Southern Cross University (SCU) has partnered with Almanac Health to examine how to implement current best-practice goal-setting approaches to improve outcomes in health and workplace settings, responding to growing evidence that many commonly used approaches (such as SMART goals) are outdated or problematic for supporting meaningful behaviour change.
The collaboration will see the launch of the Almanac Health x SCU Goal Setting Project, an applied research initiative focused on testing how contemporary, evidence-informed approaches can be implemented in real-world environments to improve outcomes across rehabilitation, clinical care, coaching and workplace wellbeing.
Although extensive research has demonstrated the importance of goals in driving outcomes across health domains, understanding of best practice in goal setting has evolved significantly in recent years. Popular approaches (such as SMART goals) have been shown to be problematic, yet more contemporary evidence-based approaches remain underutilised in many rehabilitation and wellbeing settings where meaningful behaviour change is central to successful outcomes.
As part of the collaboration, Professor Christian Swann, internationally recognised for his research in goal setting and Lead of The Open Goals Lab at Southern Cross University, will join the Almanac Health Scientific and Clinical Advisory Board, supporting the organisation's commitment to ensuring its ventures integrate rigorous research and behavioural science into service delivery.
Professor Swann said the collaboration highlights the value of bringing behavioural science research directly into applied service environments.
"Goal-setting research has developed a strong evidence base over many years, but there has been significant change in our understanding of best-practice over the last decade – and this project is a significant opportunity to better understand how these principles can operate in complex real-world settings," Professor Swann said.
"Working alongside organisations delivering rehabilitation, mental health and wellbeing services is incredibly exciting for our team. It creates an invaluable opportunity to explore how recent changes in goal-setting can be implemented, refined and evaluated in practice."
The partnership also reflects a longstanding professional relationship between Professor Swann and Almanac Health Co-Founder and Managing Partner John Mellors, who have collaborated for nearly a decade at the intersection of academic research and applied industry practice in the field of goal-setting.
Mr Mellors said the collaboration represents a natural extension of that relationship and an important step forward in connecting academic insight with practical service delivery.
"For many years, Christian and I have shared an interest in how the science of goal-setting can be translated into environments where people are navigating complex life challenges – whether recovering from injury, managing mental health, or pursuing meaningful personal and professional change," Mr Mellors said.
"This collaboration allows us to explore those ideas directly in the environments where behavioural change actually occurs."
The research will be embedded across organisations in the Almanac Health network – including Workcom, MindPact, Uvida and Pivotl – allowing researchers to test and refine goal-setting approaches directly within real service environments such as occupational rehabilitation, clinical care, lifestyle medicine and executive coaching. The project recognises that behavioural change is highly contextual. Rather than seeking a single universal framework, the research aims to better understand how evidence-informed goal-setting approaches can be adapted across different service environments and domains.
While the research will culminate in academic publication, practical insights are expected to inform service delivery as the project progresses. Participating organisations will be able to incorporate emerging findings into their services in real time, helping refine best-practice approaches to behaviour change across applied health and wellbeing settings.
As the project progresses, findings will be shared with the broader sector to help inform future approaches to behavioural change across health, rehabilitation and wellbeing settings.
About Almanac Health
Almanac Health is an Australian organisation that partners with specialist healthcare ventures to support sustainable growth, innovation and long-term impact.
Through a model combining strategic investment, mentorship and operational support, Almanac Health works alongside founder-led organisations operating at the intersection of deep sector expertise, service excellence and human-centred design.
By connecting experienced industry leaders, academic insight and emerging innovation, Almanac Health supports a network of ventures working to improve outcomes across rehabilitation, clinical care, wellbeing and related health domains.
About the Almanac Health x SCU Goal Setting Project
The Almanac Health x SCU Goal Setting Project is an applied research initiative examining how to implement current best practice goal-setting approaches to support behavioural change across diverse health and wellbeing service environments.
The research will explore how goal systems operate in practice across occupational rehabilitation, clinical care, lifestyle medicine, and business and executive coaching, with a focus on how evidence-based approaches can be adapted for different populations and settings.
