Toronto – A new book, Behavioral Science in the Wild, helps managers understand how best to incorporate key research findings and to apply them to business or policy problems. Featuring contributions by leading figures from both the academic and applied behavioral sciences, the book is co-edited by Nina Mažar, a professor at Boston University Questrom School of Business, and Dilip Soman, a professor at the University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Management.
Created as a follow-up to The Behaviorally Informed Organization co-edited by Prof. Soman and published by Rotman-UTP Publishing, Behavioral Science in the Wild takes a step back to address the "why" and "how" behind behavioral insights origins, and how best to translate and scale behavioral science from lab-based research findings.
Governments, for-profit enterprises, and welfare organizations have increasingly started relying on findings from the behavioral sciences to develop more accessible and user-friendly products, processes, and experiences for their end-users. While there is a burgeoning science that helps us to understand why people act and make the decisions that they do, and how their actions can be influenced, we still lack a precise science and strategic insights into how some key theoretical findings can be successfully translated, scaled, and applied in the field.
Nina Mažar is a professor of marketing at the Questrom School and the co-founder of BEworks, a commercial consulting team dedicated to the application of behavioral economics to real-world challenges. Previously, she was a faculty member at the Rotman School, where she was a co-director with Prof. Soman of the Behavioural Economics in Action Research Centre at Rotman [BEAR].
Dilip Soman holds the Canada Research Chair in Behavioural Science and Economics at the Rotman School and serves as the project director of the Behaviourally Informed Organizations initiative. He also serves as director of the Behavioural Economics in Action Research Centre at Rotman [BEAR].
Advance Praise for Behavioural Economics in the Wild
"What a gold mine! Full of insights, and fun and inspiring to boot. This book can change the world." -- Cass R. Sunstein, Robert Walmsley University Professor, Harvard University
"This book is a must-read for anyone in government or industry working to nudge better decisions at scale. Behavioral Science in the Wild shares key insights from research and practice that will make your work easier. It will help you better leverage cutting-edge science on the job to generate positive results." -- Katy Milkman, Wharton Professor, author of How to Change, and host of the Choiceology podcast
"Containing the voices of leading thinkers on topics as far-ranging as the science of using science and how situational features affect choice, this tour de force is a must-read for anyone who hopes to change the world with empiricism. Bravo! Generations of students, teachers, researchers, business leaders, and practitioners will mine the gems in this book for decades to come." -- John A. List, Kenneth C. Griffin Distinguished Service Professor of Economics, University of Chicago and author of The Voltage Effect
Bringing together high-impact faculty research and thought leadership on one searchable platform, the new Rotman Insights Hub offers articles, podcasts, opinions, books and videos representing the latest in management thinking and providing insights into the key issues facing business and society. Visit www.rotman.utoronto.ca/insightshub.
The Rotman School of Management is part of the University of Toronto, a global centre of research and teaching excellence at the heart of Canada’s commercial capital. Rotman is a catalyst for transformative learning, insights and public engagement, bringing together diverse views and initiatives around a defining purpose: to create value for business and society. For more information, visit www.rotman.utoronto.ca
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For more information:
Ken McGuffin
Manager, Media Relations
Rotman School of Management
University of Toronto
E-mail:mcguffin@rotman.utoronto.ca