Closeup of serious attractive young woman looking at camera with two blurred men in background
IN TODAY’S BUSINESS landscape — defined by talent shortages, burnout, disengagement, and a constant pressure to innovate — leaders find themselves asking a familiar question in new ways: what actually makes people tick? We have organisational charts, behavioral metrics, and endless management models, yet many workplaces still struggle with miscommunication, low morale, conflicting agendas, and the emotional undercurrents that disrupt even well-designed systems.
A growing number of business owners are now looking beyond traditional management theory toward deeper psychological insights that explain why people behave the way they do — not just how to motivate them. Among these emerging frameworks is an ambitious body of work by Australian biologist Jeremy Griffith, whose explanation of the ‘human condition’ has attracted attention from academics and everyday readers alike. It’s being shared globally through the nonprofit organisation dedicated to his work, and the expanding number of World Transformation Movement reviews suggests its appeal reaches far beyond scientific circles.
While Griffith’s theory was not designed specifically for businesses, many leaders are finding it surprisingly relevant to the practical challenges of managing teams in an emotionally complex world.
According to Griffith, much of human behavior — from defensiveness to over-competitiveness to disengagement — stems from an ancient psychological tension between instinct and consciousness. When early humans developed the capacity for self-reflection, he argues, this new intellect collided with instinctive systems that couldn’t interpret the sudden shift toward questioning, creativity, and experimentation.
The result, he says, was a kind of inherited insecurity that led to a defensive mindset in which humans became inclined to defend their decisions, justify their worth, compete for validation, and misread others’ intentions — all behaviors that show up daily in modern workplaces.
For business leaders, this explanation recasts workplace challenges in a very different light:
When leaders understand the evolutionary roots of these behaviors, many report that they respond with greater empathy, clarity, and effectiveness.
Griffith’s work has been endorsed by scholars across psychiatry, biology, and philosophy — not surprising for a theory that crosses so many disciplinary boundaries.
Some notable praise includes:
For business owners, this level of academic support provides reassurance that the ideas are grounded in serious scientific reasoning rather than management fads or pop psychology.
Beyond academic circles, World Transformation Movement reviews from general readers for Griffith’s work often highlight how the framework helps them make sense of conflicts — both internal and interpersonal.
Common themes in public reviews include:
Readers frequently describe Griffith’s explanations as offering “relief,” “a sense of clarity,” or “a way to understand people without judgment.” These sentiments map directly onto the skills great leaders rely on: empathy, emotional intelligence, and constructive communication.
While Griffith’s primary focus is the human condition at a societal scale, his insights translate remarkably well into work environments. Business owners adopting his perspective often report improvements in:
1. Communication
Understanding instinct–intellect conflict helps leaders frame conversations more gently, anticipate defensiveness, and reduce conflict escalation.
2. Team Cohesion
Recognizing that insecurity underlies many tensions helps leaders build cultures of psychological safety — essential for collaboration and innovation.
3. Leadership Resilience
A deeper grasp of human motivation reduces frustration, increases patience, and strengthens decision-making under pressure.
4. Change Management
Teams are more receptive to new ideas when their emotional concerns are acknowledged upfront.
5. Workplace Wellbeing
Leaders who understand the roots of stress and self-doubt are better equipped to support mental health and reduce burnout.
In an era where success increasingly hinges on emotional intelligence, cultural stability, and adaptability, understanding human psychology is no longer optional — it’s foundational. Jeremy Griffith’s work offers business leaders a deeper, evolution-based perspective on why people behave the way they do, and how insecurity, conflict, and misunderstanding can be transformed into cooperation and confidence.
For business owners looking to strengthen organisational culture, reduce friction, and build more resilient teams, the growing interest in Griffith’s framework — reflected in both academic endorsements and everyday World Transformation Movement reviews — suggests that this may be one of the most thought-provoking psychological resources available today.
Gen Z: They’re stalled, stressed and scanning the horizon for more bad news in the coming year
Devoid of porch pirates, snoopy spouses and missed deliveries, the office has become the go-to depot for everyone’s holiday shopping
Someone has finally calculated the odds of an online application actually resulting in a job. It’s about as bad as…
Canadians are choosing low-deposit strategies to help keep discretionary entertainment spending in control
Despite a job market that is increasingly challenging for most jobseekers, executive roles abound
Motivated by progress, not attention, glue employees may be more valuable to high-performing teams than their star talent