What Actually Changes Behaviour at Work (Hint: It’s Not a Workshop)

You don’t have a knowledge problem.

You don’t need more awareness-raising sessions.

People already know the right thing to say in the training room.

So why are they still making biased decisions?

Because knowing something and doing something are two completely different things.

Here’s the truth most DEI programmes won’t tell you:

Behaviour doesn’t change through information. It changes through friction.

Knowledge / Change

We’ve trained people to nod at slides. To recite the right words. To tick the boxes.

But when you're stressed and under pressure to make a decision:

• Bias wins

• Groupthink wins

• Comfort wins

In the end, what you do matters more than what you know. 

So what does change behaviour?

1. Default Disruption, Not Default Diversity Training

Your brain runs on autopilot. 95% of your decisions happen unconsciously. So unless something interrupts the pattern, you’ll keep doing what feels familiar.

That’s why behaviour change needs friction points.

Moments that force people to pause, reflect, and re-route.

Think:

• Structured decision frameworks

• Redesigning hiring templates

• Breaking “gut feel” with pre-mortems or devil’s advocates

Make it harder to default and easier to think.

2. Social Proof, Not Shame

People change when the norm around them changes. Not when they’re called out.

If you still reward sameness, promote their mates, and avoid hard conversations - no one’s buying your values statement.

But when people see real behaviour from people they respect? That’s contagious.

Culture isn’t what you say. It’s what you tolerate. And what you repeat.

3. Small Wins, Not Grand Gestures

A single “inclusive leadership” keynote won’t shift the dial. But dozens of micro-behaviours will.

• Who you interrupt in meetings

• Who you ask for input

• How you respond to challenge

• How feedback is given and received

Change is in the day-to-day. The throwaway comments. The eye-rolls. The extra 15 minutes someone takes to back up a junior team member.

What you reward gets repeated. So reward tiny shifts. That’s how new habits form.

4. Psychological Safety, Not Compliance

People can’t learn if they’re scared. And they won’t try something new if they think getting it wrong means being judged.

If your workplace is full of fear, behaviour won’t evolve.

Want people to challenge bias? Give feedback up the chain? Speak up with new ideas?

Then you need to make mistakes part of the process - not a career-ending event.

Growth requires failure. Inclusion requires grace.

5. Systems, Not Saviours

Stop relying on “good people.” Start designing better systems.

Bias isn’t about bad intentions. It’s about patterns. And patterns need to be redesigned, not just called out.

If your structures still reward conformity, still rely on ‘cultural fit,’ still promote visibility over impact then nothing changes.

The question isn’t “who’s biased?”

It’s “how did the system let this happen again?”

Final Thoughts: Change Isn’t a Mood. It’s a Method.

You can’t workshop your way to culture change.

You can’t inspiration-speak your way out of bias.

You need systems that make it easier to behave differently - and safer to get it wrong.

That’s what builds trust. That’s what scales growth.

That’s what actually changes behaviour at work.

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If you’re ready to stop training for optics and start designing for action, let’s talk. We help leadership teams hardwire inclusion into their culture so change sticks.

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