Behavioral Insights: Building a Culture of Experimentation 🆎

Behavioral Insights.

👋 Hi!

I have been writing a newsletter since 2015 (here is a link to an early edition), although not always consistently. Now many editions later I can say that it has become a weekly habit. During the week I collect everything that looks interesting on a reading list and on Sunday I take the time to filter the good from the bad. Last week I wrote a short update on LinkedIn and that brought in many new subscribers. Maybe you.

For all: welcome to week 9 and another Behavioral insights newsletter. Here is this week's update. Harvard Business Review dedicated their March-April 2020 edition to experimentation. The first three articles are from here.

1. Building a Culture of Experimentation 🆎 
Stefan Thomke explains that the biggest obstacle companies face is not technology but behavior and attitudes. To succeed, firms have to create an environment where curiosity is nurtured, data trumps opinions, any employee can launch tests, all experiments are ethical, and a more-democratic model of leadership prevails. Read the article.

2. Avoid the Pitfalls of A/B Testing
Often companies make serious mistakes in conducting experiments. This article describes how to avoid all the traps by applying techniques that LinkedIn and Netflix have used to produce better insights. Read the article.

3. “The Power of These Techniques Is Only Getting Stronger”
Jeremy King has spent much of the past three decades helping firms such as eBay, Walmart, and his current employer, Pinterest, use experimentation and data to improve decision-making. In this article he shares what he’s learned about the need to balance precision with serendipity, how to promote “data democracy,” and the importance of investing in the right training for employees. Read the article.

4. The Paradox of A/B Testing
How do we test our nudges when people seem wary of experiments? Read the article.

5. Why you should get paid for your data?
Technologist Jennifer Zhu Scott makes the case for private data ownership in this TED talk.

6. "A/B testing is over-rated"
Questioning the value of A/B testing will guaranteed get you some push back. Great reply from Mats:

Have a great week!
— Kevin

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