We are scientists first. Practitioners second.
Research is not something we do on the side. It is the engine of everything we build.
Why research is non-negotiable
The leadership development industry operates largely without scientific accountability. Programs are designed based on intuition, tradition, or market demand — not evidence. They are evaluated by satisfaction surveys, not outcomes. They are iterated based on client feedback, not data.
Eluvera exists to close this gap. We conduct original research. We evaluate existing programs with the rigor they have never received. We publish our findings and contribute to the scientific community. And we build every technology, program, and system on the foundation of the best available evidence.
This is not an academic exercise. It is a practical commitment. When we say “research first,” we mean that no program leaves our hands without a scientific basis, and no outcome goes unmeasured.
Our Approach to Research
We conduct original research
We design and run studies that advance the science of leadership development and organizational wellbeing. Our research agenda is driven by the real problems our clients face, not by academic fashion.
We evaluate existing programs with rigor
Many organizations have programs they believe are working but have never measured properly. We bring scientific evaluation to existing initiatives — and we tell the truth about what we find, even when it’s uncomfortable.
We publish and contribute to the scientific community
Our work is not proprietary knowledge hidden behind NDAs. We publish in peer-reviewed journals, present at scientific conferences, and contribute to the public knowledge base. Science only works when it’s open.
We build technologies informed by the latest findings
Every tool, platform, and system we create is grounded in current research. When the science evolves, our technology evolves with it. We do not build on outdated models and rebrand them as innovation.
Methods We Use
We use the full range of scientific methods available to organizational researchers — not just the convenient ones.
Experience Sampling Methodology (ESM)
Capturing experiences in real time, in the flow of daily work, rather than relying on retrospective self-reports that are subject to recall bias.
Randomized Controlled Trials (RCTs)
The gold standard for causal inference. When we need to know whether an intervention actually caused an outcome, we design experiments that can answer that question.
Network Analysis
Mapping the relational structure of teams and organizations to understand how leadership and influence actually flow — not how the org chart says they should.
Psychophysiological Assessment
Measuring physiological markers of stress, recovery, and engagement to complement self-report data with objective biological indicators.
Passive Sensing & Ecological Momentary Assessment
Using technology to capture behavioral and contextual data unobtrusively, providing a rich picture of how people actually live and work.
Multi-level Modeling
Statistical methods that account for the nested structure of organizational data — individuals within teams, teams within divisions, divisions within organizations.
Research Areas
Our research is organized around five core areas — each one addressing a gap in the current evidence base.
Leader and Leadership Development
The science of how individuals develop as leaders and how leadership capacity emerges at the collective level. Bridging Day’s distinction between leader development (human capital) and leadership development (social capital).
Wellbeing at Work (PERMA+4)
Advancing Donaldson’s PERMA+4 framework in organizational contexts. Understanding how the nine dimensions of wellbeing interact with job demands, organizational culture, and developmental interventions.
Systems-Level Organizational Change
How organizations change as whole systems, not collections of individuals. Mapping the dynamics of culture change, leadership climate shifts, and developmental momentum.
Technology-Enabled Development
The science of using technology to extend, deepen, and personalize developmental interventions. What works, what doesn’t, and what might be doing harm.
Cross-Cultural Leadership and Wellbeing
How leadership processes and wellbeing manifest differently across cultures. Building evidence-based approaches that respect cultural variation rather than imposing Western frameworks globally.
Publications & Research in Progress
Peer-reviewed work by our founder and her collaborators, alongside the protocols and manuscripts currently moving through review. Where an article is open access, we link the free full text directly rather than sending you to a paywall.
Peer-reviewed journal articles
Shea, K., Diaz, J. B., Shapiro, J., Donaldson, S. I., Cameron, K. (2026)
The Positively Energizing Leadership Scale (PELS): Development and validation
International Journal of Applied Positive Psychology, 11(16)
Concas, A., Shea, K., Garigali, I., Bonanomi, A., Martin, D. J., Donaldson, S. I. (2026)
Evaluating employees’ positive functioning at work: Adaptation and validation of the PERMA+4 scales in the Italian context
PLOS ONE
Klapow, M. C., Shea, K., Bohn, T., Hoffman, D. (2026)
The effectiveness of positive psychology-based interventions in prisons on well-being: A systematic review and meta-analysis
The Journal of Positive Psychology, 21(2), 225–240
Books, proceedings and other published work
DeCoste, L., Day, D. V., Mauricio, D., Shea, K., Reichard, R. J., Molina, R., Middleton, E., Kai Parker, K., Smith, T. R., Dailey, S. R., Diaz, J., & Powers, K. (2023). Advancements in leader development research: New insights on leader self-views. Academy of Management Proceedings, 2023(1), 15712
Parr, J., Guest, J., Shea, K., & Scahill, T. (2023). What’s love got to do with it?: Harnessing the power of love in your relationships. 82 Stories, Incorporated
Rangel, R., Shea, K., & Donaldson, S. I. (2025). Potencialidades humanas: Favorecendo a saúde mental e o trabalho.
Shea, K. (2023). Positive energizing leadership: Virtuous behavior, relational energy, and well-being. University of Pennsylvania
Registered protocols & preprints
Review protocols registered publicly before the work is carried out. Pre-registration commits us to a method and an analysis plan in advance, so findings cannot be shaped after the fact.
Shea, K., Tanner, M., & Crawford, M. (2026). Developing leaders in the age of AI: What does leader and leadership development look like now?
Shea, K., Crawford, M., & Tanner, M. (2026). Societal and workplace impacts of human–machine attachment.
Shea, K., Pileggi, J., & Passmore, J. (2026). Artificial intelligence coaching for wellbeing and health outcomes: A systematic literature review.
Shea, K., & Rehal, B. (2026). Karpman’s drama triangle: A systematic review of theoretical foundations, empirical evidence, clinical applications, and organizations.
Shea, K., & Donaldson, S. I. (2026). Relational energy across life domains: A systematic review and meta-analysis of positive relational constructs, their antecedents, and outcomes.
Albuquerque, R. R. S., Shea, K., Martin, D., Martins, L. F., & Donaldson, S. I. (2025). Optimizers and satisfiers: A latent profile analysis (LPA) of the use of character strengths in Brazilian professionals.
Manuscripts under review
Submitted work currently with reviewers. Titles and author lists may change before publication.
Shea, K., & Donaldson, S. I. Workplace relational energy as a prospective predictor of employee well-being and performance: A multi-wave longitudinal study using the PERMA+4 framework.
Donaldson, S. I., Shea, K., Donaldson, S., & Cameron, K. The Positively Energizing Leadership Short Scale (PELS-8): Psychometric validation using item response theory.
Shea, K., & Donaldson, S. I. (2025). Appreciative inquiry coaching: A mixed-methods approach for positive change in coaching.
Shea, K., & Watterson, A. Appreciative interviews: A qualitative approach to enhancing leadership in healthcare. Book chapter, forthcoming October 2026.
Huhtamäki, J., Concas, A., & Shea, K. Positive functioning and resilience at work: Validation of the Finnish version of the PERMA+4 scale.
van Nieuwerburgh, C., & Shea, K. Coaching in education: The future of well-being in education. In Wellbeing in Education (book chapter).
Brassington, K., Burke, J., Shea, K., Clarke, M., & Byrne, E. The forest, the facilitator, and the activity fit: A systematic review of forest-based therapeutic interventions for the mental health and wellbeing of adolescents and young people.
Shea, K. The effectiveness of purpose interventions in the workplace: A systematic review.
What We Build
We build tools as well as evidence. Each one is designed from the outset to be evaluated — not shipped first and justified afterwards.
Application
Drama Triangle & Compassion
A tool for recognising the victim, persecutor, and rescuer dynamics that shape conflict at work — and for building the compassion, for self and others, that makes stepping out of them possible.
Leader development application
Day by Day
Leader development delivered in small daily increments in the flow of work, built on the premise that developmental capacity accrues through consistent practice rather than episodic training events.
Application
AI-Supported Coaching for Students
Exploring where conversational AI can widen access to coaching for students — and, just as importantly, where the human coach remains irreplaceable.
Measurement instrument
Positively Energizing Leadership Scale (PELS)
An 18-item measure of positively energizing leadership, developed and validated with organizational researchers.
relationalenergy.org→How a tool earns its place
Building something that feels helpful is not the same as building something that works. Every tool we develop is designed to move through the same evaluation pipeline: feasibility and acceptability testing to establish whether people will genuinely use it, experimental design to isolate what the tool itself is responsible for, and randomised controlled trials where the question and the setting allow for them.
This is slower than the alternative, and it occasionally tells us something we did not want to hear. That is the point. Where the evidence does not support a tool, we would rather know it before an organization stakes its people on it.
Collaborate With Us
We actively seek research partnerships with universities, academic institutions, and organizations that want to co-create knowledge rather than simply consume it.
If you are a researcher working in leadership, wellbeing, or organizational science and want to collaborate on projects that bridge science and practice, we want to hear from you.
If you are an organization willing to open your doors to rigorous research — to learn what is actually happening inside your system, not just what you hope is happening — we want to work with you.