and absence.

Yet the limitations have become clear: high dropout rates, substantial weight regain upon discontinuation, muscle loss, side effects, and access barriers. These issues persist because pharmacology-first approaches treat symptoms without addressing the root causes. The underlying causes (poor nutrition, sedentary lifestyle, and behavioral patterns), remain unaddressed.

The Limitation of Forcing the “Plant” with Pharmacology Alone

Many people instinctively reach for the newest pharmaceutical tool. They force the “plant” (People) toward outcomes despite depleted conditions. A pharmacology-first mindset is like painting over a mildewed wall. The problem is hidden in the short-term, but reappears quickly because the root cause was only masked. Unintended consequences emerge and natural defenses weaken over time.

GLP-1 drugs deliver impressive short-term results (Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism 2022), but studies show discontinuation leads to rapid regain, often 50 to 100 percent of lost weight within 12 months (Rubino, JAMA 2022). Dropout rates run high, driven by side effects, cost, and access barriers (Rodriguez, JAMA 2022). Even sustained use carries risks like muscle loss (15 to 40 percent – ScienceInsights, 2025)and long-term risks (Healthhoper 2026).

Weight is just one piece of the puzzle. Elevated weight increases risk for cardiac and circulatory disease, neurological impairment, metabolic and digestive disorders, and many cancers. Yet pharmacology-first thinking treats symptoms rather than first supporting the body’s natural ability to restore health through nutrition, fitness, behavior, and prevention.

Temporary gains fade when the underlying “soil” remains poor. Short-term productivity comes at the price of sustained resilience. This mirrors trends where chronic conditions drive recurring claims, lengthened disability durations, and escalating costs.

Frustration grows as costs climb and workforce health continues to strain the business. You recognize that there must be a better way to manage our health costs. What if a more integrative approach could finally unlock the lasting resilience you’ve been seeking?

The Humaculture® Topological Model: A Practical Guide for Integrative “Cultivation”

The Humaculture® Topological Model gives leaders a clear, practical framework for this shift. It shows exactly where to refine the Organizational “soil” so People can thrive naturally and produce lasting Created Value. Three Domains interact without hierarchy:

Domain	Challenges (Current State)	Success (Integrative Outcome)
Environment Domain	Rigid regulations, high drug costs, limited access to preventive care	Strong partnerships with vendors that prioritize integrative protocols and flexible plan designs
Organization Domain	Fragmented benefits programs, misaligned vendors, pharmacology-first defaults	Clear standards across all health, wellness, leave, disability, and workers’ compensation programs; every partner adopts integrative-first protocols (Food as Medicine, Exercise as Medicine); misaligned vendors are replaced
People Domain	Unaddressed personal distractions and low intrinsic motivation	Empowered, accountable Talent inclined toward health, with the tools and autonomy to perform at their best

When leaders intentionally orchestrate these Domains through the Dynamic Matrix, the entire system becomes self-reinforcing. Resilient People produce sustainable Created Value cycle after cycle.

The Decisive Choice: Refine the “Soil” for Integrative Cultivation

Effective workplaces lay the foundation for lasting health and resilience in organizations facing chronic condition pressures. Families and Work Institute defines an effective workplace, and their research demonstrates that an effective workplace yields roughly twice-better health outcomes relative to low-effective workplaces, reducing chronic stress, fatigue-related risks, and claims severity while strengthening retention and engagement.

The turning point comes when the leader chooses intentional, integrative “cultivation” over pharmacology-first fixes. Instead of another drug-centric incentive or coverage expansion, they reallocate Assets toward merit-based Processes designed to attract and retain empowered Talent already inclined toward health. They establish clear standards and expectations across all health, wellness, leave, disability, and workers’ compensation programs and require every solution provider partner to adopt integrative-first protocols (Food as Medicine, Exercise as Medicine), ensuring full alignment and replacing any misaligned vendors that prioritize pharmacology-only approaches. Any vendor whose primary goal is adherence to prescription drug protocols is a clear red flag that they are not focused on improved health and should be replaced to ensure full alignment.

Resolution: Measurable Victory and Renewed Operations

Organizations that consistently feed the Organizational “soil” achieve balanced, lasting success. The resolution is measurable victory: higher People Health Quotient (PHQ) and Organization Healthful Quotient (OHQ), meaningful reductions in disability costs and absenteeism, stronger retention and engagement, substantially multiplied Created Value, and a renewed operation ready for the next cycle. Just as organic gardening produces fruit with significantly higher nutrient density, integrative health solutions is like “soil” cultivation (Organization Domain refinement) that yields resilient People who deliver superior, sustainable outcomes.

For leaders facing chronic condition pressures, the results include:

Economic. Strong multi-dollar returns on investment. Meaningful reductions in medical and prescription drug spending, disability costs, and indirect disruptions. Easier recruiting of ideal Talent. Reduced turnover. Fewer recurring claims. Recovered productivity that directly protects financial stability.
Effectual. Tangible risk reduction. Lower chronic disease progression. Decreased utilization severity. Faster recovery from health events. Measurable declines in the key post-COVID morbidity drivers.
Emotional. Authentic resonance through merit-based recognition, constructive challenge, and mission alignment. This builds voluntary engagement and retention rather than dependency or resentment.

The outcome is multiplied Created Value. Higher retention. More productive teams. More stable operations. Reduced absenteeism and disruptions. The organization becomes self-reinforcing. Resilient People produce sustainable Created Value (“fruit”) cycle after cycle.

Next up, in Part 5, we’ll examine partnering to address chronic risk at scale. Companion to ICSL’s focused analysis.

Take the First Step

As a starting point, contact Humaculture® for a review of your medical, disability, workers’ compensation, and absenteeism data, mapped to the Dynamic Matrix. We’ll identify leverage points to cultivate resilience and Created Value in your unique terrain.

Read the companion ICSL article for the full view of why pharmacology alone isn’t enough. Join us in building organizations where People don’t just manage chronic risk. They flourish despite it.

Contact: Steve Cyboran at [email protected], Wes Rogers at [email protected], or Caroline Cyboran at [email protected]

Website: humaculture.com

X: @HumacultureInc

LinkedIn: humaculture-inc

Humaculture® — Cultivate Organizations, Grow People.

Chronic Health Risks in Trucking: Cultivating Soil Resilience in Variable-Demand Operations

Part 2: Chronic Health Risks in Variable-Demand Operations. Cultivating Soil Resilience in Trucking and Beyond

January 29, 2026

By Humaculture, Inc.

This is the second in a 5-part companion series to ICSL’s analysis of post-COVID health trends and morbidity pressures. In Part 1, we explored how cultivating Organizational “soil” addresses rising chronic conditions across insurance and benefits programs. Here, we apply that framework to variable-demand operations—trucking, bus driving, construction equipment, forklifts, warehouse management, order picking, and similar roles—where the challenge of chronic health risks has been exacerbated.

While ICSL’s companion article, “Trucking Industry Health Crisis – Driver Deaths, Shortages, and Safety Risks,” diagnoses the clinical realities in trucking, Humaculture® focuses on the Organizational solution. We enrich “soil” (Structure, Assets, Processes—the Organization Domain) to build resilient People who thrive and produce Created Value.

As a leader in transportation and logistics, you know the operation runs on reliable People. Drivers who deliver. Warehouse managers who coordinate. Forklift operators who load. Order pickers who fulfill. Yet chronic health risks in trucking and variable-demand roles have exacerbated a manageable challenge into a critical bottleneck. Driver deaths. Persistent shortages. Rising accident severity. Workforce disruptions that ripple through service, safety, and costs.

Traditional responses proved insufficient. Higher pay. Recruiting bonuses. Stricter safety protocols. They slowed the decline but could not stop it. Retention stayed difficult. Accidents persisted. Frustration grew as the operation you built began to strain under health-related exits and disruptions.

But what if the most powerful leverage point lies in the Organizational “soil” that shapes resilience in variable-demand conditions?

The Limitation of Forcing the “Plant” Amid Chronic Health Risks in Trucking

Many operations instinctively reach for direct incentives or stricter rules. They force the “plant” (People) to perform despite irregular schedules, long hours alone, limited healthy food options, and sedentary demands. Generic wellness programs, often delivered through yet another standalone app that adds to fatigue, yield modest results at best. Research shows that less-integrated initiatives quickly lose adherence when they conflict with real-world demands. Brief, embedded routines, by contrast, maintain strong participation and deliver meaningful outcomes.

Temporary periods of constructive challenge can build deeper resilience. Think of focused intensity during peak seasons. Much like a seasonal drought prompts roots to grow stronger and access deeper nutrients. When balanced with adequate recovery, these challenges foster long-term adaptability and strength.

Chronic overload tells a different story. Unrelenting irregular hours without sufficient recovery turn constructive stress into toxic overload. The cost is clear. Elevated burnout. Health deterioration. Depleted long-term resilience. Short-term miles come at the price of sustained safety and retention. This mirrors the trends where chronic conditions drive higher disability, deaths, and crash severity.

The difference lies in consistently feeding the “soil”. We refine Processes to enable natural, sustainable growth.

The Humaculture® Topological Model: A Mentor for Sustainable Cultivation in Variable-Demand Operations

The Humaculture® Topological Model provides leaders with a proven framework. Three Domains interact fluidly without hierarchy to foster purposeful Value Creation. The Dynamic Matrix provides profound insights into the connections (topology) between them.

The cultivated “soil” is the Organization Domain—Structure, Assets, and Processes—that enables the “plants” (People) to thrive within the broader terrain (Environment).

Environment Domain

The broader terrain. Rules (hours-of-service regulations, safety standards), Natural Resources (fuel, equipment, rest facilities, capital for investment), Community (customers, regulators, potential employees).

Challenges: Constant regulatory adaptation, variable fuel costs, customer pressure for speed, limited healthy food options at rest stops.
Opportunities: Align external conditions with internal resilience through better rest planning, safety compliance, and partnerships among peer Organizations and vendors to improve access to nutritious food options.

Organization Domain

The cultivated “soil”. Structure (flat governance, route planning hierarchies), Assets (trucks, technology, financial reserves), Processes (Leadership and Operational). Leadership Processes set direction and norms: Strategic Planning aligns long-term routes with health needs; Resource Allocation funds reliable scheduling, equipment, and family-supportive benefits; Skill Development builds advanced safety and fatigue-management capabilities; Community Engagement incorporates customer feedback for realistic timelines; Cultural Nurturing fosters respect and mission resonance; Performance Nurturing provides feedback on routes and well-being. Operational Processes execute day-to-day reliability: predictable dispatching, payroll accuracy, maintenance schedules, compliance workflows, and administrative support for leave or family needs.

Challenges: Irregular hours, equipment downtime, administrative delays, sedentary lifestyle demands.
Opportunities: Reliable execution of these Processes creates a well-functioning operation where People rely on consistent management support, fair schedules, and financial stability.

People Domain

The “plants”. Personal Characteristics (age, gender, height, weight, behavioral heuristic), Skills/Training/Education/Experiences (CDL certification, HAZMAT training, Supply Chain Warehousing Certificate), Created Value (safe deliveries, on-time performance, customer satisfaction).

Challenges: Isolation, sedentary lifestyle, poor nutrition access.
Opportunities: Refined “soil” enables People to manage variability without chronic overload, producing resilient, healthy, productive Talent.

In variable-demand operations like trucking, effective workplaces do not emerge by accident. They require intentional orchestration of the Dynamic Matrix—meaningful challenge through purposeful work, responsive supervisor support, autonomy over aspects of tasks, co-worker backing through peer networks, respect for contributions, work-life fit with predictable recovery time, fair pay and advancement paths. Research from the Families and Work Institute shows such workplaces yield roughly twice-better health outcomes relative to low-effective workplaces, reducing chronic stress, fatigue-related risks, and claims severity while strengthening retention and safety.

The Decisive Choice: Refine the “Soil”

The turning point comes when the leader chooses intentional cultivation over leaving the Dynamic Matrix uncoordinated. Instead of another bonus program or compliance rule, they reallocate Assets toward merit-based Processes. They embed practical biometric feedback in Performance Nurturing. Adjust scheduling safeguards through Resource Allocation. Align Cultural Nurturing with mission and independence. Foster peer networks and mentorship to build belonging and support.

Published examples show this works. J.B. Hunt fosters belonging through driver appreciation events. Swift Transportation Mentor Program has experienced drivers mentor new ones on real-world skills, safety, and adaptation – focusing on performance improvement and retention through direct peer guidance. PAM Transport Driver Mentor Program allows mentors to earn extra pay while guiding new drivers on routes, safety, and lifestyle management – delivering practical, incentive-driven peer support for job success and resilience. Averitt Express provides paid training with personal driver trainers (experienced peers) for onboarding and skill development, supporting reliability and peer learning. Schneider’s Driver Ambassadors, selected for excellence, advocate improvements to the driver experience. Opportunities remain to develop virtual networks and revive depot meetups, creating informal communities that combat isolation and provide practical co-worker support for job success. These structures activate within Cultural Nurturing and Community Engagement, helping People feel connected despite the road.

Brief daily routines with high adherence have been shown to substantially reduce pain levels and support sustained focus—countering sedentary demands. Deeply integrated workplace resilience programs, including preventive coaching for lifestyle, nutrition, and gut/digestive health, deliver strong multi-dollar returns on investment when designed to attract and retain Talent already inclined toward health. These yield meaningful improvements in chronic disease risk factors, reductions in symptom burden, and corresponding lower medical spending and claims severity—addressing limited healthy food options on the road. Embedded support for health-related absences, when part of broader resilience Processes, significantly shortens disability durations tied to chronic conditions, producing high ROI.

HARS™ (Health, Absence, Resilience Support) is a sub-knowledge set within the Topological Model. It specifically addresses, analyzes, and predicts Process improvements to achieve the Three Promises in health, absence, and resilience areas.

Resolution: Measurable Victory and Renewed Operations

For leaders in transportation and logistics facing chronic health risks in trucking, the results include:

Economic. Strong multi-dollar returns on investment. Meaningful reductions in medical spending, disability costs, insurance premiums, and indirect disruptions. Easier recruiting of ideal drivers. Reduced turnover. More drivers passing DOT health examinations. Fewer safety incidents. This results in recovered productivity that directly protects operational stability.
Effectual. Tangible risk reduction. Lower chronic disease progression. Decreased accident severity. Faster recovery from health events. This supports measurable declines in the key post-COVID morbidity drivers.
Emotional. Authentic resonance through merit-based recognition, constructive challenge, and mission alignment. This builds voluntary engagement and retention rather than dependency or resentment.

The outcome is multiplied Created Value. Higher retention. Safer miles. More stable operations. Reduced shortages and disruptions. The operation becomes self-reinforcing. Resilient People produce sustainable fruit cycle after cycle.

Next week, in Part 3, we’ll examine chronic condition surges and broader workforce impacts. Companion to ICSL’s focused analysis.

Take the First Step

Read the companion ICSL article for the full view of trucking challenges. Join us in building operations where People don’t just endure variability. They flourish within it.

X: @HumacultureInc

LinkedIn: humaculture-inc

Humaculture® — Cultivate Organizations, Grow People.

Grocery Industry HR Survey 2025: Key Insights for Regional Retailers

Posted by Humaculture®
September 18, 2025

With grocery prices up ~25% since 2020 and labor shortages intensifying, regional grocers need innovative workforce strategies to stay competitive. At Humaculture®, we’re excited to launch the Grocery Industry HR Survey 2025, designed to deliver actionable insights for regional grocery stores facing grocery HR challenges like turnover, rising costs, and policy shifts.

Why Participate in the Grocery Industry HR Survey?

The Grocery Industry HR & Benefits Survey uncovers correlations between HR practices, total rewards, and outcomes like employee retention, productivity, and labor cost management. By joining, you’ll gain:

Exclusive Benchmarking: Compare your practices to industry trends.
Actionable Insights: Address labor shortages in the grocery industry and optimize employee retention in grocery stores.
Industry Leadership: Contribute to a report shaping grocery industry benefits trends.

Watch a replay of our Grocery Industry HR Survey 2025 Webinar to learn more.

Take the Grocery Industry HR Survey 2025 now.

Addressing Grocery HR Challenges in 2025

Regional grocers face unique pressures:

Economic Shifts: New tariffs and inflation increase costs.
Labor Shortages: Immigration policies risk short-term workforce gaps, raising labor costs.
Competition: Big-box stores and discounters challenge market share.
Consumer Trends: Private-label products hold over 20% market share with near-universal adoption, demanding agility.

Our survey explores regional grocery workforce strategies for:

Attracting and Retaining Talent: Competitive compensation and benefits.
Boosting Productivity: Training and workplace culture initiatives.
Managing Costs: Balancing wages with operational efficiency.

Learn how our total rewards philosophy leads success in a grocery setting.

Engaging with the Grocery Industry

Humaculture® is committed to driving industry-wide impact by sharing insights at key grocery events where HR and workforce topics take center stage:

Grocery Impact 2025 (November 5-7, Orlando): Focused on “The Power of People,” featuring sessions on leadership, talent development, and innovative HR strategies.
Groceryshop 2025 (September 28–October 1, Las Vegas): A hub for grocery innovation, including discussions on tech-driven workforce solutions and supply chain impacts on labor.

These events align with 2025 HR trends like skills-based hiring, AI integration, and financial wellness programs—key areas our survey addresses. Join us to spark conversations on empowering regional grocers.

Survey Highlights

Quick and Confidential: 25-30 minutes, anonymized responses.
Comprehensive: Covers compensation, training, culture, and grocery industry benefits trends.
Incentives:
- Executive summary and benchmarking report.
- Recognition in an upcoming Humaculture® whitepaper.
- Personalized report via a follow-up meeting.

Join Us to Shape Grocery HR

Take the Grocery Industry HR Survey 2025 and share on LinkedIn or X with #GroceryHR to drive industry change. For questions, contact any of our team members:

Steve Cyboran	CEO, Consulting Actuary, Chief Behavioral Officer
Wes Rogers	President, Humaculturist®
Paula Labian	Former CHRO, HAC/Whole Foods
Marc Jones	Former CEO, HAC
Sam Martin	Former CEO, A&P, SVP Operations, Wild Oats Market

FAQ: Grocery Industry HR Survey 2025

What is the Grocery Industry HR Survey?
A 25-30 minute survey addressing grocery HR challenges like turnover, labor costs, and benefits for regional grocers.
How can regional grocers benefit?
Gain benchmarking data and actionable insights for employee retention in grocery stores.
Is it confidential?
Yes, responses are anonymized, ensuring candid feedback.

Humaculture® is a registered trademark of Humaculture, Inc.

Humaculture, Inc., September 18, 2025. No Comments. Category: Employee Benefits, Financial Well-being, Grocery Industry, Humaculture™ 101, Leadership, Optimal Behavior, Organizational Development, People Development, Uncategorized.

Optimal Behaviors: Making Optimal Behavior the Natural Choice

Optimal Behaviors Overview

Watch this webinar series to see how we explore ways organizations can incorporate research-based, practical approaches to create the conditions where Optimal Behaviors are the natural choice. Optimal Behaviors are those that are the most beneficial to the individual as well as the organization.

Horticulturists consider the impact of the conditions in which plants are grown (e.g., climate, soil structure, space and fertility, arrangement, companion planting). Growth and productivity improve when the context of each dimension is appropriately addressed. Expertise from fields like botany and soil sciences provide the successful horticulturist with the information to do their jobs well.

Similarly, Humaculturists® consider the Seven Dimensions of Humaculture® to employ knowledge solidly “rooted” in science for the best results. Behavioral Research Applied Technology Laboratory (BRATLAB), Virtuositeam’s research arm, set out to answer some crucial questions related to understanding changes in behavior and habit creation:

Which habits really matter, and to what degree, to the three biggest hidden drivers of sustained performance at work, human health, happiness, and security?
How do we support people to practice these habits in a way that they experience as easy and natural, and that leaves them feeling highly engaged with their employer?

Four Powers Model of Change

The result: the Four Powers Model of Change. This model helps organizations create a thriving culture by leveraging this key distinction: how people THINK they behave and make decisions, versus how they ACTUALLY behave and make decisions. Four Powers is based on behavioral theories and validated research, behavioral research laboratories, and BRATLAB’s own extensive field testing. BRATLAB looked across industries to find the influence techniques that have been successfully used for years to shape employee and customer behavior.

The topics from the series include:

Prior Series

Available Support

We are available to support you in your strategy, design, compliance, financial, and monitoring needs. Our team includes experts in organization design, actuarial science, clinical, and legal can guide the process to achieve optimal behavior. Please contact us.

Humaculture, Inc., September 23, 2024. No Comments. Category: Employee Benefits, Humaculture™ 101, Leadership, Optimal Behavior, Organizational Development, People Development. Tagged: Actuarial Services, behavior change, corporate development, growth, habits, Management Consulting Firms, natural choice, performance, productivity, Total Rewards Consulting.

Webinar Replay: Harvest Time: “Reaping the Fruit of Optimal Behaviors”

Watch a replay of the sixth and final webinar in Humaculture, Inc.’s “Optimal Behavior: Making Optimal Behavior the Natural Choice” to learn why and how to apply the four Contexts and four Powers of behavior change through a review of a case example.

Watch Here

Presenters

Steve Cyboran, ASA, MAAA, FCA, CEBS, actuary and strategy consultant
Wes Rogers, Humaculturist® and strategy consultant
Colin Bullen, ASA, behavior change actuary
Hanlie van Wyk, behavior change consultant

Objective

In this sixth and final session in our series on Optimal Behavior, we explore how to apply all the learning from the previous five webinars to reap a bountiful harvest produced by desired behaviors. To reliably achieve sustained Optimal Behavior, we consider all four Contexts – Spaces, Self, Systems, and Social. We do this by applying the Four Powers – the Powers to grow capability, inspire motivation, overcome barriers, and resist temptation – to align the influences acting on People toward supporting the change to Optimal Behavior. We will demonstrate the process of adjusting the Powers within the Contexts and the practical steps to take using a case study in the retail sector. We wrap up with the virtuous cycle that is the Change Ecosystem, showing how to reinforce Optimal Behaviors and ensure those behaviors stick. At the end of this webinar, attendees will understand how the Powers and Contexts come together to create the Four Powers behavior change framework and how that framework can be applied in practice.

“In the final analysis, change sticks when it becomes the way we do things around here.” – John P Kotter

Harvest Time Key Takeaways

Join us to learn how to apply the Four Powers model of change to reap the following fruits:

Confident and capable People
Inspired workplace
Agile workforce
People armored against distractions

Watch

Watch the Optimal Behavior: Harvest Time: “Reaping the Fruit of Optimal Behaviors” via Rumble or YouTube.

Available Support

We are available to support you in your strategy, design, compliance, financial, and monitoring needs. Our team includes business and human relations leaders, finance experts, actuaries, clinicians, behavioral health experts, pharmacy experts, and legal resources to guide you through the strategy and compliance process. Please contact us: [email protected].

Humaculture, Inc., July 30, 2024. No Comments. Category: Humaculture™ 101, Leadership, Optimal Behavior, Organizational Development, People Development. Tagged: agile workforce, behavior change, corporate ecosystem, inspire workforce, optimal behavior, social context, supporting change.

Harvest Time: “Reaping the Fruit of Optimal Behaviors”

Join us on Thursday, July 18, 2024 from 10:30 to 11:00 CDT (4:30 to 5:00 BST) for the sixth webinar in Humaculture, Inc.’s “Optimal Behavior: Making Optimal Behavior the Natural Choice.” You will learn why and how to apply the four Contexts and four Powers of behavior change through a review of a case example.

Click to Register

Presenters

Steve Cyboran, ASA, MAAA, FCA, CEBS, actuary and strategy consultant
Wes Rogers, Humaculturist® and strategy consultant
Colin Bullen, ASA, behavior change actuary
Hanlie van Wyk, behavior change consultant

Objective

“In the final analysis, change sticks when it becomes the way we do things around here.” – John P Kotter

Harvest Time Key Takeaways

Join us to learn how to apply the Four Powers model of change to reap the following fruits:

Confident and capable People
Inspired workplace
Agile workforce
People armored against distractions

Available Support

Humaculture, Inc., June 12, 2024. No Comments. Category: Humaculture™ 101, Leadership, Optimal Behavior, Organizational Development, People Development. Tagged: behavior change, company culture, healthy culture, optimal behavior.

People Development: A Humaculture® Perspective Series

Please join us on the third Thursday of the month over the next six months for our upcoming People Development series. This series will focus on how to shape talent for success by “pruning the vines” as necessary. We will cover people development from the Humaculture^® perspective.

Click to Watch

In this webinar series, we explore ways organizations can rethink the traditional performance management and people development processes to make them more meaningful, impactful, and aligned with the organizational vision and strategy – focusing employees and leaders on what is truly important.

Successful horticulturists recognize the overwhelmingly positive impact of pruning. Pruning is the process of removing branches that:

Are not supporting the desired shape of the plant the horticulturist seeks,
Take energy from the plant without maximizing productivity,
Shade or otherwise interfere with the productivity of the other branches.

Effective pruning allows the plant to focus its energies in the most effective and productive areas. People, like plants, often expend energy and time in areas that distract them from achieving their highest and greatest purpose and contributions. In any organization, it is important to help employees remove or overcome the impediments that hold them back, and focus on the areas and interests that will really help them achieve their goals, as well as the strategic priorities of the organization. This series highlights several ways organizations can be innovative and more effective than traditional “performance management.”

The topics for the upcoming series include:

Performance Management: Walking the Garden
June 16, 2022 – 12:00-12:30 CDT	The shift from Managing to Facilitating Growth
Shaping Talent for Success: Pruning the Vines
August 18, 2022 – 12:00-12:30 CDT	Capabilities: Prune to Encourage Growth
Career Planning: Effective Pruning Bears Fruit
November 17, 2022 – 12:00-12:30 CDT	Employee Development
February 16, 2023 – 12:00-12:30 CDT	Manager Development
April 20, 2023 – 12:00-12:30 CDT	Leadership Development

To view our prior Strategic Compliance series on the Hidden Opportunities within the CAA and Transparency Rules, click here.

Available Support

We are available to support you in your strategy, design, compliance, financial, and monitoring needs. To that end, our team of consultants, including actuaries, clinicians, behavioral health, pharmacy, and legal resources are available to guide you through the compliance process. Please contact us.

Humaculture, Inc., June 3, 2022. No Comments. Category: Humaculture™ 101, Organizational Development, People Development. Tagged: career planning, company culture, employee development, employee engagement, employee growth, employee productivity, facilitate growth, healthy culture, leadership development, manager development, manager growth, performance management.

Employee Benefits – The Humaculture® Perspective

Photos above: Just as different plants thrive in different soils, different people also thrive in different organizations. Aloe vera thrives in thin, rocky, dry soil. Similarly, there are also certain organizations that employ people who may primarily have access to benefits through a spouse or parent and don’t require rich benefits. Other organizations may need moderate benefits (like drip irrigation on grapes) designed and structured to nurture them to thrive properly. Still other organizations may require benefits designed to protect and nourish employees, much like lettuce requires mulch and abundant moisture.

Did any person, or any organization, ever become great by striving to be average? Many business leaders instinctively look at what every other organization in their particular industry is doing, then defensively adopt benefits that make their organization “competitive” with their peers. But, does this approach really make an organization distinctive and magnetic to talented people who will lead to success? Is it really a good idea to attract employees who are concerned primarily about benefits?

Understanding the Nature of the Organization – Vision, Mission, and Strategy

The horticulturist understands that different plants, different production goals, and different climates require soils to be built in specific and intentional ways. Each planting bed is designed with climate, soil texture and drainage, fertility, pH, and other factors in mind based on the types of plants and crops desired. So, the successful horticulturist begins with a vision and mission, then develops a strategy based on the vision and mission while considering climate and available resources. While other inputs may be required (irrigation, support, row covers or other protection), the soil is the key. Without well designed soil one can typically expect mediocre results at best. The most successful gardens “feed the soil, not the plant.” A well-chosen plant in well-designed and prepared soil will naturally thrive and produce the desired fruit.

To be successful and highly effective, organizational leaders must take a similar approach. Each organization has different goals, different purposes, and operates in different business, social and legal environments. All of these factors will have tremendous impact on how the organization is able to attract, engage, grow, retain, sustain, and transition employees or other people who will in some way be a part of, and grow, in the organizational “soil.” Many leaders have at least some idea of their organization’s vision and mission, even if only informally. They also know they need the “right” employees to carry out the strategy to accomplish the vision and mission, so much so that the focus becomes “feeding the plant, not the soil.” But failing to understand the importance of building a good organizational “soil” substantially reduces the effectiveness of recruiting, compensation, benefits, well-being initiatives, engagement, safety, and any other perk or program directed at employees.

Pitfalls of the “We Offer Excellent Benefits” Approach

One large health system sought to have only the “very best” benefits, desiring to be viewed as cutting edge to potential employees and to motivate current employees, which is popular among progressive and innovative organizations. The health system combined the Paid Time Off (PTO) benefits for 7 recently integrated entities by adopting a richest benefit approach. This put the new, larger system above the 75^th percentile of its peers. However, the workforce plan and job designs did not allow employees to effectively use those benefits, which led to a lot of frustration and inequitable use. It’s a little like over fertilizing plants, they may be “burned” by the excessive fertilizer. The intent of PTO is to recharge and re-energize people so they can better perform in their job. In this case, the employees felt resentment over a benefit they couldn’t readily access and still meet the patient and business needs of their jobs. There must be an appropriate balance between no time off and full time off. It is important that the PTO be designed for optimal performance. The strategic workforce plan and jobs should then be designed for the level of time off provided (e.g., preparing organizational “soil” to allow the employees to use the PTO benefit to help them thrive).

Similar scenarios are repeated in many organizations, especially as organizations look to benefits and other benchmark surveys to guide their benefit choices. So often, organizations implement or modify benefits programs based on benchmark studies, then struggle with high benefits costs and look for the latest “cost containment” measures, programs, or services. For example, a large utility maintained a traditional sick leave program to remain “competitive” with its industry peers. The 100% pay replacement led to over-utilization, excessive costs, scheduling challenges, and increased time to manage employee relations issues related to absence. It simply became much harder to manage and was not attracting and retaining the employees who would best thrive and contribute to continue to build the organizational “soil.” Yes, “everyone else” was doing it but the choice to be average led to high costs and failed to make this organization distinctive and magnetic to the employees who could best produce the intended “fruit” and nourish the “soil”.

How We Design Benefits from a Humaculture™ Perspective

Humaculture™ recognizes that the organization itself is the key to a thriving, engaged, and contributing workforce that leads to success. Benchmarks are good against which to test designs and cost levels to assure they are distinctive and magnetic, but the designs should first support the vision and mission of the organization. While many advisors may suggest, for example, a healthcare organization should provide rich health care benefits, the Humaculture™ approach would view it a little differently. Humaculture™ would focus on the vision to model healthier behaviors, understand the consumer choices their patients are making, and differentiate the type of talent that may choose their organization (e.g., make the benefits less rich for those who aren’t willing to engage in healthier behaviors).

Such a design would support the organization’s effort to attract, engage, grow, retain, sustain, and transition employees who will buy-in to the vision and mission, be fruitful, and contribute to the tilth of the organizational “soil.” Well-designed soil requires fewer inputs of fertilizer, pesticides, water, etc. to successfully produce a crop. Likewise, well-designed organizations, including benefits and compensation that are aligned to support the vision and mission of the organization, will have much lower costs and achieve greater results than those organizations who “burn” the employees with rich or misaligned benefits. For example, one health plan had a copay for emergency room (ER) visit but applied the deductible and coinsurance for office visits. After switching the design to copays for office visits and increasing the ER copay, ER utilization dropped by 20% and non-emergent ER costs dropped by 99%. Overall, the broader behavioral redesign rolled back the cost levels 3 years of double digit increases without increasing plan participant costs.

So, what steps should be taken to design and implement benefits that support the organizational vision and mission, as well as reduce costs and support employees who thrive? How should you begin to develop an effective Humaculture™?

Either develop or formalize and articulate the Organization’s vision, mission, and strategic priorities.
Consider and design benefits that support the vision, mission, and strategic priorities.
Optimize benefit design by applying principles of behavioral economics and choice architecture.
Develop metrics that will provide actionable insights into the performance of the benefit designs.
Evaluate benefit effectiveness relative to vision, mission, and strategic priorities and performance.
Modify designs accordingly and continue to measure and evaluate.

Applying these Humaculture™ principles will move your organization toward providing fertile “soil” for employees, reduce benefit costs (even before “cost management” techniques or services are used), and contribute to a much more productive and profitable organization. Please see our real world applications of this approach and the outcomes achieved with time off, health care, and financial well-being benefits. Take the Humaculture™ Benefits Assessment to conduct a high level analysis of how you are doing.

About Humaculture, Inc.
Humaculture, Inc. transforms organizations—the way organizational leaders understand the organization and the relationships among the people in it, and the way people think about their position and role in the organization. Humaculture™ is a philosophy and systematic approach for creating profitable, aligned, and healthy organizations conceptualized as “soil” in which people can thrive. Humaculture™ helps organizations create the right culture in order to naturally attract, engage, retain, sustain, grow, and transition people who enable the business—and each other—to thrive. More information can be found at: Humaculture.co. Learn more about our team at https://humaculture.co/who-are-we/.

Authors:
Wes Rogers, Chief Guidance Officer for Humaculture, Inc. Wes has almost 35 years’ experience in consulting and senior management positions with a variety of organizations, facilitating groups of people with diverse perspectives and objectives to coalesce around a singular vision and marshal resources to achieve the vision. This experience provides exceptional insights into how organizations operate and succeed. Contact Wes at [email protected].

Steve Cyboran, ASA, MAAA, FCA, CEBS, Chief Behavioral Officer, Consulting Actuary for Humaculture, Inc. Over the past 30 years, Steve has worked extensively with leading corporations, higher education institutions, and health systems across the country to articulate a vision for a healthy and effective workplace culture, develop a total rewards strategy to support that vision and brings deep benefits expertise with a behavioral approach and sound analytics to achieve and measure the desired outcomes. Contact Steve at [email protected].

Leadership & Tomatoes: 3 Business Principles from My Garden

About 1 in 3 people aspire to a leadership role in business.¹ About 1 in 3 people grow a kitchen garden.² The motivation is the same with both demographics. What is it? The tomatoes, of course. Business success. The harvest.

In turn, successful businesses and successful gardens also have something in common: the people who are rooting (pun intended) for it all to be a thriving ecosystem, resulting in a bountiful harvest for everyone.

Over the years, I have observed that many horticulture principles can provide insights and understanding to help those in leadership build more successful organizations.

Leadership Principle #1 — First build the soil.

Without first building healthy soil, gardening is unlikely to be successful. Well-prepared, deep garden soil gives plants the best opportunity to grow a strong root system.

In my garden, I till the soil each spring while the temperatures are still dipping below freezing. I add compost, fall leaves, and grass clippings to add nutrients and texture to the soil. I add alkaline wood ash from winter fires to maintain the soil’s pH balance, since I know my iron-laden well water tends to acidify the soil over time.

Well-prepared soil ensures the plants have the nutrients they need. Good soil also maintains a more consistent temperature, and it allows excess water to drain away faster, retaining only a healthy amount of moisture and retaining it longer.

If we think of businesses and organizations as the soil in which we grow and earn our living, we can easily begin to see parallels between a garden and an organization. An organization that is well prepared has sufficient capitalization, delivers products and services consistent with its vision and mission, is conducive to employee health and well-being, has reserves to weather economic storms, etc.

Most new businesses fail because those who form them are focused primarily on the success they hope to achieve (i.e. harvesting a bumper crop of metaphorical tomatoes), rather than first focusing on the soil preparation that will be critical to that success.

Leadership Principle #2 — Support the plants as they grow.

Once the soil is prepared, the hardest work is done. I have created a nutrient-rich, foundational environment the tomato plants can send deep roots down into and draw resources from to thrive.

The Rogers newly-planted tomato garden, with stakes to support the plants as they grow (Spring 2020).

In addition to building the soil, I also have further resources to ensure the tomatoes’ success. I supply supports for the plants as they grow taller and bend under the weight of their fruit. I provide irrigation, giving plants the extra water they need in the dry summertime. I walk through the garden almost every day to identify stressors affecting the plants so I can intervene with extra support if necessary.

Employees—even those in the best-prepared organizational soils—will experience negative stressors and challenges from time to time. Distressed tomato plants, just like people experiencing excessive stress, will never be as productive as they would be if they were healthy, and the quality of what they produce will likely be lower as well. Like a horticulturist walking through the garden, a person in a leadership position needs to be able to recognize when something is preventing the employees within their span of care from fully thriving.

Perhaps the employee is not well-matched to the job; they might benefit from transplanting to another area of the organization. Perhaps some benefits, compensation, recognition and performance management programs, advancement pathways, etc. are not properly designed to align with the organizational vision or mission; more beneficial behavioral designs could be put in place instead. Perhaps there are organizational climate challenges; the team might need special support during especially trying times to overcome the difficulties and thrive.

Often, the problem lies not with the employee, but with the organization and whether it optimizes the availability of its resources so employees can effectively leverage them and thrive.

Leadership Principle #3 — Plants don’t exist for soil; soil exists for plants.

The primary focus of a successful garden is never actually the plants. Plants come and go. If they are happy and healthy in well-built soil, they will thrive and produce a great crop.

Yet I never think of my tomato plants as resources to be exploited. Rather, in partnership and anticipation, I provide them with great soil and support them as they grow and produce. Most of my effort is directed into building the soil for the plants and making sure they have everything they need to thrive; the plants themselves do the rest. Both my tomatoes and I work in this gardening venture, looking ahead to the reward – a bountiful harvest.

One of the most important lessons I have learned from gardening is that just as the plants do not exist for the soil, people do not exist for the organization. Employees—humans—are not “resources” or “capital.” In fact, these terms have come to bother me deeply. “Capital” and “resources” are things an organization owns, rents, or acquires through debt to produce a product or deliver a service. Grouping people into a category of owned or rented assets is very discomforting to the thoughtful person.

Further, I have observed that developing policies and practices based on the analogy of owning or renting people (as the capital/resources terminology implies) leads to confusion on many fronts. Ultimately, it often leads to employees who are demoralized and perform poorly.

So, what if we thought of businesses and organizations as soil created for people to grow and thrive in? What if we thought of the organization’s resources as the support people need to produce abundant value (the harvest)? Organizations do not own employees. Employees are not the resource. Organizations are the soil in which people can root themselves to do meaningful, fruitful work – to grow and to thrive.

Just like I build the soil for my tomato plants because they grow better in a prepared garden, people create organizations of all sorts because we grow better and accomplish more together.

Practical Applications

So, if we change the way we think about organizations and people, how do we also rethink the way leadership handles traditional “human resources” or “human capital” topics (e.g. pay, talent development, performance management, benefits, time off, total rewards, etc.)? In other words, what is the practical application of these principles?

The Humaculture^® approach addresses this. In order to apply the concept of building the soil, we first have to ask some questions: Why does the organization exist? What is its vision? In what sort of climate does the organization operate?

After gaining some clarity about these factors, the Humaculture^® approach leads us to consider which people will best achieve the organization’s vision and mission (peach trees are unhelpful if the goal is a tomato crop, just as nurses are unlikely to design the best engine for a cutting-edge vehicle prototype).

The Humaculture^® approach also leads us to consider what structure and delivery of the organizational resources will allow the people—and, in return, the organization—to thrive and be abundantly fruitful.

It might seem like more work at the outset, but the tomatoes (the fruit, the value created) are always worth it.

¹ http://press.careerbuilder.com/2014-09-09-Majority-of-Workers-Dont-Aspire-to-Leadership-Roles-Finds-New-CareerBuilder-survey
² http://www.farmerfoodshare.org/farmer-foodshare/2017/6/15/gardening-boom-1-in-3-american-households-grow-food

Author:
Wes Rogers, Chief Guidance Officer for Humaculture, Inc. Wes has almost 35 years’ experience in consulting and senior management positions with a variety of organizations, facilitating groups of people with diverse perspectives and objectives to coalesce around a singular vision and marshal resources to achieve the vision. This experience provides exceptional insights into how organizations operate and succeed. Contact Wes at [email protected].

Contributor:
Steve Cyboran, ASA, MAAA, FCA, CEBS, Chief Behavioral Officer, Consulting Actuary for Humaculture, Inc. Over the past 30 years, Steve has worked extensively with leading corporations, higher education institutions, and health systems across the country to articulate a vision for a healthy and effective workplace culture, develop a total rewards strategy to support that vision and brings deep benefits expertise with a behavioral approach and sound analytics to achieve and measure the desired outcomes. Contact Steve at [email protected].

Edited by:
Rachel Rogers, Editor for Humaculture, Inc. Rachel holds an A.A. in Liberal Studies with an emphasis in English and Communications. As a published writer with training in creative storytelling and corporate storytelling, her experience with writing, editing, and advising writers includes both technical and academic documents, as well as creative works.

About Humaculture, Inc.
Humaculture, Inc. transforms organizations—the way organizational leaders understand the organization and the relationships among the people in it, and the way people think about their position and role in the organization. Humaculture^® is a philosophy and systematic approach for creating profitable, aligned, and healthy organizations conceptualized as “soil” in which people can thrive. Humaculture^® helps organizations create the right culture in order to naturally attract, retain, sustain, grow, and transition people who enable the business—and each other—to thrive. More information can be found at: Humaculture.com.