article thumbnail

Virgin Atlantic Tested 3 Ways to Change Employee Behavior

Harvard Business Review

An estimated 21% of carbon emissions in the United States are attributable to companies, and yet to date there is scant research on how to make firm operations more efficient in terms of reducing pollution. Challenging captains to meet higher performance targets proved to be the most cost-effective intervention.

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. They found the rate of death for patients undergoing surgery fell from 1.6%