Meet SEER: A UW–Madison Resource for More Effective Human-Centered Teams and Organizational Change

February 13, 2026   |   By Karen Rivedal, Office of Research & Scholarship

When you spend time with change experts Lucas Hill and Evangeline Su, who co-lead the SEER Institute in the School of Education’s Wisconsin Center for Education Research (WCER), one thing becomes clear: SEER is bigger than a project. It’s really a way of thinking about both individual and organizational change through a human lens, grounded in empathy and context, and driven by a deep belief in the power of collaboration to transform institutions.

“SEER is about more than methods — it’s about building a culture of reflection and collaboration in education research,” said Hill. “We see SEER as a resource hub, a place where projects and other clients on and off campus can find guidance, support, and tools to make their work stronger.”

SEER is an acronym that stands for the four key actions in its change-taming operating process:

• See projects with a human, organizational, and systems lens.
• Enact planning-informed and collaborative actions.
• Evaluate the success of actions and interventions.
• Revisit goals, actions, and evaluation strategies.

SEER’s central premise is that individuals are the most important element in all organizations, with unique backgrounds, experiences, connections, and perspectives that inevitably influence their attitudes and behaviors in navigating systems, organizational change, and strategic operations.

“We argue that it is impossible to engage effectively in productive organizational change and strategic operations without being able to see the human dimension clearly,” said Hill.

In fact, ignoring that relational dimension can doom a change project, Su noted. Failing to include all voices affected by a proposed change on a planning committee or implementation team can lead to unforeseen problems. Maybe a new software program installed across campus struggles to function because some involved workers weren’t consulted about their user-experience, or a policy change at a company breeds discontent because no employees directly impacted by it helped to plan it.

“Part of what causes friction or resistance to change is people feeling hurt and unseen,” Su added, potentially leading to broader problems over time if not addressed.

Leaders should look and listen closely to what they may feel are minority opinions, Su said, and provide talkback channels that ensure safety for dissenters — knowing that those who speak up may just be the bravest among a larger group of people who feel the same way.

“There is often a lot of pain in a process that is undergoing change that isn’t spoken, and leaders of a healthy and robust human-centered system should hear that pain and learn how to address it,” Su said. “Even if the answer has to be no, there are healthier and more productive ways to respond.”

SEER helps team members gain greater agency in finding their voices, reducing the reasons for any resentments to build up, Su noted. SEER also helps leaders use evidence-based approaches that foster effective, collaborative change processes.

SEER offers a mix of services designed to prevent oversights when change is considered and implemented. Client offerings include strategic planning, team development, grant and project development, evaluation and educational research, individual coaching, and individual and group professional development programming, all available on a grant-funded or fee-for-service basis.

With this slate of services, SEER can help clients, including individuals, teams, change projects, professional societies, institutions, and organizations, advance short- and long-term goals.

Where SEER Came From

The SEER Institute was officially formed in 2023. But its foundation stretches back nearly a decade to a National Science Foundation (NSF) INCLUDES pilot project out of the Center for the Integration of Research, Teaching, and Learning (CIRTL), and then to the larger Aspire Alliance, an NSF initiative focused on creating a more inclusive science, technology, engineering and math faculty nationally. The alliance included more than 150 partners across the country — professional societies, universities, networks, and collaborative teams.

Su and Hill worked on Aspire’s large-scale National Change Initiative, co-led by WCER researchers Donald Gillian-Daniel (CIRTL, Wei LAB) and Robin Greenler (CIRTL). This initiative was one of three within Aspire that focused on inclusive professional development for faculty, staff, and leaders.

Initially envisioned as a strategy for sustaining Aspire’s work beyond the expiration of its operating grants in 2023, SEER emerged as a new initiative bringing human-centered, evidence-based support to individuals, teams, institutions, and professional societies navigating change. Today, whether an individual or group is forming a new interdisciplinary project, navigating organizational transitions, or seeking to strengthen internal communication and trust, SEER can provide structured, research-informed support, Hill and Su said.

SEER’s current portfolio includes several projects, funded by both grants and service fees, such as an NSF grant to build the Faculty Inclusive Teaching Survey Guidebook, an organizational change project at Ferris State University to improve academic advising, professional development programming with advisors from the City University of New York, and a strategic planning group at a Universities of Wisconsin campus. SEER is also exploring many new avenues of work in the fields of workforce development through transferable relational skills, healthcare, AI-related collaboration with WCER’s SimLab,, and foundation-funded work with partners like NACADA: The Global Community for Academic Advising, and the tech company Trustybits.

How SEER Works

Two frameworks, known as the SEER Process and the Integrative Professional Framework, guide SEER’s work. Together, they provide a holistic lens — integrating the introspective, relational, and strategic dimensions of collaborative work.

The SEER Process lets teams slow down, see one another clearly, and build the relational foundation that change requires, Hill said. Focused on understanding the internal dynamics of a team rather than jumping straight into strategic planning, Hill and Su use the process to help groups understand:

• Their history
• Their emotional landscape
• The sources of trust (or distrust)
• The forces that shape their present dynamics

The Integrative Professional Framework, developed through years of literature review and implementation within the Aspire Alliance as referenced in this online publication, examines the core competencies that support effective teaching, research, mentoring, leadership, advising, colleagueship, and collaboration. SEER has used the framework to support individuals, teams, professional societies, and large networks.

“One of the things we help people see with the Integrative Professional Framework and the SEER process is how to broaden and widen their perspective-taking,” said Su. “Trauma and history of people and an organization matters a lot to getting the buy-in for any change process or any team dynamic and that really creates collaboration and partnership.”

Su also recently received an NSF grant, “Building Capacity in STEM Education Research,” to explore how relational knowledge moves across different contexts and boundaries, such as professional development and research — an important question for improving collaborative work across STEM education environments.

Ways to Collaborate with SEER

Groups across WCER, UW–Madison, and beyond may benefit from SEER’s support when they are:

• Preparing complex, collaborative grant proposals
• Working across disciplines or departments
• Facing change, restructuring, or team turnover
• Trying to build healthier communication patterns
• Experiencing tension, burnout, or mistrust
• Aiming to improve climate through human-centered processes

Su said SEER is especially helpful during emotionally heavy or high-stakes transitions, such as navigating change after an organization experiences extensive layoffs or deep budget cuts. SEER’s work provides space to name concerns, build understanding, and collectively shape a path forward.

You can reach out to SEER leaders Hill (lhill6@wisc.edu) or Su (esu6@wisc.edu) to set up an initial meeting exploring how they can best serve your needs.