From vision to action
For many large organisations, becoming a more sustainable organisation is a strategic priority. But turning ambition into action across a global workforce is a different story, especially when employees can feel that sustainability is “someone else’s job.”
In fact, this challenge isn’t unique to sustainability. Many enterprise-wide imperatives face the same gap between strategy and day-to-day action.
Organisations rely on employees to make ethical decisions. However, those decisions can feel abstract or disconnected from their roles, especially when compliance is framed in complex legal language.
Equally, leadership is often promoted as something everyone should embody - but it’s often actually perceived as a responsibility for those with direct reports or seniority. Even in areas like cybersecurity, which are critical to business continuity, employees may think, “If something serious happens, IT will deal with it”, underestimating their role as the first line of defence.
In all these cases, the problem isn’t a lack of awareness. It’s a lack of personal connection.
What’s really getting in the way?
We recently worked with a global professional services firm to boost engagement with their sustainability agenda. In our workshops, we used behavioural analysis to uncover a set of behavioural patterns, or “barriers”, that will be familiar to any leader trying to drive cultural change:
- “This isn’t part of my job”: Employees in non-specialist roles didn’t see how sustainability connected to their work - a challenge that mirrors how people sometimes also view ethics, inclusion, or leadership.
- Fear of getting it wrong: Many wanted to support the cause, but hesitated to speak up or take action, fearing they weren’t qualified or might say the wrong thing. The same is true in DEI conversations or ethical decision-making - uncertainty leads to silence.
- Overwhelm and ambiguity: With big, complex challenges, employees can feel powerless. They may not know where to start, what’s expected of them, or whether small actions even matter.
- Perceived distance from the issue: Whether it’s sustainability, wellbeing, or data protection, people often assume that someone else – usually an expert – is managing it.
Bridging the gap
The good news? These aren’t hardwired barriers. They’re behavioural barriers and we can shift them with the right approach.
For our client, we used behavioural science insights to help us reframe sustainability from an obscure, technical topic into something empowering, relevant, and actionable. That meant:
- Making it easy for people to see how sustainability shows up in their roles
- Reducing fear of failure by normalising imperfect action and learning
- Sharing stories of everyday leadership from across the business
- Highlighting what’s already being done to build trust and momentum
- Embedding new habits into existing rhythms, instead of adding extra work
Speak to people, not to policy
When rolling out a new strategy on ethics, cybersecurity, wellbeing, or sustainability, real change doesn’t come from mandating it. It comes from helping people see themselves in it.
Because when people understand their role, feel equipped to act, and genuinely care about the outcome – that’s when ambition turns into culture.
And that’s when change sticks.
What a behavioural science partner can do
Companies like us here at BAD, focused on applying behavioural science, can be invaluable partners on the ESG journey. We bring:
- Expertise in diagnosing behavioural barriers
- Tools for designing effective interventions
- Designers who can create beautiful experiences
- Methods for measuring and sustaining change
Whether it's through consulting, training, or hands-on project design, we can help organisations move from intention to action - and from ESG theory to ESG impact.
If your organisation is serious about ESG, it’s time to start thinking behaviourally. Get in touch if you’d like our help making it happen.
