62. Interventions don’t work. Why you should be using nudges instead.

When organizations pinpoint behavior-related problems - biases, low engagement, poor team interaction - they typically seek out interventions to help fix the issue. Social scientists make a big huff about the content of these interventions. The “what,” however, is relatively less important than the “when.” The content needs to be accurate and relevant. But delivering a one-time, data-dump intervention with perfectly manicured material won’t last. People forget. People get busy. If you want sustained change over the long term, you’ll need to facilitate micro-interventions across time. These micro-interventions, colloquially called nudges, should be small and digestible nuggets of insight. These nudges should take users through a well-thought journey from beginner to expert. And these nudges must be tailored to the user, not overgeneralized for the entire organization. Thanks to technology, a system of nudges can be efficiently orchestrated. It’s time for organizations to stop investing in the short-term content, and instead, invest in long-term knowledge delivery systems.