Unit 1: Foundations of Applied Behavioral Science

Lesson 3: Making decisions based on evidence

At this point, most leaders would tell you they want to make evidence-based decisions. At the same time, most of us would agree that the majority of the decisions aren’t being made that way.  Behavioral science is a method for bridging that gap.

Science is a beautiful, human-designed process for creating reliable outcomes.  It works by reducing bias and generating evidence that can then be tested through experimentation.  So when you use a scientific approach, decisions can be made on evidence rather than the HiPPO (HIghest Paid Person’s Opinion).

Activity:

Think of an example from your experience of when a decision was made either with or without evidence.

• How was the decision made?
• What was the outcome of the decision?