Designing better ways of working.
Organisational psychology and socio-technical systems thinking for complex problems, organisational change and the future of work.
I’m Matthew Davis, a Professor of Organisational Psychology, Chartered Psychologist, researcher and practitioner.
Evidence, applied to real problems
My work brings research and practice together.
For nearly twenty years, I have researched work and worked with organisations to understand practical problems and explore how things might be done differently.
My approach combines evidence from organisational psychology with socio-technical systems thinking and practical experience. I start with the problem rather than a predetermined solution: questioning assumptions, bringing together different perspectives and using evidence to understand what is happening and what might work better.
Research informs my practice. Working with real organisational problems also shapes the questions I ask as a researcher.
The way we organise work is a matter of design, not inevitability.
It’s easy to fall into established patterns without stopping to ask why we work in the way we do.
Work is shaped by interacting choices about people, tasks, technology, physical and digital environments, structures and ways of managing. Change one and there are often consequences elsewhere.
Organisational psychology helps us understand people and behaviour at work. Socio-technical systems thinking helps us see the wider system and the relationships within it.
Together, they provide a way to step back from the immediate solution, understand the problem more fully and explore better ways of working.
Ways to work with me
Executive Coaching
Individual coaching for senior leaders who want dedicated space to think, reflect and work through the challenges they face.
My coaching draws on my background as a psychologist while creating space for clients to explore their own questions, challenge assumptions and decide what works for them.
Strategic Advisory
Expert input for leaders, boards and organisations facing complex questions about work, technology and organisational change.
Engagements might involve a focused piece of advice, evidence review, facilitated workshop, scenario process or support in thinking through a design problem. The emphasis is on bringing evidence and a systems perspective to the problem—not selling a standard solution.
Speaking
Keynotes, conference sessions, workshops and expert commentary exploring how work is changing and what that means for people and organisations.
I translate research into accessible ideas and practical questions, particularly around the future of work, workplace design, hybrid working, technology and organisational change.
Areas of focus
My work brings together a number of connected areas of research, expertise and practical experience around how work is designed and how it is changing.
Future of work
Understanding how work is changing and exploring what better ways of working might look like.
Workplace design
Understanding the relationships between people, work, technology and the physical workplace.
Hybrid and flexible working
Using evidence to understand how location, technology and work design shape the experience and effectiveness of hybrid work.
AI, technology and work
Looking beyond the technology itself to understand its implications for jobs, people, relationships and organisational systems.
Culture, values and change
Bringing evidence and practical experience to questions about organisational values, behaviour, employee engagement and changing ways of working.
Socio-technical systems and organisation design
Taking a systems perspective on complex problems and bringing different voices together to explore alternative ways of organising work.
Organisational psychologist. Researcher. Practitioner.
I am a Professor of Organisational Psychology and Chartered Psychologist whose career brings together research, teaching and applied work with organisations.
My research focuses on workplaces and workplace design, hybrid and flexible working, socio-technical systems, and the effects of technological and organisational change.
Alongside my academic work, I bring experience from senior organisational leadership, governance, executive education, strategic advisory and executive coaching.
These different perspectives matter because complex problems rarely fit neatly within a single discipline or professional specialism.
Working through a complex challenge?
Whether you’re considering how work might be designed differently, navigating organisational change, looking for executive coaching or planning an event, I’m happy to discuss whether I can help.