Mapping the Big Green Challenge - The Skills & Learning ...

Mapping the Big Green Challenge 636.4 Approaches to Adoption and Transfer within BGC Proposals6.4.1 Way in which Proposals addressed Behaviour ChangeThe approximately 80% of proposals that involved a practice element were analysed in terms oftheir approach to changing behaviour and the specific measures proposed to achieve this.The following Chart shows a very rich use of approaches with over 40% of the proposals seeking totackle behaviour using all three of the broad means identified earlier. The strength of multipleapproaches could be seen in their ability to tackle difficult areas such as well-established habits in asustained way. Most common are action approaches, appearing in 87% of practice-based proposals.This reinforces the view that Challengers were for the most part seeking to do something with theircommunity rather than just deliver something to them (indicating higher levels of communityengagement). This is also the approach used most often on its own. This could involve cases wheregroups were just trying to enrol people in some new practice (say a form of recycling) withoutfeeling it was necessary for them to understand why this contributed to addressing climate changeor to define themselves as a person who does not waste things. Some theorists of behaviour changewould argue that a change achieved in this way is unlikely to be sustained but it might be if becamehabitual. Alternatively some proposals were just stressing the importance of experiencingsomething (e.g. a communal bike ride) as a way of stimulating a behaviour change.The proposals are also very commonly acting on people’s understanding (74%) but almost alwaysalongside some other approach. An approach based on values was used least frequently, but wasstill a substantial aspect of the proposals. There were a number of different sub-themes here whichincluded highlighting the environmental values within currently held beliefs (for example within faithgroups), trying to create new norms around community identities such a resident of a particularstreet or village, and raising awareness of the norms of others in one’s community.Chart 29 - Proposals which achieve change via understanding, action or values (or somecombination). Note these are Practice-only proposals (79% of all proposals, 253 proposals)There is a correlation between the breadth of the innovation goals targeted by the proposal (thoseclassified as systemic in Chapter 5) and the richness of the approach to trying to change behaviourwhich can be seen in the chart below.Appleby Ltd July 2009