Great Innovation is ALWAYS Intrinsic

June 24, 2011

Just read an interesting Harvard Business Review blog that asks “Can a Big Company Innovate Like a Start-Up?”  It raises some critical business questions for these tumultuous times in which change is the only constant, and the ability to innovate has become a basic survival skill.
However, as innovation becomes the new ascendant ‘Holy Grail’ of [...]

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National Study: Cracking the Cynicism Code

June 13, 2011

Just back from a great week at the Sustainable Brands conference in Monterey, CA.  Wanted to quickly share the buzz of a new national study that we just did in partnership with the Shelton Group as part of their ongoing ‘EcoPulse’ research.  In short, we gave the Roberts Worldview Assessment to a national sample and [...]

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3 Species of Environmental Cynicism

June 1, 2011

In my work as a communication strategist, I’ve discovered three major species of environmental cynicism infecting target  audiences for virtually all of my sustainability-oriented clients. These ’species’ are actually three highly popular mental strategies that everyday ordinary folks use to avoid taking environmental action. As we cover these below, revisit your own experience and see [...]

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Using “Social Proof” to Sell Sustainability

May 13, 2011

One of the most reliable discoveries from decades of social psychology research has been the principle of ‘social proof’.  Basically, this principle suggests that when deciding how to behave in an uncertain situation most people simply copy the behavior of other people around them.  Or to put it in slightly stuffier words:
When confronted with a [...]

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The Psychometrics of Sustainability

May 3, 2011

If you didn’t make it out to the Sustainable Brands conference last year, you missed a good one! This year (SB11) promises to be even better.
Either way, I just got this link to my complete, fully-edited keynote from last years event. Was a big hit with the SB10 audience, and a lot of fun to [...]

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Call it ‘green’ or ‘innovation’?

April 26, 2011

Just wanted to pass along this new Fast Company blog. In it, writer Marc Stoiber argues that the word ‘innovation’ may actually be a better than the word ‘green’ for framing or conveying sustainable business concepts.
I couldn’t agree more — and my (research-driven) reasons are briefly outlined in the section of the article titled ‘Donald [...]

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The Neuroanatomy of Politics

April 20, 2011

Fascinating research just came out  suggesting that political attitudes are related to brain structure. Specifically, the study found that  self-proclaimed ‘liberals’ are more developed in the part of the brain associated with processing complexity, while self-proclaimed conservatives have a larger brain in areas related to processing fear. Or, in their words:
“We found that greater liberalism [...]

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The Myth of Human Rationality

April 14, 2011

I’ve been catching up on a bunch of new behavioral economics research lately. Popular, fascinating books like “Nudge” and “Predictably Irrational” along with myriad recent articles from smart economists, business folks and scholars.
As an applied social scientist, I am excited to see the trend towards greater appreciation of the power of behavioral science for solving [...]

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What about the cat?

April 8, 2011

Yesterday I stumbled across this simple, awesome slide-show “What about the Cat?” from a reader (named Mattias Ostmar) in Europe. I’ve spent many years working to make understanding this ‘levels of thinking’ framework fun, clear and accessible to everyday, non-academic folks. Hats off to Mattias for beating me at my own game! Gotta love how [...]

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