Why Nudging Isn't Behavioral Change.
The problem with nudging is that it's been packaged and sold as the answer to organizational behavior change.
It's seductive because it feels scientific, requires minimal disruption, and promises quick wins, some even call it behavioral science...
Who wouldn't want to drive massive change by simply adjusting email subject lines or moving buttons?
But nudging assumes people just need a gentle push in the right direction. It assumes the system is fundamentally aligned with the desired behavior, and the only missing piece is awareness or activation.
That assumption is wrong most of the time.
When your team reverts to old behaviors after initial adoption, they're not being stubborn or change-resistant. They're responding rationally to the system you've actually created, not the one you think you've created.
Nudging isn't worthless of course, in the right context, with the right supporting conditions, nudges can be effective components of broader behavioral strategies. But treating nudging as behavioral change is like treating a single pill as comprehensive healthcare.
