THE EVIDENCE BEHIND WAYFINDER
Research from healthcare, long-term care, and organisational change informs the practice. The programme’s contribution will be evaluated in the work it supports.
Wayfinder combines this evidence with Trace’s operational experience and practitioner-development work. These studies support the rationale and design; none evaluates Wayfinder itself.
OSMAN AND COLLEAGUES · 2026
Interviews with 28 hospital change managers in one Australian state identified difficulties engaging stakeholders, sustaining sponsorship, and transferring changes into ordinary operations.
This supports practising the encounters and decisions that implementation requires. It is qualitative audience evidence, not a trial of Wayfinder or a Canadian demand survey.
Read the study summaryINFORM BC · 2024
A formative evaluation of INFORM BC involved an initial cohort of 26 nursing homes. Facilitators wanted more practical coaching preparation, while teams valued ongoing support connected to local goals.
This informs the focus on real cases and coached application. Findings concern INFORM and its implementation context; they do not establish Wayfinder’s effects.
Read the evaluationHSE · ORGANISATIONAL CHANGE
The UK safety regulator’s human-factors guidance addresses the effects of organisational changes on hazard control, consultation with workers and contractors, and support for changed roles.
This informs the industrial application: take field concerns seriously and involve qualified decision-makers. The guidance is not presented as a statement of BC legal requirements.
Read HSE’s guidanceNEMBHARD & EDMONDSON · 2006
Survey research in 23 neonatal intensive-care units associated inclusive leadership with psychological safety and engagement in improvement work.
Practitioners rehearse inviting input and responding constructively to concerns. These observational relationships do not prove the effects of this programme.
Read the study abstractGOOGLE · PROJECT ARISTOTLE
Google studied 180 teams and ranked psychological safety first among five important team dynamics. Dependability, clarity, meaning, and impact also mattered.
Use this alongside sector-specific evidence. Psychological safety is important to the design, but this study does not show that it alone guarantees successful change.
Read Google’s original accountMENTAL HEALTH COMMISSION OF CANADA
Canadian workplace resources address psychological health and safety through factors including workload, influence, clarity, and support. Healthcare guidance also identifies protection from moral distress and support for psychological self-care.
Wayfinder connects the conversation with the conditions of work and the leaders able to address them. Practitioners develop influence and judgement; organisational responsibilities remain with the organisation.
Explore the healthcare guidanceCIHI · FEBRUARY 2026 REPORT
In reported 2023–24 long-term-care data, overtime accounted for 8% of direct-care hours nationally and 11% in BC. The national data cover approximately one-quarter of LTC homes.
Plan for protected learning time and check what implementation adds to the work. These figures describe staffing pressure; they do not measure demand for this programme.
Read the CIHI reportBRYAN WEINER · 2009
Weiner’s theory distinguishes shared commitment to a particular change from confidence in the collective ability to implement it.
Examine readiness in relation to the specific work ahead, including its demands and available resources. This is a theoretical foundation rather than an intervention-effect estimate.
Read the readiness theoryO’DONOVAN & MCAULIFFE · 2020
A review of 14 healthcare interventions found mixed results for psychological safety, speaking up, and voice. The authors recommend multifaceted approaches and stronger outcome measurement.
The proposed programme includes practice, sponsor involvement, and follow-up. Its evaluation separates demonstrated skill, changes in working conditions, and operational results.
Read the intervention reviewINSTITUTE FOR HEALTHCARE IMPROVEMENT
IHI’s Psychology of Change framework includes motivation, co-design, relationships, distributed power, and adaptation through action.
Wayfinder is designed to complement existing change and improvement approaches through coached practice in difficult situations.
Explore the IHI frameworkCan participants demonstrate the skills? Can people raise concerns and see an appropriate response? Is the new practice being used? What happens to quality and workload?
Agree the baseline and measures for each case. Review progress at week ten and day 90, including other changes in staffing, resources, or leadership that could explain the result.
A founding cohort can establish feasibility and useful evidence of contribution. It cannot establish that training alone caused every improvement.
Explore the proposed programmeThe handover conversation on the main page is fictional. No patient, resident, staff, or client account is reproduced. Programme outcomes and financial returns are not established.