Needs and Behaviors should go hand in hand...
In behavioral science we always talk about starting at the point where we define a target behavior but this should be done together with discovering what the Job To Be Done is and what the unmet needs are?
It makes absolute sense that these two things should end up complementing each other - and in the work we do, we always try and map both the needs and the behaviors so we get a more holistic understanding.
A while back Tony Ulwick wrote a great article where he describes innovators who try to:
1.
Make things people want
"Innovators who try to create products that people want typically study the complexities of value creation through the lens of managerial science."
Managerial science is the study of business problem-solving and complex decision-making.
This makes sense to me, and more so these days when I am starting to incorporate strategic foresight and futures thinking - so we can understand the scenarios we could potentially be focusing on today, so we can be prepared for opportunities and threats.
However in order to realize this value creation we should also understand what behaviors would need to occur and if the drivers of those behaviors (from an individual, social and material perspective can happen)
2. Make people want things "Managers who try to figure out how to motivate and entice customers to buy the products they create typically study the complexities of customer behavior through the lens of behavioral science."
While motivation is key to behavior - we need to remember that the way we speak about behavior needs to go beyond the individual - and it needs to account for the system - and in doing so also remember that motivation can occur when we have the capability and the opportunity to do so.
If needs and behaviors work together then we can better inform decision making.
Perhaps Behavioral Science has been seen as existing in the latter because of the focus on the individual.
In any case, these were some books that helped me frame that thinking about these two areas living together.
This time from my Kindle:
1. Emotional Design - Don Norman 2. The Handbook of Behavior Change 3.
On Innovation - Harvard Business Review 4. What Customers Want - Tony Ulwick 5. Jobs to be done playbook - Jim Kalbach 6.
The Secret lives of customers - David Duncan 7. Jobs to be done - also by Tony Ulwick 8. The Statue in the Stone - Scott Burleson 9.
What works and What Doesn't and When - Edited By Dilip Soman 10. The Innovators Solution - Clayton Christensen
Remember that by mixing methods we can get better outcomes...