Since starting this blog, I have been on a huge learning journey trying to apply behavioural science to responsible business challenges: increasing the number of women and people from underrepresented groups being interviewed in recruitment processes; reducing hazardous child labour in the cocoa supply chain; nudging online shopping delivery choices that contribute to poor working conditions for couriers; and more. And I joined UCL’s Behaviour Change Masters programme. I want to share what I’m learning and hear more from those of you working on similar issues.
A few years ago, I realised that so much work in the responsible business space is about changing behaviour. People within and outside of business are trying to persuade, influence and affect the behaviours and decisions of those that have the power to impact the lives of people affected by business activity. And yet, we have not nearly begun to use the wealth of insights and experiences from psychology and behavioural science to drive those changes.
I’ve been quiet here because I’ve been on an intensive learning journey. I joined UCL’s Behaviour Change Masters programme. I’ve been working with Shift to drive research and learning to understand what business and human rights can learn from behavioural science. I conducted an exploratory deep-dive into how to reduce children’s involvement in hazardous labour in cocoa farming in Cote d’Ivoire and Indonesia, and I supported development and aid workers’ ability to design behaviour-oriented interventions with Save the Children’s Center for Utilizing Behavioural Insights for Children. And, most recently, I’m working with MoreThanNow to run experiments within companies to change behaviours to improve diversity, inclusion and belonging at work.
I’ve been learning a lot. And now I want to come out of this period and share what I’ve found. So, over the next few weeks you can expect to hear from me:
Why approaches and methodologies to behaviour change are underrated and how we can use them in the responsible business domain;
Why it’s so hard to change ethical consumer behaviour and what psychological processes underlie consumer decision-making;
How behavioural science has been used to improve diversity and inclusion within companies and what responsible business can learn from this.
I know we’ve all become more aware of the centrality of behaviours to our lives. Over the last 2 years we’ve had to change our behaviour to keep each other safe – wearing masks, refraining from social contact, washing our hands more. We’ve all had a crash course in behaviour change. I’m looking forward to hearing from you how you see behaviour change as relevant to your work and what you’ve been doing in this space.