Sustainable Management for Managers and Engineers. Группа авторов

Чтение книги онлайн.

Читать онлайн книгу Sustainable Management for Managers and Engineers - Группа авторов страница 10

Sustainable Management for Managers and Engineers - Группа авторов

Скачать книгу

in many ways, and different decompositions may lead to different preferences; therefore, framing is critical in driving preference.

      1.3.2.4. Defaults: automatic enrolment and presumed consent policies

      People are frequently passive and tend to maintain the status quo, particularly when a decision is difficult and produces permanent or lasting results. The psychological phenomenon known as conservatism or status quo was identified by Edwards [EDW 68]. Conservatism or the status quo is observed in many decision problems in which individuals demonstrate a predisposition to what has already been established. The status quo can result from a decision, delaying a decision, or simply the inability to decide – also referred to as decision paralysis. The theory of choice under conflict by Tversky and Shafir [TVE 92] argues that the decision to postpone action or to take no action becomes more frequent when several attractive options exist. An individual is more likely to delay a decision or search for new alternatives when the conflict between alternatives is high because the alternatives are difficult to contrast (for instance, one alternative may have simultaneously more advantages but also more disadvantages when compared to the alternative options). The more alternatives there are to consider, the more difficult it will be to rank choice preferences, and the longer a decision is delayed, the more likely a person is to continue to hesitate, therefore maintaining the status quo.

      Defaults work well for passive individuals who struggle to make a decision. Using defaults as the status quo makes people adhere simply because they do not need to take any action. Automatic enrolment works well for retirement planning, automatic saving planning, immediate bill charging or credit card payment. By the same order of ideas, presumed consent removes the burden of the decision. Organ donation is one example of presumed consent that does not require any action and also yields substantial results.

      1.3.2.5. Reminders and deadlines

      Reminders, gentle reminders and deadlines create urgency for action. Digital nudging often uses these strategies and helps people accomplish their tasks and obligations on time.

      Government institutions and corporations actively use reminders and deadlines to nudge people. Taxpayers receive recurrent reminders about tax payment deadlines and information on simple steps to complete their taxes, such as pre-completed tax declarations, bank transfer codes and automatic debit (or credit) payments from their bank account. Likewise, Gmail users are nudged in several ways. By default, Gmail accounts have a nudge option activated to remind users to reply to important emails (as classified by the Gmail account) and follow up on emails sent for which no response was received (again, Gmail classifies emails to which a response would be desirable). It uses artificial intelligence to scan and identify which emails should come to the top of the inbox. Being nudged can be helpful but also annoying if it occurs too frequently. If users prefer, they can manage their nudges by turning off the nudge feature and using the snooze feature to create a custom reminder; alternatively, both options can be used. Additional productivity tools offered by Gmail include “Smart Reply” and “Smart Compose”. When reading an email, Gmail suggests an answer that is just one click away (this is not offered with every email as Gmail needs some context to generate a reply). Such features drive people’s actions and sometimes cause users to feel guilty if they do not act in accordance. And, guilt avoidance is a strong incentive for action.

      1.3.2.6. Social norms

      Emphasizing what most people do is a strong cue to make others engage in the same desirable behavior. Highlighting positive behavior, recognizing accepted social norms and cultural dynamics may influence people’s actions accordingly. Educators know that reinforcing good behavior is far more effective than calling attention to and correcting bad behavior. Policymakers use this insight frequently and are often criticized for creating a nanny state. Nevertheless, the results may justify the intervention.

      Banks use this kind of message to help improve payment time, and companies use this idea with bill recurrent payments. For instance, when sending a bill letter, a company could reinforce that other customers pay on time or that the customer always paid on time. It can also be very effective to reinforce good behavior in areas such as recycling, energy-saving, and reducing plastic use. Demonstrating that others have sustainable behaviors encourages individuals to develop these same behaviors.

      1.3.2.7. Information: generate awareness and empower people for better decision-making

      Generating awareness to help people make informed decisions is much more powerful than using soft persuasion by turning on or off some heuristics. People who make active decisions and commit to sustainable behavior

Скачать книгу