Why Typical Behavior Change Programs Fail - and How Social Norms Can Make a Difference (Link to Guide in Comments)
Any collective behavior is driven by complex factors, including social norms, which may not be immediately obvious.
While typical behavior change programs tend to focus on individual factors, they often neglect the crucial role of social influences.
This can lead to limited success in achieving behavior change. (hence why looking at biases in isolation isn't my preferred way of working)
UNICEF has created a wonderful guide for social norms
The guide gathers 24 tools and provides concrete examples, step-by-step instructions and techniques that have been successfully used in the real-world.
The guide talks about several challenges that have impeded progress in programming to influence social norms such as:
-Hesitancy to engage in a field perceived as theoretically complex and difficult to master. -Sensitivities related to the ethics of shifting norms that are closely tied to cultural and social identity. -Difficulty in planning and resources for activities that require long-term social change, beyond our working and funding cycles. -Lack of data to properly inform and measure the main drivers of behavior, including social norms. -Lack of support to integrate social norms theories into practical application on the ground. -A general lack of knowledge around the importance of social norms and how they facilitate or hamper our mission.
To help overcome these challenges the guide is there to:
-Highlight the importance of social norms in achieving behavior change goals. -Provide practical guidance and tools for integrating social norms theories into programming. -Address ethical considerations related to changing social norms. -Emphasize the need for long-term planning and investment in social change efforts. -Offer data-driven approaches to measure and monitor the effectiveness of interventions. -Promote greater awareness and understanding of social norms and their role in achieving development objectives.
In summary, addressing social norms is a critical component of achieving behavior change, and having guides to help you navigate this are important.
Have you used the guide? How do you design for social norms?
#behavioralscience #digitaltransformation #servicedesign
