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StrongerBC Future Skills Grant  is available for a select number of UBC Sauder Professional Growth programs. This funding was provided by the Province of British Columbia. Learn more  

Behavioural Insights

Applying Behavioural Science for Organizational and Social Impact

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$2,390

Course Start Date
Duration
Hours of Study
Instructors
PDU / CDU
Fee
$2,390
Tax
$120
Subtotal
$2,510
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Behavioural Insights

Applying Behavioural Science for Organizational and Social Impact

Understand why people behave the way they do—and how to influence behaviour to drive meaningful, measurable change

Many organizations—across the public, private, and nonprofit sectors—design policies, programs, and initiatives based on the assumption that people behave rationally. In reality, however, behaviour is shaped by contextual factors, habits, emotions, social norms, cognitive biases, and competing priorities. As a result, well-intentioned efforts can fall short and sometimes even backfire.

This course introduces a practical, behavioural science–based approach to understanding and solving these challenges. You will learn how to conduct a full behavioural insights analysis, including how to map and diagnose behavioural challenges, design effective interventions, apply evidence-based tools to drive positive actions, and appropriately test solutions that will lead to responsible outcomes for organizations and society.

This course is ideal for:
  • Policy, government, and public sector professionals at the municipal, provincial, national, or international level who want to apply behavioural insights to policy design, public programs, service delivery, regulation, or citizen engagement.
  • Leaders, managers, and HR professionals driving organizational change, including culture transformation, employee engagement, equity and inclusion, innovation adoption, leadership development, or new ways of working.
  • Nonprofit, foundation, and social impact leaders working to increase participation, improve program uptake, shift community behaviour, mobilize stakeholders, or advance social change.
  • Sustainability, climate, health, and equity professionals seeking to encourage positive behaviour change in areas such as environmental action, public health, inclusion, and accessibility.
  • Program designers, strategists, consultants, and change-makers who need practical tools to diagnose behavioural barriers, design interventions, and test solutions for greater impact.
  • Identify the psychological, social, and contextual factors that influence behaviour.
  • Recognize cognitive biases and behavioural barriers that can undermine well-intentioned initiatives.
  • Apply behavioural insights across sectors and domains, from public policy and service delivery to organizational culture, health, sustainability, equity, and community engagement.
  • Use established behaviour change frameworks to diagnose problems and structure interventions.
  • Choose evidence-based tools and techniques suited to your specific behavioural challenge.
  • Design, test, and refine interventions to increase effectiveness and support measurable outcomes.
  • Align programs and policies with real human behaviour to achieve more inclusive, sustainable, and socially beneficial results.
Impact on your organization, team or business:
  • Design more effective policies, programs, and initiatives by aligning them with how people actually think and behave.
  • Increase participation, adoption, compliance, and engagement in priority areas such as sustainability, health and safety, civic engagement, employee behaviour, and social impact.
  • Reduce the risk of interventions, programs, and policies that fall short or backfire by identifying behavioural barriers, contextual frictions, and unintended consequences early.
  • Build organizational capacity for evidence-based change by developing practical skills to diagnose challenges, design interventions, and test solutions.
  • Make better use of resources by focusing on behaviourally informed strategies that are targeted, measurable, and grounded in real-world conditions.
  • Advance more sustainable and inclusive outcomes by designing initiatives that reflect the realities of the people and communities they are meant to support.
Behavioural Insight Fundamentals
  • The nature of behaviour change
  • Core principles of behavioural insights
  • Key influences on behaviour, including context, habits, social norms, emotions, and cognitive biases
Setting the Stage for Behaviour Change
  • Defining the problem space
  • Selecting target behaviours aligned with strategic goals
  • Assessing risks, trade-offs, and unintended consequences
  • Identifying key audiences and behavioural drivers
Behavioural Mapping
  • Using mapping tools to analyze the full behaviour change process
  • Mapping the end-to-end behaviour journey
  • Identifying friction points and intervention opportunities
Behavioural Insights Tools
  • Using the LISTS tool to guide intervention design
  • Applying nudges and choice architecture
  • Using the EAST framework and the SHIFT framework
  • Integrating additional behaviour change approaches, with a focus on ethical and inclusive principles
Testing and Refining Insights
  • Designing experiments, pilots, and tests
  • Learning from data and adapting interventions
  • Building a culture of testing and iteration
Putting it All Together
  • Developing a behaviourally informed solution to real-world case examples
  • Practising tool application through a hands-on exercises

Profile

Kate White

Dr. Katherine White

Professor

Dr. Katherine White is a Professor of Marketing & Behavioural Science, the Senior Associate Dean, Strategy and Responsible Business, and the Academic Director of the Centre for Climate and Business Solutions at the UBC Sauder School of Business. An internationally recognized scholar, her work focuses on understanding and influencing people’s behaviours to encourage positive outcomes linked to sustainability, health, organizational change, and prosocial choices. She has consulted and led behaviour change projects with The City of Calgary, Recycle BC, TransLink, Health Canada, Fraser Health, Lululemon, Starbucks, the Better Business Bureau, and The United Way.

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