article thumbnail

Virgin Atlantic Tested 3 Ways to Change Employee Behavior

Harvard Business Review

So we partnered with Virgin Atlantic Airways on a field experiment to understand how the behavior of employees—in this case, airline captains—influences fuel efficiency, and how low-cost company interventions can influence their behavior. million reduction in fuel costs for the firm over the eight-month study period.

article thumbnail

Uber Shows How Not to Apply Behavioral Economics

Harvard Business Review

Uber has been using similar insights to influence drivers’ behavior. ” One such approach, according to Scheiber, compels drivers toward collecting more fares based on the insight from behavioral sciences that people are highly influenced by goals. All four groups increased their implementation of fuel-efficient behaviors.

article thumbnail

EBM: The Hawthorne Studies

LDRLB

Mayo first examined the physical and environmental influences of the workplace and eventually moved into the psychological aspects and their impact on employee motivation as it applies to productivity. Instead, he found the “Hawthorne Effect.”. Mayo began by searching for the right formula for productivity.