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Changing behaviour can sometimes feel impossible, particularly for those in L&D when initiative after initiative has been launched with little success. The problem facing L&D is that much of human behaviour is habitual and done on autopilot, so it usually requires significant time, energy, or motivation to change it. Instead of creating bigger, more complicated, and more expensive (!) initiatives, behavioural science offers a way for L&D to change behaviour in a measurable and meaningful way, with very small, sometimes very cheap, interventions.

‘Nudging’ is a term coined by economists Richard Thaler, and Cass Sunstein that describes changing the environment to facilitate or promote a behaviour. These changes are typically inexpensive and subtle and involve tapping into the subconscious processes of decision-making. As an L&D professional, you probably already use nudges intuitively e.g., declaring there’s “only a few spaces left!” to drive engagement for your learning course, or by making the default pension investment an opt-out rather than opt-in.  

When solving complex challenges, however, the bulk of traditional Learning and Development methods still focus on ‘knowledge transfer’ through content, and are consistently falling short and being challenged by senior decision-makers keen to see a Return-on-Investment. Behavioural science methodologies, such as ‘nudging,’ offer a way to understand why people do what they do, identify the key points of influence, and then design solutions that drive effective behavioural change.

To be clear, ‘nudging’ is not a catch-all to replace all behaviour change interventions. It is highly unlikely that ‘nudging’ alone can re-engage a workforce, or promote Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion across a business. ‘Nudging’ is most successful when it accompanies other intervention methodologies, as it can be used to reinforce learning and prompt or facilitate the desired behaviours.  

Below is an example of how we at Solvd Together applied ‘nudging’ and other behavioural science insights to solve a complex challenge: improving leadership capabilities.

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The problem:

Due to accelerated growth, structural changes, and the return to work following COVID-19, Heathrow Airport’s leadership was looking to be re-engaged, reset, and up-skilled. The challenge was the solution had to be delivered to over 1600 colleagues in leadership roles, each with varying levels of responsibility and experience. Through observational research and interviews, Solvd Together developed a four-part immersive experiential programme called ‘Lead the Way’, which was complemented by a nudge campaign.  

The nudge element:

Through observation, Solvd Together researchers noted that every Heathrow colleague wore a lanyard that could hold small objects. To reinforce the skills leaders had acquired during the experiential sessions of Lead the Way, Solvd designed miniature booklets containing leadership tips which colleagues could refer to when facing challenging situations. This nudge affects two elements of behaviour change: habit and social norms.  

Colleagues were already in the habit of wearing the lanyard daily, so we were not increasing their cognitive load by asking them to do something new. Furthermore, other leaders could see the booklet since every Heathrow colleague wears a lanyard. This created a social norm which bonded colleagues who had completed the programme and facilitated conversations about what they had learnt.  

The outcome:

To date, 600 leaders have completed the first phase of Lead the Way, and 80% report feeling more confident in having difficult conversations. To learn more about this award-winning leadership programme click HERE.

To successfully ‘nudge’ your workforce, you need to go to your audience rather than asking them to come to you. What are the daily routines or tasks they complete? Map these and then focus on the small changes you can make to their environment that prompt, remind, or facilitate the desired behaviour (e.g., an automated email saying, “Have you prepared for your review?” during review season). If you don’t understand your audience, you run the risk of any changes you make being ineffective, or even back-firing. Running a series of experiments where you can assess the efficacy of different solutions is a great way to get started without investing too much time or money.

Would you like to explore how behavioural science could be applied effectively in your organisation?  Reach out to us for a no commitment chat. Only 3 spaces left! 😜