How can we visualize behavior change strategies?
Working on different projects, I have come to understand that trying to explain theories, models and framework to organizations does not need to feel like an academic lesson.
In fact, most of the reasons why behavior change seems hard and complicated is because those of us working with it may feel the need to explain it in the same way in which we learnt it.
We forget that the "hero's" of our story are not us - the behavioral scientists - but rather the people we are working with and ultimately the people we are working towards enabling to change.
Internally, we use tools like the COM-B model, because they are really helpful to and let us organize insights so we can get to the nuances of behavior.
But most marketing, communications, change and innovation teams don't think in terms of COM-B.
As a refresher, COM-B (and other similar models) are used by teams like mine to look for the drivers of behavior.
These barriers are categorized by:
- Capability (Do I know) - Opportunity (Can I do it) - Motivation (Do I want to do it)
This model - when used right - can be a powerful way to understand the influences of decision making for your customers and employees. They also let us focus on what we can and can't change with the levers we have as an organization.
I have also seen very superficial applications of this model, which in the end will give you less than desired results.
In this paper, the researchers used a behavior change framework to visualize behavior change strategies for a diabetes prevention program.
At the Patient level ---> Increasing the patient's awareness of pre-diabetes
At the Provider's Level ---> Improving communication skills, and teachable moments at diagnosis
At the System Level ---> Invitation by physicians as well as social marketing.
Visualizing this in a simple way for stakeholders to understand is the right way to get buy in and not overwhelm (which behavioral scientists sometimes tend to do)
If you understand behavior and know how to apply the levers in the right way you can achieve a differentiated value vs your competitors, which is what we help our customers with.
(Image credit: Yoon and colleagues (2022) Facilitators and Barriers to Uptake of Community-Based Diabetes Prevention Program Among Multi-Ethnic Asian Patients With Prediabetes)