HBR Special Issueand master the skills needed
to meet the demands of a
rapidly evolving world in a
way that old-guard trainings
simply can’t.
Humu’s nudges are small,
unintrusive, research-backed
suggestions and reminders
delivered to employees
through email or other mes-
saging platforms. Our algo-
rithms diagnose high-impact
behaviors for each individual
on the basis of their role and
experience, then nudge them
with custom content that
encourages these behaviors.
Most managers, for example,
would benefi t from a regular
reminder to thank team
members who ask import-
ant questions or to facilitate
equitable discussions. This
is what our nudges do—for
every person we work with.
The science of nudges
isn’t new. In their book
Nudge: Improving Decisions
About Health, Wealth, and
Happiness (Yale University
Press, 2008), Professors Cass
Sunstein and Richard Thaler
provide a revelatory look at
the powerful eff ect positive
reinforcement and indirect
suggestions can have on be-
havior and decision making.
Put into the context of the
workplace, nudge theory can
be employed to help people
take positive action to master
new skills—without interrupt-
ing the normal fl ow of their
work. Rather than spending
a large sum of money on
expensive learning modules,
by applying the foundations of
nudges—and Humu’s learning
philosophy—organizations
can use gentle, timely, and rel-
atively simple means to turn
intention into action. And, in
doing so, they can boost the
eff ectiveness of development
programs and unlock the full
potential of teams, without
spending millions (or billions)
on trainings.
Here are some tips to get
started.Keep it small. Breaking
bigger goals into mini-
milestones makes it easier to
build the skills you need to
reach those goals. K. Anders
Ericsson, a psychologist who
has studied the acquisition
of expert-level skills for de-
cades, fi nds that experts not
only segment their activities
into tiny actions but repeat
them relentlessly and watch
what happens each time.
On the basis of their obser-
vations, they make minor,
almost imperceptible, adjust-
ments to get better.
In trainings, break lessons
down into small, digest-
ible pieces, and encourage
employees to practice them
back in the real world. For
example, if a leader wants
to communicate better with
his team, start by giving himthree simple questions to ask
in every one-on-one meeting:- What’s going well?
- What are some challenges
you’re facing? - How can I help?
The quality of the leader’s
conversations will undoubt-
edly improve, and this
positive reinforcement will
motivate him to check in with
team members more often—
a small step toward a much
larger change.
Make feedback a habit.
Most people want to get bet-
ter. At Google, we provided
our managers with a semian-
nual report that highlighted
their strengths and areas of
improvement. Even if they
didn’t attend a single training,
we consistently found that by
the next assessment period,
many managers had im-
proved in areas they previ-
ously struggled with.
You can apply this practice
in your own organization by
creating an environment in
which both employees and
managers feel safe giving one
another regular feedback—
both positive and constructive.
Invite questions during all-
hands, foster open discussion
in team meetings, and ask your
team intentional questions
(“What’s one thing we could
do better?” or “How do you
think this project is going?”).
Let people know that it’s OK tosuggest solutions when they
recognize a problem.Provide regular reminders.
We only have so much cogni-
tive capacity at a given time,
and in a fast-paced work
environment, where employ-
ees have many daily tasks,
keeping sight of long-term
development goals can be a
huge challenge. Something as
simple as an email reminder
or in-person check-in can
keep people on track. At
Google, we designed a nudge
to help new hires succeed
in their roles by reminding
them of the behaviors our top
performers practice regularly.
For example, we listed “Ask
questions, lots of questions!”
and “Actively solicit feed-
back—don’t wait for it.” Doing
so helped new hires fi nd more
opportunities to practice and
develop those skills, boosting
their productivity by 2%, or
about $400 million per year.
Managers can make
reminders a regular practice
by fi rst setting learning goals
with their direct reports and
then meeting with them reg-
ularly to check in on progress.
This will also allow them to
give feedback and help team
members through any chal-
lenges they may be facing.Invest only in what works.
Organizations that measure
the eff ectiveness of their train-HOW TO LEARN
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