Can the Occasional ‘Nudge’ Make You Better at Your Job?

In a conversation with Yale Insights, Laszlo Bock, Humu, said that behavioral science, combined with an understanding of human feeling and careful attention to privacy, can help organizations run better. Humu draws on the work of Nobel Prize-winning economist Richard Thaler, whose 2008 book Nudge, written with Cass Sunstein, says that small cues can help people make wise choices. Humu’s “Nudge Engine” combines that insight with machine learning to generate carefully timed prompts, reminding employees to take actions like recognizing the accomplishments of peers or asking team members for input.