Articles & Insights
Research, thinking and strategic perspectives from the Applied Emotions team.
The Human in the Loop is Miscast, Not Weak: A CISO Briefing on Values-Based Security Role Design
Humans are involved in ~60% of breaches, yet they are not the weak link — the system around them is. This CISO executive briefing argues that the sharpest lever within a security leader's control is putting the right people, with the right values, in the right oversight roles. Drawing on Verizon DBIR 2025 data and a 69-study meta-analysis on training effectiveness, it maps three value orientations — Security, Growth and Change — to the functions that fit them, and shows why value-based role design beats blanket training where risk concentrates.
Key Topics
- Humans are involved in ~60% of breaches (Verizon DBIR 2025) — but 'involved' is not 'to blame'
- Just 8% of employees account for 80% of security incidents — effort should concentrate where risk does
- Three value orientations — Security, Growth, Change — mapped to oversight roles such as AI Governor and exception-escalation
- Training barely moves behaviour: a 69-study meta-analysis found users strong on knowledge but weak on lasting behaviour change
When AI Goes Wrong: Cases from the Real World (and Why Values Alignment is Critical)
The enterprise AI risk landscape has moved from hypothetical to operational. Drawing on Stanford HAI's AI Index, the AI Incident Database, regulatory actions and court records, this paper analyses documented AI failures across finance, customer experience, healthcare, HR and marketing — and explains why most are not intelligence failures but objective failures: systems doing exactly what they were incentivised to do, in environments where that was not enough.
Brain Fry: The Darkside of AI High Performance
How Human Values and Emotions research exposes the roots of debilitating Brain Fry — and how organisations can develop new ways of creating and supporting high performing individuals and teams. Drawing on landmark studies from UC Berkeley, BCG/HBR and Stanford, this paper names the hidden cost of AI-era overwork and sets out what organisations must do before their best people hit the wall.
Your Team Has a New Kind of Colleague – and It Doesn't Share your Values...yet
As artificial intelligence joins the decision-making table, the forces that have always driven human group behaviour — values, emotions, culture — are entering uncharted territory. This paper explores the diagnostic tools, frameworks and training requirements to ensure your organisation doesn't pay the price of misalignment.
Why Apply Emotions? The Case for Values-Led Emotional Alignment in the Age of Agentic Organisation
Every organisation deploying AI agents is asking a question about human emotions — whether it recognises it or not. This paper makes the case for values-led emotional alignment as the critical missing dimension in agentic transformation strategies, drawing on 40+ years of empirical research.
Applied Emotions: Overview & Capabilities
Enabling Human & Non-Human team members to work together harmoniously and productively. An overview of Applied Emotions' unique approach, research foundation spanning 40+ years and 1 million respondents, and full range of service offerings.
Want to explore how this applies to your organisation?
Get in touch to discuss how a values diagnostic could work for your team.