All models are wrong, some are useful…
Now you may have already heard from me about using models like COM-B to do a diagnosis on the barriers to behavior.
But there are other models out there like the ISM model.
I like ISM model because it’s practical and examines the impact of individual, social, and material contexts on behavior.
Originating from Southerton and colleagues 2011 whom reviewed behavior change initiatives and further refined as a tool by Paul Tyrer and the Scottish Government.
The diagnostic tool's core principle is that effective interventions must consider influences across all three contexts to achieve lasting change.
Traditional change often focuses only on individuals, which may not result in significant behavior changes.
ISM's approach, which integrates insights from social psychology, behavioral economics, and sociology, promotes broader thinking and collaborative efforts to create more effective analysis.
Here is a bit about the categories:
-Individual includes: Values,
Beliefs, Attitudes, Costs & Benefits, Emotions Agency, Skills, Habit
-Social includes: Institutions, Meanings, Norms, Opinion Leaders
-Material includes: Technologies, Objects, Time & Schedules Infrastructure
In my advising and consulting we have many models to choose from - because as a behavioral scientist, I need to amme sure I am not guessing, but using models to guide my clients.
If you are going to use a model, remember, there is no one model that rules them all when it comes to behavior and chnage - the important thing is for you to know and understand them and to use them as thinking tools to help you create the experiences, policies or services that are going to help people make progress.