A narrow-minded, bottom-line focus commonly plagues private sector organisations, neglecting wider social impact in pursuit of exclusive "win-win" arrangements.
Meanwhile, the evaluation of corporate success is rightfully and increasingly intertwined with meaningful social impact and legacy, extending beyond profit margin and market dominance.
The crucial role of Behavioural Science in addressing urgent societal challenges cannot be overlooked, and when harnessed in tandem with corporate levers and scale, it creates unique opportunities, emphasising Cowry’s multifaceted role in applying Behavioural Science in business. This article showcases one example of how Cowry fulfils a unique role in integrating social impact within business strategies, overcoming potentially significant shortfalls in industry research, and removing barriers to entry. These efforts help create environments that prioritise global accessibility, develop tailored solutions to diverse cultures and contexts, and foster socially responsible initiatives.
Dog bites to adults cost the UK NHS £70.8 million annually, with 91% involving dogs familiar to the individual and an average of seven postal workers bitten each working day. Beyond the physical and emotional impact on victims, these incidents have significant consequences for the dogs involved. In the Global South, where rabies is prevalent, stray dog interactions cause significant problems, resulting in fear, injuries, and potentially fatal infections. Contributing factors differ vastly with large stray dog populations, limited access to vaccination programmes, and both social and cultural influences. Addressing this issue globally with a targeted approach is crucial for preventing harm and improving welfare.
Cowry is proud to have delivered our 2023 Global Summer School in partnership with Dogs Trust who’ve been working for a better future for dogs and those who love them since 1881, establishing a global community capable of sharing expertise worldwide. Our summer school removes entry barriers for aspiring practitioners, offers a path for passionate individuals, and broadens global accessibility. With a programme of rapid exposure, practical understanding, and unique opportunities, participants undertook this complex societal challenge, leveraging their behavioural understanding to deliver their own live, global brief.
The combination of the charity brief along with its accompanying workshops provided much-needed skills and insights of what it is required to be a behavioural scientist and represent the field at a professional level. This experience I believe is of utmost importance for anyone who is interested in joining the field.
Summer Schooler, 2023
This global challenge emphasises the strategic necessity of understanding and respecting cultural differences. Behavioural research remains skewed towards Western, Educated, Industrialised, Rich, and Democratic nations (WEIRD), complicating the application and relevance of much existing research for any practitioner in the field. The cross-cultural opportunities created by the summer school are essential for broadening horizons in behavioural research and application. Without such initiatives, leveraging the value of Behavioural Science risks falling short and may even contribute to widening social disparities. Our global cohort, empowered by diverse briefs, gained unique insights into cultural influences, enabling the design of well-tailored interventions from far and wide, which is imperative for developing culturally competent solutions.
Amongst the insightful research and creative interventions devised by our scholars, below we’ve shared just three of the most prominent barriers globally and insightful tips on overcoming them.
Availability Heuristic
The availability of information relates to what is easy, obvious, and front of mind. Our decisions are heavily swayed by those objects and events most easily recalled. For example, easily recalled events are considered to occur more frequently as we consider the ease with which they are brought to mind indicative of the likelihood of their occurrence. For those who’ve never been bitten by a dog, the risk may not come to mind so readily. As a result, we’re much more likely to downplay the chances or take adequate preventative precautions.
Tip: It’s important to create solutions that are visually distinct and salient in our memories. Items that stand out in our visual fields draw our attention and are easily recalled. Emphasise the placement and design elements alongside the message itself to ensure it’s easily recalled.
Optimism Bias
We tend to be overly optimistic. We overestimate our knowledge, underestimate risk, and exaggerate our control over other events. This optimism influences traders to believe they’re less susceptible to market losses, leads planners to underestimate project costs and timelines, and causes people to skip annual health check-ups. Likewise, dog owners and families typically believe their dog is an exception, immune to incidents involving themselves or visitors, and that they’ll easily be able to intervene to prevent any such occurrences.
Tip: We underestimate how our emotions and impulses influence our decisions, leading to differences between how we anticipate we will act and the actions we exhibit in the moment. Appeal to your audience during ‘hot’ emotional states to create moments for self-realisation that counter overly optimistic expectations.
Social Norms
As social beings, we often conform to unwritten rules shaped by our perceptions of social expectations. These norms can either encourage or deter actions in our best interest. For instance, in many parts of the Global South, it’s common to believe that applying chilli to a dog bite can prevent infections, discouraging people from seeking proper medical treatment.Tip: Display content that demonstrates the social norms you’re trying to create taps into our sense of community and collective action. This overcomes feelings of acting in isolation and replaces them with positive associations and identities, reinforcing target behaviours and making them feel significantly less effortful.
It was such a privilege for Dogs Trust to participate in this incredible opportunity, and we are genuinely thrilled to have had the chance to work alongside such a talented and well-respected organisation like Cowry. In addition to this, the fact that so many talented behavioural scientists worked so hard, and applied their expertise and creativity over such a short period of time to help Dogs Trust with real-world challenges is extremely inspiring for us. We were extremely impressed by the standard of work they produced in such a short space of time.
Matthew Payne, Behaviour Change Manager at Dogs Trust
In summary, Behavioural Science plays a pivotal role in addressing pressing societal and global issues, while its role in the business world is multifaceted. By integrating social impact into business strategies and applying behavioural insights thoughtfully and ethically, organisations can create environments that prioritise global accessibility, customise solutions to diverse customer needs based on culture and context, and foster socially responsible initiatives.
We take pride in embodying this spirit, aligning behavioural insights and business interests with broader social considerations to drive positive, scalable change. This approach allows us to deliver win-win-win scenarios for organisations, individuals, and the broader communities they serve.
To read more pieces around ESG and BeSci, download our latest On The Brain.
