Social norms are the unwritten rules of acceptable behaviour that motivate us to follow social expectations. Social science shows how norms can be used to positively change behaviour.
Employment services often struggle to appeal to their intended clientele. Sending effective messages can increase sign-up. Messages should emphasise the ease, benefits, and comparative outcome of services.
Organisations can improve their record-keeping by adopting a systematic approach, and using techniques developed through social science research. Discover tips for small businesses and not-for-profit organisations on how to document important decisions, understanding legal obligations, and keeping records safe.
Sociologist Philomena Essed shows how everyday interactions feed into structural racism, such as during workplace interactions. Essed demonstrates how workplaces can proactively create an environment of justice and dignity. She advocates that leaders must do proactive reflection to better understand how culture impacts workplace relationships and respect.
I reflect on how to tell a good story that takes into consideration different social groups, inequity, and power relations. I also provide tips about how to measure the impact of a good story.
Social science can be used to encourage employers to follow workplace regulations. This post covers how to increase compliance by appealing to social norms, providing practical examples of how to implement new requirements, and by sending timely messages that encourage change.
Social science can encourage businesses to comply with safety regulations. This is a case study showing how to encourage community organisations to submit event safety planning information in a timely manner. We cover how to encourage early planning, showing the benefits of complying with safety information requests, targeting messages, and using trusted messengers.
This post covers how organisations can get more people to apply to their programs. We break down a case study of how to entice students to apply for an education achievement award. We show how to design an effective message to attract applicants, as well as how to improve the application form and customer experience.
If you have a hybrid or remote team, or you run a lot of online meetings, you might be looking for new ways to engage your colleagues. Perhaps you’re seeking fun activities to break up long workshops. Here are suggestions of ice breaker games, polls and quizzes that go down a treat in small meetings and large workshops. These games are inspired by social science, by promoting cultural awareness, prompting safe discussion, and supporting diverse communication styles. Use these game templates for free.