How behavioural science can build better learning

Year

2024

Client

Multinational pharmaceutical

Behavioural scienceBespoke learning content

A multinational pharmaceutical organisation was looking to update their disciplinary processes. They wanted to put the decision-making in the hands of managers – wherever in the world they were based.

Thankfully disciplinary procedures are rare, so not many managers had been through any training previously. That made it part change comms (for managers who had been through a similar process) and part simple education (for the majority who never had).

Using behavioural science to understand the learner mindset

The first step to this campaign – or any learning campaign – was understanding the learners. By understanding managers concerns, we could address each directly:

Managers were busy:

We made the learning simple, fast, and relevant to them

01

Managers were often anxious about dealing with heightened emotions:

We reassured them that this is common and a sign that they care (which is a good thing)

02

Managers were nervous about getting it ‘wrong’:

We offered them detailed information, and clear places to go for additional help and guidance

03

What we delivered

By its nature, disciplinary procedures are a serious topic – but there were still plenty of ways to make it engaging while underpinning the emotions of the user.

A purpose-built training module

to turn all the complex content into easy-to-understand, accessibly-designed sections

Videos from senior staff

to allow the SVP Global Employment Law and Global Employee Relations to offer his reassurance in a warm, human way

Interactive timelines

to give clear understanding of the order of events, and where the manager contributes

Animated videos

to reiterate the ‘why’ behind the ‘how’ at the point where learners might be most nervous

Practical tips and insights

to acknowledge those emotions again and provide useful tools, framing, and reminders to inspire confidence
The training was all built around the idea of empowering managers. About letting them demonstrate the very judgement and experience that got them a managerial role in the first place. After getting that right, the rest was ultimately an easy-to-follow process.

The Outcome

From an HR perspective this was a huge change – updating multiple policies in multiple languages across different legal systems and time zones. But to the managers?

They wanted it to feel simple.

The key was to frame this process as something that empowers managers. Show them they’re trusted. That they’ve proven they’re capable of these decisions. And they continue to be supported every step of the way. By keeping the managers front and centre we were able to focus on the information that mattered.

Need help getting to grips with your audience?

Understanding your audience can be tricky even (maybe especially) when they’re part of your own team.

That’s why bringing in some expert outsiders can help you get to the heart of your audience’s emotions – even the ones they weren’t aware of themselves.

If you want support from some behavioural-science-trained experts who can help your audience feel understood, why not give us a shout?

Get in touch