We Can Change People’s Behavior

I read a document from a secret agency that describes methods to change people’s minds. By understanding psychology and creating a nurturing environment, this process takes time but yields significant results.

How Can We Use This to Make a Positive Impact?

In a corporate environment, nurturing good behavior benefits both employers and employees. It’s a win-win situation.

“Human behavior flows from three main sources: desire, emotion, and knowledge.” - Plato

To nurture people, we must focus on the three areas Plato mentioned. In corporations, activities like tech talks, employee recognition, hackathons, in-house training, and celebrating important days are common.

Have you ever wondered why these activities are done? Some companies do them because others do, while some understand their purpose.

I concluded that these activities make people feel:

Desire

• What do we want?
  • Income
  • Job security
  • Public recognition

Emotion

• How do we feel?
  • Safety
  • Meaningful work/connection
  • Sense of belonging

Knowledge

• What do we know/understand?
  • Acquire knowledge
  • Do things right

Wrong Things to Do

Changing people’s behavior requires time and commitment from the top. Human behavior is complex, involving both rational (knowledge) and irrational (desire, emotion) aspects.

Success must focus on all three areas and involve many stakeholders and efforts. Doing only one or two is not enough and will fail.

Start with Small Steps

If you believe this is possible and want to implement it in your organization, start with small steps.

Questions to consider:

• What is your desired behavior?
• What drives this behavior?
• What is the return on investment?
• Who benefits?

I will share my thoughts on behavior changes for my organization in an upcoming article.