How do you get people to behave Sustainably? photo ©istockphoto.com

I’ve just finished my second ‘mastermind’ session in two days – yesterday was for the automotive value chain and one cross-sectoral. If I had to characterise the key challenge that these diverse sustainability professionals face it is “people not doing what they are supposed to do/have signed up to do.”

Addressing this problem is the essence of change management. Why do people keep doing what they’ve always done, even when they know they should really be doing something different?

And the answer, in a word, is psychology. As I like to say, the biggest barrier to Sustainability is just 6″ wide – the space between our ears. And to get people to change, you’ve got to understand their psychology – and work with it rather than against it.

Last week I recorded this video setting out why psychology underpins everything we do here at Terra Infirma Ltd and how we bring it to the table to make real change happen. Enjoy.