Behavioral science as a specialization
Is it time to shift the mental model of behavioral science's role?
After years of following the applied behavioral science (besci) space, I have begun to change my mental model around what the future will hold for this discipline. During my Master of Behavioral and Decision Sciences (MBDS) program at the University of Pennsylvania, I envisioned a future where applied besci would be a team unto itself. After years in the field, I have recognized that this vision does not factor in the reality that this discipline enhances the work of most other professions, especially those whose work is one or two steps removed from the final customer.
Where I once thought that applied besci would be a "major" that would form around focusing on the outcomes a product or service creates on users, I now realize that in most cases, it is "minor" more established fields that will pursue it as a specialization. This shift in the mental model means instead of an additional behavioral scientist on each product team, they will have at least one product manager, designer, researcher, or market analyst with some besci knowledge.
Three reasons for this mental model shift
1. Significant overlap
The most popular article I have ever written was a comparison of applied besci to user research and data science. Whether my content or others, whenever introducing this subject, there is always an explosion of interest. At first, I believed this challenge was due to resistance from these newer groups to allow another new entrant into the field. Yet, as my career has advanced, I realize that it is instead due to the significant overlap of the groups. User research measures user needs, like applied behavioral scientists measuring behavioral outcomes. Similarly, many data science teams ultimately focus on measuring behavioral outcomes; applied besci generally takes this a small step further to define how these outcomes connect to user outcomes. The list can go on, but applied besci can enhance the professional tasks of many fields rather than trying to create an exclusive value addition.
Applied besci can enhance the professional tasks of many fields rather than trying to create an exclusive value addition.
2. Where are the jobs?
As the tech and finance market cools, we are seeing the end of a decade plus rapid growth in new types of roles as companies experimented to see how else they could create value. Although applied besci was the last to this party, it has seen minimal growth compared to Data Science which became its team at almost every company. A cursory scan of MBDS graduates shows that only 1 in 10 have a behavioral science title, with the majority holding traditional titles such as designer, product manager, etc. Note: as the rest of this article will argue, I am not suggesting this is not a valuable field to pursue but instead a skillset that gives a competitive advantage in these primary fields.
3. Achieving success commonly means redundancy
Finally, I noticed a trend of disbanding occurring to the most influential applied besci teams. Two high-profile examples of this were the Uber besci team, who ultimately folded into the greater data science team, and the Walmart besci team, which was dissolved after years of successful work. It didn't fully click until I realized how expendable I was as the besci lead at Tonal. I focused much of my position on training others to apply a Behavioral Science mindset to their work as data scientists, product managers, etc. So when it came time to cut individuals, I made myself less valuable by doing a good job empowering others. While this could have been avoided had I devoted more time to generating advanced projects, I imagine many new teams will fall into the trap of remaining in the Evangelization stage, doing a good job, only to find that they no longer are as necessary.
Many new teams will fall into the trap of remaining in the Evangelization stage, doing a good job, only to find that they no longer are as necessary.
So what's next
Taking this revised vision of the future does not leave individual behavioral scientists without value; instead, it makes the few who successfully specialize in their careers even more valuable. First, there will need to be those who can create the training for all of the ultimate users of behavioral science, which we already see with the rise of applied besci consulting firms such as Irrational Labs. In some cases, especially for larger firms, this will include a couple of applied behavioral scientists to lead the charge, which we see at Apple. Secondly, there will still need to be those who architect the future of personalizing outcomes, which I have written more about here.
For the rest, applied besci should be viewed as a specialization for which they can use an applied behavioral science lens to augment a traditional field. Doing so will, at a minimum, yield a skill profile that is more valuable than the average individual in said field. At a maximum, this could produce a role as the besci product manager or besci designer who enables the rest of the team to utilize these skills and tools. The remainder of this article will describe what an applied besci mindset entails and how it compares to a business or engineering mindset.
Describing a Behavioral Science Mindset
An applied besci mindset approaches problem-solving and decision-making based on besci principles and methods. It focuses on understanding and influencing human behavior to achieve specific goals and outcomes. Applying besci takes the robust knowledge base within the academic field and turns it into tools, frameworks, and processes that yield behavioral change for end-users. Three primary components are necessary to actively utilize a behavioral mindset: theoretical understanding, intervention development and measurement, and interpersonal skills.
Theoretical Understanding: Succeeding in applying besci requires a solid understanding of the rich knowledge base the academic field has created. There are four primary components that one should understand.
- The first is the study of human biases and heuristics, which is core to everything besci.
- The second is choice architecture and the potential to nudge whenever an individual decides.
- The third is habit formation and the components necessary for habits to be created, reinforced, and ultimately broken.
- The final piece is social norms, which focus on the external factors that influence an individual's decision.
Intervention development and measurement: Individuals with an applied behavioral science mindset can use the insights and findings from behavioral research to design and implement interventions that can influence behavior. They can use theoretical frameworks to identify the underlying psychological and social factors that shape behavior and use this knowledge to develop interventions tailored to the specific context and individuals involved. Numerous frameworks describe how to design and assess interventions, but at their core, they include identifying an opportunity to develop an intervention; crafting an environmental or social change; releasing it; and measuring its impact.
Further examples of intervention frameworks:
Interpersonal skills: Successfully applying behavioral science insights requires communicating with varying stakeholders and sharing why a change is occurring and the value that comes from it. Before an intervention starts, behavioral scientists must communicate effectively with the individuals and groups they are trying to influence to design interventions tailored to their specific needs and context. Good communication skills are essential when finding vital results to make complex scientific concepts and data accessible and understandable to a non-technical audience. Throughout this all, those applying behavioral insights will often work in interdisciplinary teams. Interpersonal skills will allow them to build and maintain relationships by utilizing behavioral science better to make a case for further adoption of behavioral science.
Comparing a Behavioral Science Mindset to Business or Engineering
While there is no formal business definition for a business or engineering mindset, I will use these oversimplified definitions to explore what makes a behavioral science mindset unique. A business mindset ensures that the product or service impacts a company's bottom line. It is characterized by a focus on creating value, maximizing efficiency, and continuously seeking new opportunities for growth and profitability. A business mindset means considering return on investment and identifying cost-saving opportunities.
In other words, business mindsets make decisions based on the bottom line, profit, at its core. In many cases (but for my MBA friends, I know only sometimes), this yields a focus on pursuing short-term growth at the expense of long-term success. This might look like shipping something that is half-built because the market is demanding it. At first, it will sell and generate a profit, but in the long term, customers who use and hate it will be turned off, saturating the market. In comparison, a behavioral mindset here would pitch postponing the launch due to the outcome the product is causing, recognizing it is not meeting the mark.
An engineering mindset is a way of thinking and approaching problem-solving based on engineering principles and methods. It maximizes efficiency and streamlines solutions. Engineers are trained to think logically and systematically, breaking down complex problems into smaller, manageable components. They can identify the constraints and requirements of a problem and use this information to design efficient, cost-effective, and safe solutions. For example, an engineering team may focus on building metrics tracking how long a page takes to load. While these metrics are helpful in some situations, they do not answer what the service did for a user, which is where a behavioral mindset can add value.
Where to start
Concluding this article, I want to emphasize that none of this is intended to discourage anyone from pursuing a career in besci; I am more bullish that behavioral science will remain in the conversation more than ever. Instead, I suggest that individuals looking to break into the field start by determining what primary field they want to align with and then begin building a besci mindset. Doing so will set one up with an established path to building a career and an area to specialize in to differentiate themselves and create additional value.
Once you have found that primary field, market analysis, growth hacking, or something else, your next goal is to find an initial project to apply an applied behavioral mindset. Remember, the primary value add is the creation of interventions that impact the end-users’ behavior. I recommend not starting something new but replicating projects that have proven valuable for other firms. To find these case studies to mirror, you can look at the sizeable behavioral science consulting firms' case studies, academic studies such as Katy Milkman's mega studies, and LinkedIn posts.
Connor Joyce is a behavioral science evangelist in writing, speaking, and community building. If you are interested in connecting with him, reach out on LinkedIn!
