Don Whaley invented the “self-flipper.”  Dick Malott described this as a large rubber band worn loosely on the wrist to flick yourself every time you do some behavior you’re trying to change.  Whaley also invented a variable-time beeper to increase self-awareness. Randomly, the beeper would beep. If the wearer then immediately wrote down whatever they were thinking or doing, they would become more aware of their own cognitions and behavior. They might also learn more about themselves than they ever wanted to know.

Whaley and Malott were innovators in behavioral psychology. The first edition of their textbook, Elementary Principles of Behavior, was published in 1968. In it, they presented formulations about discriminative stimuli, behaviors and schedules of reinforcement in folksy and sometimes funny ways. They made behavioral principles accessible to wider audiences.

Fast forward through decades of conceptual refinements and advances in cognitive psychology, neurosciences and computer technologies (plus five more editions of Principles of Behavior) and you arrive at the work of B.J. Fogg, a Stanford professor who specializes in persuasive technologies and in using computers to change behavior. Think Facebook, Twitter, Google, etc. The troika of behavior change in Fogg’s model is “trigger, ability and motivation.” The principles are the same.

Fogg and his colleagues have made ten fundamental behavioral principles even more accessible. They’ve condensed these principles into language that is as easy to understand as clicking and reading these 10 simple slides.

From philosophers to parents to presidents of corporations and nations, everyone is interested in how to change human behavior. Learning theory and cognitive/behavioral psychology have shown the way with proven principles.  If you apply these principles, you will be able to change behavior. You may also become more aware of influences on your own behavior.

Regarding inclusion….

Diversity is a quality. Inclusion is the behavior. Effective team performance, positive organizational change and inclusive workplace cultures are all made up of individual and group behaviors that can be shaped.  It’s not rocket science, but it takes time and sustained attention. There are many moving parts.

To change behavior, situations must be analyzed and structured so that the behavior you want is more likely to occur, and be rewarded, than any other behavior.  Whether the behavior you want to change is that of your organization or your own, the principles are the same.

Watch here for more information coming soon on this topic!