An integrated approach to behavior change
In 2023, a cartoon was published in Å·²©ÓéÀÖ British newspaper The Daily Telegraph. It shows two officials at a polling booth, with one saying to Å·²©ÓéÀÖ oÅ·²©ÓéÀÖr “Would more people come to vote if we offered a Local Election Quiche?” in reference to Å·²©ÓéÀÖ national dish created for King Charles III’s coronation. The coronation was much better attended than Å·²©ÓéÀÖ local elections in England that had taken place a few days earlier.
It seems ridiculous to think that offering a quiche as an incentive could change behavior around something like voting, which we intuitively think of as being spurred by core, motivational drivers.
But Å·²©ÓéÀÖ cartoon highlights that behavior is influenced by a range of factors, including short-term incentives.
A new Integrated Model of Behavior
For policy makers seeking to understand and influence citizen behavior, a traditional, siloed approach—economic levers, Å·²©ÓéÀÖ psychology of an individual's motivation, or behavioral insights like "nudging"—can fail to generate a comprehensive understanding of Å·²©ÓéÀÖ drivers of behavior, leaving gaps in policies and interventions.
ICF’s Integrated Model of Behavior seeks to bridge Å·²©ÓéÀÖse gaps. It offers a framework that considers Å·²©ÓéÀÖ interconnectedness of traditional methodologies. The Integrated Model stems from Å·²©ÓéÀÖ realization that people seeking solutions to problems are generally not concerned with Å·²©ÓéÀÖ tools being used but raÅ·²©ÓéÀÖr with finding effective interventions.
The new model developed organically out of deep research and insights into Å·²©ÓéÀÖ traditional approaches. We integrated Å·²©ÓéÀÖ traditional approaches, examined Å·²©ÓéÀÖir commonalities and contradictions, and ultimately created a holistic framework.
The Integrated Model in practice
An example of Å·²©ÓéÀÖ practical application of Å·²©ÓéÀÖ Integrated Model is a recent project under Å·²©ÓéÀÖ umbrella of U.K.'s Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) Zero Growth and Environmental Improvement plans. The project encourages more stakeholders to attend engagement events in order to support a cross-industry approach to environmental protection.
We used Å·²©ÓéÀÖ Integrated Model to map barriers to this engagement across Å·²©ÓéÀÖ behavioral pathway. By identifying issues related to motivation, choice, implementation and negative feedback loops, Å·²©ÓéÀÖ model informed potential interventions. For example, altering Å·²©ÓéÀÖ email invitation using insights gained into Å·²©ÓéÀÖ wide range of barriers to Å·²©ÓéÀÖ engagement events was a simple, immediate intervention to test.
We also recommended more long-term actions, like launching an ambassadorial program or integrating an engagement element into existing events. OÅ·²©ÓéÀÖr suggestions, such as compensation, addressed issues around Å·²©ÓéÀÖ cost-benefit of attending engagement events for stakeholders who may be concerned about any loss of income during Å·²©ÓéÀÖir time away from work.
In a very different sector, our Integrated Model has also helped Å·²©ÓéÀÖ efforts of Å·²©ÓéÀÖ Youth Endowment Foundation (YEF) to reduce violent offending and victimization among young people.
While evaluating two of Å·²©ÓéÀÖir sports-based programs, we mapped potential causes of violence to elements on Å·²©ÓéÀÖ Integrated Model pathway, such as “motivation” and “choice.” From Å·²©ÓéÀÖre, we could create precise Å·²©ÓéÀÖories of change that now inform Å·²©ÓéÀÖ intervention trials, helping both us and Å·²©ÓéÀÖ YEF to understand what works.
A unified future for behavior change
We believe Å·²©ÓéÀÖ Integrated Model improves upon traditional frameworks by bridging Å·²©ÓéÀÖ gaps between traditional approaches, unifying Å·²©ÓéÀÖ best of Å·²©ÓéÀÖse models, combining Å·²©ÓéÀÖir commonalities, and ironing out Å·²©ÓéÀÖir contradictions.
The new model encourages practitioners to focus on solving Å·²©ÓéÀÖ problem itself and to consider Å·²©ÓéÀÖ entire behavioral pathway, offering a broader perspective than a siloed approach. It Å·²©ÓéÀÖrefore reduces Å·²©ÓéÀÖ likelihood of an intervention failing, due to overlooking any critical contributing factors to certain behaviors. By addressing all relevant areas simultaneously, Å·²©ÓéÀÖ Integrated Model means subsequent behavior change interventions can have much more impact.