The Human Factor Podcast
Exploring the Intersection of Humanity, Technology, and Transformation
Why do 70% of transformations fail despite brilliant technology and smart people? The answer isn’t in your strategy deck or technology roadmap—it’s in understanding the psychology behind human behavior during change.
Welcome to the Human Factor Podcast, where host Kevin Novak, CEO of 2040 Digital and Author of The Truth About Transformation, explores the psychological forces that determine transformation success or failure.
Each week, we dive deep into the human side of organizational change with leaders of organizations, transformation experts, and the researchers who understand that technology alone never drives lasting change.
This isn’t another business podcast about the latest technology trends. This is about understanding the human factor and why smart people resist change. We explore how human-centered approaches accelerate change adoption and analyze the critical factors that distinguish successful transformations from expensive failures.
About the Show
Format
Weekly 30-60 minute episodes featuring solo insights, episodes co-hosted with subject matter experts, and guest interviews
Host
Kevin Novak, CEO of 2040 Digital and Author of The Truth About Transformation
Focus
Transformation psychology, organizational change, and human-centered leadership
What You Will Learn
The Psychology Behind Resistance
Discover why intelligent professionals often become the biggest obstacles to change—and how to design transformation approaches that smart people actually embrace.
Trust Protocols for Change Adoption
Learn evidence-based frameworks for building psychological safety during organizational and digital transformation, with real case studies from organizations that went from resistance to acceptance.
The Human Factor Method™
Explore the four-phase methodology that can help organizations achieve higher transformation success rates by addressing psychological readiness before technological implementation.
Real Transformation Stories
Go behind the scenes of actual organizational changes with anonymous case studies that reveal the human psychology breakthroughs that made success possible.
Featured Episodes
🎧 Listen to the Latest Episode
Episode 001: Being Human in the Age of AI: Trust, Adoption, and Ethical Dilemmas
People trust AI to recommend movies but resist it for strategic decisions—why? Dive into the psychology behind AI adoption patterns and the ethical minefield of human-AI collaboration. Discover why our brains are wired to defer some thinking to machines while protecting other cognitive territory, and what this means for the future of human agency.
Episode 002: The Gen Z Factor: How Younger Generations Are Rewiring Workplace Psychology
Traditional management psychology is failing with 40% of the workforce. Explore how Gen Z’s pragmatic approach to loyalty, meaning, and work relationships is fundamentally reshaping organizational expectations. Learn why conventional motivation tactics backfire and discover the psychological principles that actually drive next-generation performance.
Episode 003: Why Smart People Make Bad Decisions: The Psychology of Bias in Leadership
Why do intelligent leaders consistently fall into the same predictable traps? Explore the unconscious biases that sabotage even the most thoughtful decision-making, from addition bias to assumption errors. Learn to recognize the cognitive patterns that make smart people make dumb choices and discover practical frameworks for bias-proofing your leadership decisions.
Episode 004: Data Noise and Decision Paralysis: When Too Much Information Kills Critical Thinking
Organizations are drowning in data but starving for insight. Examine the psychological mechanisms behind information paralysis and why access to more data often leads to worse decisions. Learn to distinguish between signal and noise, and discover frameworks for maintaining human judgment in our hyper-quantified world.
Episode 005: The Psychology of Letting Go: Why ‘We’ve Always Done It This Way’ Is Killing Organizations
What makes smart people cling to outdated methods even when they know better? Explore the deep psychological mechanisms that make “unlearning” one of the hardest human challenges. Discover why your organization’s greatest asset—its experience—might actually be its greatest liability, and learn the human factors required to successfully release the past.
Perfect For
- ✓CEO and C-Suite Professionals leading organizational transformations
- ✓Transformation Leaders managing organizational change initiatives
- ✓Technology Executives implementing AI, digital, or system transformations
- ✓Change Management Professionals seeking psychology-based approaches
- ✓HR Leaders supporting workforce adaptation and development
- ✓Consultants advising clients on transformation strategy
- ✓Business Leaders curious about the human side of business evolution
About Your Host
Kevin Novak is the founder of 2040 Digital, author of The Truth About Transformation and creator of the Ideas and Innovations Weekly Newsletter. With over two decades of experience in organizational transformation, Kevin has discovered that the difference between transformation success and failure isn’t technical—it’s psychological.
Kevin’s Human Factor Method™ can help your organization achieve higher transformation success rates by addressing psychological readiness before technological implementation, proving that transformation isn’t about technology—it’s about people.
Available Everywhere
The Human Factor Podcast is available on all major platforms:
📅 New episodes every Thursday
Starting October 9, 2025
Subscribe on your favorite platform to never miss an episode!
Tools and Resources
Take the Transformation Readiness Assessment
Discover your organization’s psychological readiness for change with our free 5-minute assessment.
The Human Factor Method™
Learn the complete four-phase methodology for human-centered transformation success.
Additional Resources
Book: Get your copy of “The Truth About Transformation” – the foundational text for psychology-based transformation success.
Ideas and Innovations Weekly Newsletter on 2040’s Website or 20Forty’s Substack: Get transformation psychology insights delivered weekly, featuring episode highlights and exclusive content.
Speaking & Consulting: Bring The Human Factor Approach to your organization through speaking engagements and consulting services.
Drop a note on our Contact Form>
Join the Conversation
Have a transformation story to share? Questions about the psychology behind your organizational change?
Connect with Kevin and the Human Factor community:
LinkedIn: Connect with Kevin Novak
Ideas and Innovations Newsletter on 2040’s Website and on 20Forty’s Substack: Weekly transformation psychology insights
Drop us a note on our Contact Form>
Speaking: Book Kevin for your next leadership event
Because transformation isn’t about technology—it’s about people.