15-minute Introduction to the Behaviour Change Wheel
Unlocking Behaviour Change - Unlocking Behaviour Change
A short introduction to the Behaviour Change Wheel and the COM-B model. Use it to diagnose whether capability, opportunity or motivation is the real barrier before choosing how to support a change at work.
Key takeaways
- Define the specific behaviour you want to see: who, what, when and where.
- Check whether capability, opportunity or motivation is missing before picking a fix.
- Match the intervention to the barrier - training rarely solves a lack of time or tools.
Reflect on it
- Which change at work is stalling, and which part of COM-B is most likely missing?
- What intervention have I defaulted to that may not fit the real barrier?
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The Behaviour Change Wheel, developed by Susan Michie and colleagues at UCL, is a framework for designing interventions that change what people actually do. This short introduction from Unlocking Behaviour Change walks through how it fits together.
Why it is worth 15 minutes
Most workplace change fails because we jump straight to a solution - a new policy, a training session, an email campaign - without asking why people behave the way they do. The wheel gives you a structured way to diagnose first.
The key points
- At the centre is COM-B: behaviour happens when people have the Capability, Opportunity and Motivation to do it.
- Diagnose which of the three is missing before choosing a fix - training will not help if the real barrier is time or tools.
- The middle ring sets out intervention types, such as education, training, persuasion, incentives, modelling and enablement.
- The outer ring covers policy options that support those interventions, such as guidelines, environmental changes and regulation.
- Be specific about the behaviour you want: who needs to do what, when and where.
Where to go next
Read the fundamental principles of change management and the ABCs of dealing with resistance to change at work.
Turn it into CPD
Watch the video, then answer the reflection questions under it and log it to your free Passport.
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