Our research is your evidence
We bring leading behaviour change researchers and practitioners together to find behavioural solutions to social, environmental and organisational problems.
Background
Established in 2011, BehaviourWorks Australia (BWA) is the largest applied behaviour change research unit in Australia.
As we continue to grow in size, project scope, partnerships and networks, our mission has nonetheless remained the same. Our foundations were built on the belief that, by taking a partnership-approach to working with practitioners, we can bring together our research rigour and valuable industry experience to find powerful solutions to solve real-world problems.
Our work has spanned over hundreds of projects with our government, industry and community partners in areas including health, climate change, energy, water, waste, pollution, biodiversity, biosecurity, education, social inclusion, finance and safety.
Persuading people is both an art and a science
Our central premise is that most problems can be at least partially solved by influencing the behaviours that underpin them. By using insights from the behavioural sciences, organisations can avoid making misguided assumptions about the influences on behaviour and the types of interventions that are most likely to work.
Given the complexity of human behaviour, BWA employs PhD qualified researchers across multiple disciplines. Many of these researchers have worked in government and industry and are sensitive to the systems and processes of business and the public service.
Portfolios
We work in five key research areas that we categorise as 'portfolios'.
Environment
We work on a range of topics such as waste, energy, climate change, water, biodiversity, conservation and more.
Health
We work with healthcare practitioners to address issues of health, safety and general wellbeing.
Social and Financial
We work in three key program areas: social inclusion, finance and organisational behaviour change.
Evidence Review Service
We gather best-available knowledge from research and practice to enable you to take informed action on pressing challenges.
Education
We offer a range of education and training programs so you can tackle your own problems through a behavioural lens.
Consortium partners
BehaviourWorks Australia wouldn’t be where it is today without the ongoing support of our consortium partners.
Made up of a group of state and federal government agencies, along with The Shannon Company, the BWA Consortium is the vehicle through which the partners collaborate, share intellectual property and build capacity for behaviour change.
We are an initiative within the Monash Sustainable Development Institute.
Our Consortium partners
Monash Sustainable Development Institute
BehaviourWorks Australia is part of the Monash Sustainable Development Institute (MSDI). Our Strategic Plan and Growth Strategy therefore aligns with, and contributes to, the overarching goals of Monash University and MSDI, which articulates a commitment to making an impact on the social, environmental and economic challenges articulated in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
We do this through a behavioural lens, recognising that changing human behaviour plays an integral role in achieving the SDGs.
Education & training
Looking to upskill?
We're passionate about upskilling our behaviour change community. Check out our short, bespoke and accredited training program.
Research
Have a project for us?
BehaviourWorks offers a broad range of research services to government and non-government organisations.