“The genius of And versus the tyranny of Or”

“The genius of And versus the tyranny of Or”

October 2022 saw the first gathering of Chief Behavioural Officers from all around the world to discuss the opportunities ahead in the field of applied behavioural science in business. Connections were made and conversations flowed to create a truly collegiate and collaborative experience for all.

Woven throughout the conversations were a number of key emergent threads that will be the focus of this and future Summits in the years to come.

A) Behavioural science is evolving from its humble nudge beginnings to a way of thinking that permeates throughout the organisation.

Interventions that were once operating at Short wavelength are now being complemented by wider programmes with longevity and Long wavelength within businesses. In its early days, behavioural science or nudge theory was often defined by its ability to fix or optimise things that were not quite right in the world. Behavioural science was redefining Deliverables. Excitingly, Deliverables are now being joined by Discovery. Businesses are now using behavioural science to create new insights and providing a foundation to build new products and services, using data and design. And the language is changing. ‘In the moment’ and ‘moments in time’ Interventions, now sit comfortably alongside behavioural science as a new lever with company wide Innovation. The consensus in the room is that behavioural science is, can and will be used as both a Tool and a Lens, now and in the future. Behavioural science is a continuum. We believe we’re developing a field that is characterised by the genius of And versus the tyranny of Or.?

B)We need to bridge the gap between academia and businesses more effectively and start to shape and manage the global talent pool for applied behavioural science.

There is no doubt the capability building programmes in academia are working effectively to create a pool of highly talented individuals coming into the workplace. MSc programmes in the UK, US and areas in Europe are supercharging the growth of behavioural science hubs within businesses and external consultancies supporting them. There was a feeling that Design Thinking was lacking across the programmes, bar pockets of behavioural design integration in one programme in the USA. The group also acknowledged that greater integration within the MBA programmes would be a requirement in the future, in order to influence our leaders of the future, starting today. And within businesses, there was a recognition that continuous learning of within existing centres of excellence was critical to ensure teams were abreast of the very latest thinking and execution globally.

C) Behavioural science increasing its scope of influence - from citizen and customer to now changing the behaviour of colleagues.

Within the group, there are an increasing number of key CBOs who are using behavioural science to improve the workplace. From translating values into everyday behaviours, improving the DE&I of organisations, to assessing and managing employee risk during the pandemic, the use of behavioural science in improving the working lives within our businesses is a focus moving forwards. These interventions, now building into wider programmes, are also being complemented by tools and processes that help businesses deploy behavioural science ethically.

D) Behavioural science at a tipping point - from Early Adopter to Early Majority.

Behavioural science is scaling, quickly. But how big is it? How much resource and capital is being invested to grow the discipline? As an order of magnitude, within the group, the market was estimated to be worth ￡1bn per annum and could be potentially worth ￡3bn to ￡4bn per annum across the next decade. It was felt that within lead markets, behavioural science is at a tipping point, with key decision makers within businesses supporting investment into behavioural science now asking for accountability and ROIs, to justify funding significant investments into short and long wavelength programmes.?

In summary. A lot was covered. There is a lot more to be discussed in future summits.?

But we didn’t manage to agree on one thing.?

Is it Behavioural Science or Behavioral Science?

We guess it’s both. Behavioural Science and Behavioral Science.