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A common situation: training and development (L&D) specialists receive requests from business representatives who complain that employees do not perform their tasks properly and ask to organize training for them. However, in such cases, training may prove less than optimal, requiring a different approach to behavioral change. Therefore, it's crucial to first understand the underlying causes of these difficulties. While many in the L&D field recognize this need, not everyone knows how to properly identify these causes and select appropriate interventions based on scientific principles rather than relying on intuition.
Numerous models have been developed within social psychology, among which the COM-B model deserves special attention. This acronym stands for "Capability, Opportunity, Motivation - Behavior." This framework serves as a tool for analyzing behavior: by examining individuals' abilities, capabilities, and motivations, it is possible to identify the causes underlying a given behavior, which in turn allows for the creation of effective strategies for changing it.
This framework is part of a larger system known as the Behavior Change Wheel (BCW). This system combines the COM-B model with a classification of different types of behavioral interventions, allowing for the selection of the most appropriate solution.
The authors of the Behavior Change Wheel concept and the COM-B model claim that their developments are based on various well-known frameworks related to behavior change. They were able to combine the key elements of these models to create a comprehensive and systematic approach to this problem.
The COM-B model can be of significant assistance in the field of training and development, since the learning process is represented by a specific behavior. If employees are reluctant to put their newfound knowledge into practice or even avoid participating in the courses and training you carefully create, you can use the COM-B framework to understand the reasons for this behavior.
In this article, we will look at the COM-B model. Since it forms the basis for the entire behavior change wheel structure, we will also briefly mention it.
Creating the COM-B Model: Authors and the Concept
In 2011, an international team of psychologists, including Susan Michie and Robert West of University College London, and Maartje Marieke van Straelen of the Amsterdam University Medical Center, introduced the COM-B model and the behavior change wheel concept. These researchers focused on finding effective methods for influencing public health behavior, such as helping people quit smoking and promoting physical activity. The goal of their work was to create a model that would be easily applicable in practice, while relying on proven scientific theories in psychology.
Less than three years have passed since the article was published, and during this time it has been viewed over 43,000 times, and it has also been cited more than 140 times in other works. In addition, numerous requests have been received for workshops and training sessions on the model's application in various fields, including not only healthcare but also education, politics, social work, and business.
In 2014, two of the authors mentioned—Susan Michie and Robert West—jointly with their colleague Lou Atkins expanded their theory and published a book entitled "The Behavior Change Wheel: A Guide to Designing Interventions." This publication has not been published in Russian.
The process of designing behavior change based on this theory consists of three main phases. The first phase uses the COM-B model, which helps to understand the behavior itself. This means analyzing the reasons why people act in the ways they do, identifying the barriers that prevent them from behaving appropriately, and determining what changes need to be made to overcome those barriers.
There are four main steps in the initial stage:
- Identify the nature of the behavioral problem.
- Identify the target behavior - this means identifying the specific actions or habits we want to instill in people.
- Refine the target behavior by adding specific details and context.
- Identify what specific changes need to be made.
This study can consider the behavior of individuals, teams, organizations, or even entire communities.
The second stage of behavior change design involves identifying intervention approaches. The choice of these approaches depends on the factors that hinder desired behavior or, conversely, facilitate undesirable actions. Interventions can range from persuading people of certain ideas to using coercive measures. Educational programs and training can also be effective interventions. In some situations, simply changing environmental conditions can eliminate the causes of undesirable behavior.
In the final, third stage, it is necessary to clarify both the content and methods of implementation of the selected interventions. A schematic illustration of the taxonomy of various types of interventions, known as the behavior change wheel, is presented below. However, this article will focus primarily on the first stage—behavior analysis, for which the COM-B model is used. This is due to the fact that this stage is fundamental for all subsequent steps.
British expert in work psychology and educational technology Will Procter argues that the COM-B model offers a comprehensive approach to problem analysis. It helps avoid the habitual, automatic response, "Let's organize training!" and instead provides the opportunity to analyze the situation in detail to understand what exactly requires change.
Behavior research is based on the concept that each person's actions are shaped by three key factors:
- Abilities represent both physical and psychological resources that allow a person to act in a certain way. This concept includes not only knowledge and skills, but also cognitive qualities.
- Opportunities represent external conditions that can both facilitate and hinder the achievement of desired behavior. These factors include both physical aspects of the environment and social influences.
- Motivation is the set of internal mechanisms that determine our behavior. Within this model, the authors distinguish two types of motivation: reflexive, which is based on conscious actions such as planning and decision-making, and automatic, which consists of subconscious processes, including emotions and instinctive reactions.
Influencing people's behavior requires examining three key aspects and determining the underlying problem: do they lack skills or resources? Or is the problem rooted in a lack of motivation? The choice of an effective intervention strategy will depend on this.
Using the model COM-B for Studying Human Behavior
In their book, the authors demonstrate how to conduct behavior analysis based on the COM-B model, using several hypothetical situations. Consider one example: a hospital is recording an increase in bacterial infections among patients. In this situation, it is important to identify what actions or inactions on the part of the medical staff could contribute to this increase, as well as determine how employees should behave to prevent this problem. This will constitute the target behavior that is being strived for.
A comprehensive analysis of the situation in the medical institution and the actions of employees must be conducted. To do this, you should familiarize yourself with the relevant job descriptions and other internal documents, conduct surveys among participants (using questionnaires and in-depth interviews), and carefully observe their activities (field observation method). In addition, it may be useful to collect expert opinions. If a consistent picture of behavior and the factors influencing it is confirmed by various research methods, this will significantly increase the reliability of the findings.
During the study, it is important to organize and document all the information collected. The authors of the COM-B model offer various worksheet formats in their book, which can be used as a basis and adapted to meet specific needs. For example, in the first stage, you should record basic observations:
- What behavior is associated with this problem?
- Where does it occur?
- Which individuals or categories of people exhibit this behavior?
- Who else is involved in this behavior?
You will most likely be faced with an extensive list of actions and inactions that may be related to the problem. Considering the example of a hospital, it can be noted that one of the reasons may be the ineffective use of protective clothing by medical personnel. In this case, it is necessary to ensure that this clothing is regularly changed and properly treated. You should also pay attention to the use of non-sterile medical devices, which requires the use of only sterile materials. It is important that disinfection of surfaces in the premises is carried out much more frequently and regularly. Equally significant is the issue of hand hygiene compliance among healthcare personnel, which requires the implementation of strict rules for their implementation. Furthermore, inconsistent use of ultraviolet lamps and inadequate isolation of patients with infections can also contribute to the spread of problems. And this list of possible factors is far from exhaustive.
It is important to understand that human behavior does not exist in isolation—the actions of some individuals influence the actions of others. Therefore, it is necessary to analyze interconnected behaviors. For example, if it turns out that nurses do not adhere to hand hygiene rules, it is clearly not due to their ignorance of the importance of this aspect—medical professionals simply cannot be ignorant. Perhaps doctors are also negligent in hand disinfection, thereby setting a negative example for others (this can be considered an aspect of social influence). It is also possible that technical staff do not provide sufficient quantities of antiseptic in dispensers or purchase them in insufficient quantities. In this case, for medical personnel, this becomes a factor of physical conditions, which depend on the actions of the technical and economic departments.
Next, you need to reduce the extensive list to a more compact one, leaving only those types of behavior that have the greatest potential to influence problem solving. The following questions are useful in this process:
- What will be the consequences of changing this behavior in achieving the desired outcome (problem resolution)?
- What is the likelihood of changing this behavior? When analyzing this probability, it is necessary to take into account the abilities, opportunities, and motivation of those demonstrating this behavior to transform it.
- What is the likelihood that this behavior will have both a positive and negative impact on other behaviors that are associated with it?
- How easy will it be to analyze this behavior to determine how it will change?
The creators of the COM-B model suggest evaluating behavior using four categories: “Not promising,” “Little promising, but worth considering,” “Promising,” and “Very promising.” Based on such a simple analysis, you can determine the target behavior to strive for.
Let's assume that, based on the analysis in our example, it turns out that the most effective behavior to influence is the use of hand sanitizer by healthcare personnel. It appears that failure to comply with this rule may be the key reason for the increase in illness.
The next step is to delve deeper into the description of the expected behavior. To do this, you can use the following questions:
- Who exactly should exhibit this behavior?
- What specific changes in their actions should these people make to implement the desired behavior?
- When should this be done?
- Where should they do this?
- How often should they do this?
- With whom should they do this?
We also record the answers, resulting in a worksheet that looks something like this:
The next step is to analyze the target behavior, taking into account people's abilities, opportunities, and motivation. This analysis helps identify gaps and identify key obstacles that require attention. These aspects are also explored through research. The information is organized in worksheets, similar to the example provided:
In complex circumstances, a more detailed analysis can be achieved using the Theoretical Domains Framework (TDF).
This framework integrates key concepts and areas of intervention used in various behavior change theories. It helps to more precisely identify the aspects that need to be addressed in a specific situation where change is required. This framework identifies 14 domains representing areas related to behavior: knowledge, skills, memory processes, attention and decision-making, behavior regulation, social and professional roles, identity, self-confidence, optimism, beliefs about consequences, intentions, goals, reinforcement, emotions, context and environmental resources, and social influence.
The proposed framework includes a set of questions designed for interviewing those whose behavior is to be modified. Each question addresses a specific area influencing behavior, facilitating a more detailed analysis of the situation. In the table below, we illustrate this approach using hand sanitization as an example. It should be noted that this table is a simplified adaptation of the original presented in the book by the authors of the COM-B model, and is not an exact copy.
You may have found the explanation of the COM-B model confusing due to the abundance of specialized vocabulary. However, its main purpose is quite simple:
- to conduct in-depth research to identify the main barrier to the target behavior;
- it is necessary to determine the nature of this barrier, finding out which aspect it relates to - capabilities, skills or motivation.
- in this regard, it is worth considering options for overcoming this barrier.
Wil Procter, a British expert in the field of work psychology and educational technology, offers a number of examples of barriers and methods for eliminating them:
Wil Procter also explains what strategies can be used to overcome various barriers associated with limitations in abilities, resources or motivation.
- Education promotes deepening of knowledge and formation of a broader understanding.
- The learning process contributes to the formation of necessary skills and competencies.
- Persuasion is used to evoke both positive and negative emotions or incentives.
- Stimulation creates the anticipation of a reward for adequate actions.
- Coercion creates in people the anticipation of possible punishment for actions that do not meet established norms.
- Constraints are the establishment of certain norms that reduce the likelihood of engaging in undesirable actions.
- Environmental modification involves transforming the physical or social context that removes barriers to desired behavior.
- Behavioral modeling involves demonstrating a role model that people can use in their behavior.
- Empowerment involves both increasing the resources that facilitate desired behavior and reducing barriers along the way, not counting aspects such as education, training, and environmental modification.
Application of the COM-B model in personnel training and development: the example of PwC
Since 2018, the consulting firm PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) uses the COM-B model to create and deliver e-learning programs. The primary goal of this approach is to ensure employee compliance with regulations, including data protection regulations.
This company explains the principles of the COM-B model in the relevant context.
- It is essential to provide employees with the relevant knowledge and skills to help them work effectively with data. To achieve this, it is important to organize training.
- It is necessary to provide employees with access to educational materials at a time and in a format convenient for them, allowing them to learn without interrupting their work activities. Individual employees or groups may need additional resources to help them apply effective data management practices. For example, this may include technical support.
- To increase employee engagement in data protection compliance, it is necessary to convey to them the importance of this topic for the functioning of the entire organization. Case studies and a reward system for those who strictly adhere to established norms can be helpful in this process.
Reasons for the Negative Assessment of the COM-B Model
Despite the fact that the COM-B model is considered one of the most well-known in the field of behavior management in various aspects of human life and activity, it also has certain shortcomings. These shortcomings are noted by both researchers and practitioners, including the creators of the model themselves.
The creators of the COM-B model themselves point out that it has not been subjected to sufficient empirical testing across various cultures and application areas. Therefore, it should not be considered a universal solution guaranteed to work in any context. This is not a miracle artifact, but a practical tool that may be effective in some situations and not produce results in others.
An international team of scientists from Canada, the UK, and Australia, including the authors of the COM-B model, cautions that this model is intended only for initial analysis and, in most cases, requires supplementation. For example, the researchers propose using the Theoretical Domains Framework (TDF) to improve the analysis. Other scientists from Australia and Vietnam also express the opinion that the COM-B model is inadequate for solving complex problems, as it focuses exclusively on individual abilities, opportunities, and motivation. In their opinion, the model insufficiently considers complex social mechanisms, such as group norms, organizational culture, and political aspects, which can significantly influence human behavior. Although the COM-B model takes into account the factor of social influence on motivation, its study is insufficient. To take into account a wider range of factors influencing behavior in complex situations, these researchers presented their model, SeCOM-B (Socio-Ecological COM-B), which combines elements of the COM-B model and the socio-environmental model (SEM).
In 2016, Jane Ogden, a professor of psychology from the UK, expressed her point of view that the COM-B model and the behavior change wheel oversimplify the complexity of human behavior. In her opinion, it is a much more multifaceted process that cannot be reduced to just three components: abilities, opportunities, and motivation. She also noted that predicting human reactions using standardized methods is extremely difficult. In response, Jane Ogden proposed her own classification of behavior changes.
Despite criticism of the COM-B model for its alleged excessive simplicity, it is worth noting that it requires thorough research. The authors of the model themselves emphasize that obtaining the necessary data for behavior analysis requires significant resources. Focus groups, interviews, and observations—all these methods require time and financial investment. This circumstance is probably the main reason why only a few companies can afford to use the COM-B model to deeply analyze the true causes of employee behavior and find effective solutions. It is much easier to approach the training and development department with a request: "We have a problem—please organize training on the use of hand sanitizer, and do it as soon as possible!"
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- To help the training client better understand the existing problem, it is worth asking a number of key questions. First, it is worth finding out what specific goals they are pursuing in the training process. What are their expectations from the program? Next, it is useful to understand what specific difficulties or obstacles they see in the current situation. It is important to clarify how these problems affect the work of the team or the organization as a whole.It is also worth considering what skills or knowledge, in the client's opinion, need to be developed in employees. An equally important question is what resources and tools are available to solve the identified problems. Defining the target audience for training will help to adjust the program more accurately.
Attention should be paid to how the client measures the success of training and what indicators consider important. Finally, it is worth finding out what previous attempts to solve the problem have been made and why they did not produce the expected results. These questions will help not only to identify the essence of the problem but also to create an effective action plan for its solution.
- The model developed by Morrison, Ross and Kemp is a framework for organizing the educational process. Its main idea is a systematic approach to training design, which includes a number of key stages.
At the center of this model is the need to clearly define training objectives. At the initial stage, it is important to establish what knowledge and skills students need to acquire. This is followed by a needs analysis, which helps to identify what knowledge gaps need to be filled.
Following this, the content of the training material is developed, taking into account the interests and level of preparation of the students. An important aspect is the selection of methods and forms of training that will be most effective in achieving the stated goals.
Furthermore, the model emphasizes the need to evaluate learning outcomes. This allows not only to determine how successfully students have mastered the material, but also to make adjustments to the learning process if necessary.
Thus, the Morrison, Ross and Kemp model represents a comprehensive approach to designing an educational process that promotes more effective learning and student development.
- A system for creating training programs aimed at developing team competencies of employees.
- Organizing behavioral training aimed at developing politeness requires careful planning and analysis of the results. First of all, it is necessary to define the goals and objectives of the training. This may include developing polite communication skills, improving social interactions and increasing the emotional intelligence of participants.
The next step is to develop the content of the program. The training can consist of various methods, such as role-playing games, group discussions, presentations and practical tasks. It's important to create an atmosphere conducive to openness and trust so that participants can share experiences and learn from each other.
After completing the training, its effectiveness should be assessed. This can be done using various methods, including participant questionnaires, observing behavioral changes, and feedback from others. It's also advisable to conduct follow-up sessions to reinforce the knowledge and skills gained and to evaluate participants' long-term progress.
Thus, by organizing training, you can not only teach politeness, but also create conditions for the continuous self-development of participants.