Research

The evidence base behind HPI

HPI draws on published research across cognitive science, behavioral psychology, occupational health, and mindfulness science. This page presents the anchor publication, the six research domains the framework integrates, and the 16 named challenges it addresses.

Anchor publication

Where HPI draws its evidence from

About this paper

This paper introduces HPI as an integrative framework synthesizing research from cognitive science, behavioral psychology, and occupational health. It explains how human performance emerges, degrades, and can be sustained in AI-enabled work environments.

The paper provides both a conceptual model and a practitioner-facing diagnostic logic grounded in the five dimensions the framework measures.

Every diagnostic dimension and every program maps back to one of these 16 challenges.

Access on SSRN

SSRN paper

Human Performance Intelligence™

Nitsche · Moutier · 2026

Field observations

Observations from practice

All insights

The five AI implementation stages

Every organization adopting AI moves through recognizable stages. Each has a distinct technical state, a distinct human reality, and a distinct set of programs that address it.

Stage 1

The Shadow AI Stage

Technology focus

Unsanctioned tools, no IT visibility, employees experimenting alone.

Human focus

Anxiety rises before tools are sanctioned. Habits form in the absence of guidance.

Program offering

Employee

Employee Program

8 sessions · one hour each

Stage 2

The Copilot Chaos Stage

Technology focus

Tool licensed but no rollout playbook. Managers and employees self-discovering.

Human focus

Confusion replaces clarity; effort doubles instead of halving.

Program offering

Manager

Manager Program

6 sessions · one hour each

Stage 3

The AI Reality Shock Stage

Technology focus

AI starts exposing process gaps and weak workflows the org had been tolerating.

Human focus

Emotional defensiveness, identity threats, fairness questions emerge.

Program offering

Senior Leadership

Executive Session

90 minutes

Stage 4

The Acceleration Pressure Stage

Technology focus

Tooling acceleration outpaces the organization's adaptive bandwidth.

Human focus

Chronic strain becomes the default state. Performance degrades silently.

Program offering

HR Function

HR / People Ops Workshop

4 sessions · one hour each

Stage 5

The Human-Centered AI Organization

Technology focus

AI is embedded; the new sustaining question is how to keep humans performing.

Human focus

Sustained performance becomes the design goal, not the survival goal.

Program offering

Engagement

Change Management Retainer

6–12 months · renewable

Diagnostic dimensions

The five conditions HPI measures

Each dimension maps to a specific failure mode observed across the five stages.

AI Awareness

Whether the organization has a clear, communicated position on what AI is and what is expected. Absence creates anxiety that fills with rumor.

Manager Readiness

Whether managers can lead AI-related team conversations. Highest leverage per training hour because managers cascade what they know.

Habit Formation

Whether employees are forming constructive or destructive AI work habits. Destructive habits form early and take months to retrain.

Governance & Security

Whether teams understand what data can go where. The most costly incidents trace back to governance gaps, not technical failures.

Wellbeing & Fatigue

Whether cognitive load and recovery are being tracked. Performance degrades silently before it becomes organizationally visible.