Why The SHIFT
Edition #01 | March 2022
Note to the Reader
Dear reader,
Since time immemorial, the human has been seeking and striving. That is our essential nature. Right from the time the first humans sat around a campfire and plotted the next kill to the modern-day human in the cubicle, we have spent countless hours in our quest for the better, for a shift. The basic human nature, our emotions and our core “wiring” has not changed across millennia nor through bush, savannah, and glass towers.
At the heart of this “seeking” and change lies the need to impact our and the behaviours of people around us. To develop patterns and shortcuts. These short cuts have contributed to help us survive and thrive. They are known widely as behavioural biases and heuristics.
Think about it, in any endeavour you set out in your daily life, you are seeking to influence, alter or shift a behaviour. Either of yourself, your customer, or your colleagues.
Over the last decade, we at Terragni have delved into what it takes to shift behaviours and make lasting, effective change in business. We believe what we learnt ought to be shared with a wider community. Behaviour science removed from labs, from academia and set in the world of business. Practical and impactful.
We are hoping this will be the beginning of a conversation between you and us. To engage better with your Employees and your Customers. To create better “Human Engagement”.
If Memory Serves
Do you hear the phrase “well, that’s what we did last year!” in your organisation? You’ve been doing something for years. So why not do it again? Often, even great ideas fail because unknowingly, we templatize our decisions based on the past. The mental cost of shifting gears and thinking of something new is high. What we did in the recent past is vivid in our minds and therefore holds a greater value then something we have never attempted. This shortcut is a mental model that our brains use for decision making – the Availability heuristic.
“What we did in the recent past is vivid in our minds and therefore holds a greater value then something we have never attempted.”
Making the SHIFT – When faced with a challenge, evaluate the cost of the challenge. If the cost is substantially high, ensure you take a pause before jumping into the problem. Resist the reflex. Examine all the options, write them down. Then choose the right option, rather than reflexively relying on the past.
Behaviours for Business
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