Theme 3 Intro
Summary
The keynote centers on empowering researchers to reclaim their value within increasingly complex, relational, and pluralistic organizational contexts. It outlines a progression of sessions featuring experts such as Robin Beers, who advocates for applying systems theory to drive scalable change; Rachel Dicus, who addresses the urgent need to recognize and mitigate trauma within research ecosystems; and Bruce Gillespie, who highlights balancing impactful communication with compassionate storytelling. Practical tools and strategies are proposed by Jess Greco for amplifying researchers' unique voices, while Megan Blocker, Marika McCloskey, and Renee Reed discuss structuring teams and careers to facilitate fluid collaboration. Sarah Fala and Alba Il explore the role of researchers as stewards of organizational wisdom, with Maria Gigi concluding the day with an inspiring call to regain agency and passion amid evolving research landscapes. The overarching message emphasizes moving beyond simply informing to inspiring decision-making, fostering collective empowerment, and operationalizing changes that underscore researchers’ indispensable contributions.
Key Insights
-
•
Researchers must evolve into coaches, consultants, and strategists to empower broader research adoption.
-
•
Effective research communication is about inspiring action, not just delivering information.
-
•
Applying systems theory helps researchers drive change at scale by better understanding complex organizations.
-
•
Recognizing and addressing trauma in participants and practitioners is critical for ethical research.
-
•
Balancing impactful communication with compassionate storytelling enhances relational connections.
-
•
Researchers need practical tools to harness and differentiate their unique voices in noisy environments.
-
•
Fluid team structures and career paths better support pluralistic and relational ways of working.
-
•
Researchers increasingly act as stewards of organizational wisdom, not just insight providers.
-
•
Collective empowerment matters more than being the sole spokesperson in research narratives.
-
•
Reclaiming research value involves regaining agency, passion, and adapting to fluid, participant-centered spaces.
Notable Quotes
"Reclaiming our value is not about shouting about our worth, it's about demonstrating it in impossible ways to ignore."
"How do we empower others to perform research by becoming coaches?"
"We need to transform insights into wisdom that influences decisions."
"Organizations are complex, plural, relational systems that require new lenses to understand and influence."
"Trauma among participants and practitioners is an industry problem we can no longer ignore."
"Impactful communication must be balanced with compassionate storytelling to truly resonate."
"Researchers need to harness their unique voice to cut through the noise in our increasingly fluid landscape."
"We must rethink team structures and career paths to support more pluralistic ways of sharing and learning."
"Researchers are becoming stewards of organizational wisdom, not just collectors of insight."
"To reclaim our value, we must regain our agency and renew our passion as researchers."
Or choose a question:
More Videos
"Prioritization work is a political process, and politics are hard to do in technology."
Mark Interrante Harry MaxAI for Prioritization (3rd of 3 seminars)
July 11, 2024
"What if we are optimizing ourselves into relevance?"
Patrizia BertiniThe (r)evolution of designOps: It’s Time to Think (really) BIG
September 11, 2025
"We prioritize to code switch to clarify value and relevance using language as a tool for meaningful activities."
Shan ShenTranslating UX Terms into Business Contexts
November 29, 2023
"Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth, said Mike Tyson."
Adam ThomasSurvival Metrics – Making Change in a Fast, Data-Informed, and Politically Safe Way
December 6, 2022
"Research is inherently a silo-busting activity because customers experience the whole, not just parts divided by departments."
Robin BeersResearch as a Catalyst for Organizational Transformation
March 12, 2021
"Getting something accessible is a straight line; keeping something accessible requires process change."
Sheri Byrne-HaberAccessibility at Scale
June 9, 2021
"An ad hoc critique is best when guard is down, it’s quick, time-sensitive, and helps share early to avoid costly late feedback."
Joseph MeersmanSweating the Pixel: Scaling Quality through Critique
June 10, 2021
"Go meet someone new at this conference and set up a coffee chat next week."
Deanna Washington Bria Alexander Jon Fukuda Saara Kamppari-Miller Farid SabitovConnecting the Ops: Plenary Panel and Closing Circle
September 9, 2022
"Customer experience cannot truly be good if some are left out or excluded, either intentionally or unintentionally."
Aaron Stienstra Lashanda HodgeLeveraging Civic Design to Advance Equity and Rebuild Trust in the US Federal Government
December 8, 2021
