Choosing to Change

One of the most interesting aspects of behavior change - and being in the business of helping companies create that change - is that we're dealing with human beings that have the ability to make choices.  When a program is designed to shepherd behavior toward a specific goal we try to provide the appropriate behavior triggers that will elicit the response we want.  As a side goal, we try to design the initiative in a way that not only drives behavior but makes the target audience happy about the change - makes them a part of it.

I don't normally use cartoonists for ammunition and inspiration for this blog but sometimes it just feels right.

Scott Adams of Dilbert fame - has a very interesting blog (you should subscribe if you don't) that touches on a lot wide-ranging issues from God and free will to decision making and how to be funny. 

The other day on Scott's blog he had a discussion about the power of choice.

Scott basically says that having choices put you in control, and control = satisfaction.  To quote the post:

"We know from workplace studies that the biggest factor in employee satisfaction is the degree of control workers have over their jobs, assuming other factors such as the pay and the hours are somewhere in the normal range. People like choice more than they like the thing they choose."

The rest of the post goes on to provide examples of where a choice is less than optimal but still we think it is a better choice - simply because we controlled the choosing.

This is important when designing a program to influence behavior.  People can choose to follow the path you've laid out, awards and all, or choose not to.  Designing the program correctly means we have to offer people choices in the process - choose this and get "X" or choose the other and get "Y." 

Both options will advance your cause - change behavior.  But the mere fact you gave your audience choices means you given them some control which in turn will drive satisfaction with their choice - and satisfaction with the behavior change.  This also ties into my post from Monday on getting your target audience involved.  Same idea.

Next program - provide options to participants for behavior change.  This is especially important if your audience skews younger (more Millennials/Gen Y.)