In recent years, there has been growing recognition of the critical role that psychology plays in the business world. As organizations seek to improve productivity, efficiency, and profitability, they are increasingly turning to psychological knowledge and techniques to achieve these goals. Psychology can provide valuable insights into human behavior and decision-making that are fundamental to the success of any business. By understanding how people think and act, companies can develop more effective marketing, sales and customer service strategies. Combining science and business can lead to better results for organizations, employees, and society as a whole. In this interview we will take a closer look at this topic with the young Ukrainian-Israel scientist Halyna Shabshai, a psychologist and recognized expert in integrative psychotherapy aimed for unlocking the potential of businesspeople around the world.
Halyna, as far as we know you are not only the author of books on business and development, but also a variety of scientific methods that you also use in business. Tell us how scientific activity is connected with you?
My husband and I started scientific actvities in 2016, but now I see the great fruits of our scientific family tree. My achievements are the result of my determination and constant striving for self- improvement. I have always been an inquisitive person, passionate about art, psychology and business, and tried to have these three components balanced in my life. For example, my passion for the theater and my desire to understand what processes go on in the minds of actors and audiences was the starting point for my research in psychology. This led me to the founding of the NGO “Institute of Living Creativity” back in 2003. As part of this project, I first began to engage in research and development of techniques in the field of theater, psychology and psychotherapy. I created various programs, wrote ideas and scripts as well as directed our theater project. Iefym and I also absorbed all kinds of techniques from different masters who came to Ukraine to broaden our horizons and learn new things.
The techniques that we liked, we explored and improved at ILC. A few years after starting ILC, I began to clearly feel that the balance had been disturbed and that there was much more “creativity” in life than “business” and “science. In 2013 I patented our first personal effectiveness development system “Shabshai System” from that moment I began to restore the balance of business, science and creativity.
In 2013, due to the success of our methods, we began to actively expand, and our programs became widely known and popular even outside of Ukraine. During this period, we had a lot of patented technologies and I felt that there was a lot of knowledge and I needed help in structuring and segmenting it correctly. I began to have questions of “why are some of our techniques working very well and others not as well as I’d like? It was at that point I realized that without a scientific basis, I couldn’t move forward. That’s when I talked my husband into doing science at the highest level. We chose the site where we will conduct our research, and eventually we chose the Institute of Psychology. Kostyuk. The most prestigious Research Institute of Psychology in Ukraine. Since 2016 we began our journey as scientific correspondents of the institute in the field of integrative psychotherapy. By the way, I am still writing my dissertation, and I hope to be able to defend thesis in the coming years.
I can say that my scientific approach gave immediate results, during my first year of research at the Institute I wrote and published my first book “Body types – types of thinking”. In this book I described a technique for unlocking a person’s potential based on research into cognitive personality types. As part of my research at the Research Institute, I have written many scientific papers and business books. They are all on the main topic of my research in cognitive psychology and integrative psychotherapy. I was able to understand and answer the questions of why some techniques were extremely effective and work, while others would have to be abandoned completely. My last monograph written with my husband made a good impression on the respected psychologists and our scientific consultants. I will certainly continue my research work, in order to reach new heights in science and business.
What do your research and books on business and sales have in common?
Through my research work at the Institute of Psychology, I have gained an in-depth understanding of cognitive psychology and how to use emotional intelligence in the context of business interactions. I have learned to identify a person’s individual characteristics and understand how these characteristics can affect their success in business and life. As a result of my research, I have developed a unique approach to sales that is based on the knowledge of how people process information and make decisions. I described this approach in my book, Emotional Intelligence in Sales, to help my employees, partners and students become more effective in sales.
In addition, I believe that psychology is a key discipline in business. My research in cognitive psychology and integrative psychotherapy shows which methods and strategies can lead to better results, depending on the goals one sets for oneself.
Last year I published my latest book to date, “PERSONAL SOURCE CODE”. This book is based on my research and techniques to help people better understand themselves and their capabilities in business and life in general.
At the Institute of Psychology, I developed a number of methods and wrote several books based on them, for example, the book “Emotional burnout” describes consequences of professional, emotional and other types of “burnouts”. The book “EQ KILLER” describes a technique of how to find toxic people in a team and how to build the most effective communication with them. The book “Emotional intelligence in sales” describes a method of individual sales based on deep psychological patterns of the person. In the book “Brain restart” I showed the methods and importance of a quick reset of the intellectual resource. One of the books that will soon be out of print, I show the methods of effective sales in a highly specialized medical field. In all of my business books I present the results of my research and the techniques that can help people quickly achieve greater success.
How do your methodologies affect the development of your companies?
First of all, my research is applied in my work with my clients. Based on my diagnostics, I can choose a personalized program of counseling and psychotherapy, taking into account
individual needs and peculiarities of any person. Thus, my clients get the most effective help, and my business gets grateful and satisfied clients, who recommend my company’s services to their friends and acquaintances.
Secondly, my research is used to create and develop new programs. I constantly monitor the latest scientific discoveries in psychology and psychotherapy and use them in my practice. For example, we have developed programs to improve personal productivity and business profitability. We have also created training programs for businesspeople based on scientific research on stress management and cognitive improvement. Also, we constantly use in practice the system of diagnostics and management of human intellectual resources. Thirdly, despite the high cost of our services, the geography of our clients today is in 12 countries.
Consultatons and psychotherapy sessions help people to reduce the time to achieve their goals, to recover their intellectual resources, to unlock their potential and make effective decisions in situations of uncertainty. My techniques enable people to develop their strengths and improve their quality of life and find resources within themselves to solve life’s problems. One of our most popular methodologies PIC helps businessmen overcome emotional and professional burnout and lack of potential development.
In business we give a system of techniques that allow the board of directors to diagnose the condition of the team and improve its effectiveness. As a result, the quantity and quality of tasks carried out by the employees of the company increases, which affects the achievement of financial goals of the company. This system has already proven its effectiveness in dozens of companies around the world.
Also, since 2020, I have been conducting research on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on people’s mental health and businesses. The pandemic has caused immense stress and anxiety in individuals across the globe, and it has become increasingly clear that preventative measures must be taken to avoid crisis-related mental disorders. As a researcher, I am dedicated to developing effective methods for preventing and managing mental health issues related to the pandemic. My work has focused on identifying risk factors and implementing interventions that can help individuals cope with the stress and uncertainty brought about by the pandemic. Through my research, I hope to make a meaningful contribution to the field of mental health and help those in need during these challenging times.
How do you think the relationship between science and business will develop in the coming years, and what role do you think scientists will play in shaping this synthesis?
I believe that interaction between science and business is critical to the effective functioning of modern society. In the coming years, this trend will only intensify as more and more companies become dependent on scientific discoveries and developments to create products and services that meet consumer needs.
Scientists and researchers play an important role in this process, as they are key sources of scientific discovery and development. In particular, research in psychology is critical to business in understanding consumer behavior and motivation, as well as identifying effective strategies for engaging with consumers.
The link between science and business is being strengthened through various forms of collaboration, such as NGOs and institutions that bring scientists and businesses together to conduct research and develop new products.
I, can speak about it confdently, because I am a member of the Academy of Psychological Sciences of Ukraine since 2017, the Society of Psychologists of Ukraine since 2018, as well as a member of the American Psychological Associaton since 2022. My participation in these organizations allows me to stay informed of the latest scientific achievements in the field of psychology and to cooperate with other scientists.
Can you share successful projects that highlight the intersecton of science and business?
Sure. In 2019, I opened Shabshai Technology in the U.S. with my partners, which is engaged in research actvites in the feld of integral psychotherapy. We develop and research methods aimed at improving professional and emotonal well-being, developing emotonal intelligence, and enhancing cognitve processes.
As part of our company’s projects we conduct research and study the available techniques on the market. Collectng all the best that is on the market, and further research in our research laboratory allows us to achieve maximum efectveness of our own developments. Our projects are aimed at creatng innovatve solutons that can be applied in various spheres of life, including business.
In order to put our developments into practce we collaborate with various business structures and insttutons that are interested in improving their productvity and well-being of their employees. We ofer our clients sessions, programs and consultatons in various areas, based on modalites of integral psychotherapy. This approach helps our clients to increase their level of efectveness and achieve success in life and business.
