Behavioural Science in Practice

Course content

The course is taught over three full days at WBS London, The Shard by Warwick Business School's Behavioural Science group, and the CogCo team. The programme will include guest speakers, who will share their experience of using behavioural science in their organisation.

You will learn about key principles and current thinking in behavioural science, and how to apply them to research, design and test ideas. The course emphasises practical application, so what you learn is directly transferable back into your workplace. Each day, you will learn about both theory and practice, while being encouraged to work on your live challenges as briefs.

You will explore the hidden forces that shape how we think and decide, and the influence of context and culture, including:

Beliefs: the seriality of thought, how we reason-by-example, the ubiquity of overconfidence, and reasoning as rationalisation

Decision-making: why decision making is so hard, our brain as a comparison machine, deciding one reason at a
time, and choosing by comparing and by copying

Preferences: self-control problems and how they can be addressed, social norms, altruism, reciprocity, network
nudges and social bridging.

Teaching days

Each day, you will learn about both theory and practice, while being encouraged to work on your live challenges as briefs. 

Day 1

  • Introduction to Behavioural Science
  • What are Cognitive Biases and Heuristics
  • Divide into groups to explore your real-world business challenges
  • Introduction to the ‘4 Step’ Behaviour Change Playbook
  • Step 1 of the Behaviour Change Playbook: Goal
  • Networking Evening with Canapes

Learning outcomes:

  • You will learn about the core concepts in behavioural science and how they affect the decisions we take
  • You will learn how to structure a behavioural science project, with a deep dive into how to set a behavioural objective at the beginning of a piece of work.

 

Day 2

  • Recap of Day 1
  • Behavioural Science in Government
  • Step 2: Insight, including an overview and continuation of your team challenge
  • Step 3: Solution, including an overview and continuation of your team challenge
  • Cohort Dinner near The Shard

Learning outcomes:

  • You will gain an understanding of how to examine the barriers that might prevent people from changing their behaviour
  • You will learn a series of practical tools and techniques that will help overcome these barriers, helping to change the behaviours of those you are seeking to influence
  • You will gain knowledge from individuals who have applied behavioural science in practice at the highest levels of government and with commercial organisations.

Day 3

  • Recap of Day 2
  • Step 4: Test, including an overview and continuation of your team challenge
  • How is AI being used in Behavioural Science?
  • Finalising and presenting your real-world challenges

Learning outcomes:

  • You will learn the principles behind testing and trialling solutions that you might develop, in order to demonstrate how effective they have been
  • You will learn how to organisations are integrating the latest developments in Artificial Intelligence into their behavioural science programmes and projects. 

Our teaching team

Behavioural Science in Practice is taught by Warwick Business School's Behavioural Science group, alongside the Behavioural Insights team. 

The Behavioural Science group at Warwick Business School is the leading centre of its kind in Europe, at the forefront of research in psychology, economics and neuroscience, while heavily involved in real world applications.

The Behavioural Insights Team (BIT) is a global social purpose company of leaders and pioneers in applied behavioural science. They exist to improve lives and communities by helping all levels of government, the private sector and philanthropies tackle their biggest challenges through the application of behavioural science.