Bestselling books such as Dan Ariely's Predictably Irrational and Daniel Kahneman's Thinking, Fast and Slow have opened the world's eyes to the quirky and error-prone ways in which people make important decisions. Building on the work of those scholars and many others in the field of behavioral economics, this program prepares you to influence the behavior of customers and employees—and become a bigger contributor to your organization's success.

Summary: Bestselling books such as Dan Ariely's Predictably Irrational and Daniel Kahneman's Thinking, Fast and Slow have opened the world's eyes to the quirky and error-prone ways in which people make important decisions. Building on the work of those scholars and many others in the field of behavioral economics, this program prepares you to influence the behavior of customers and employees—and become a bigger contributor to your organization's success.

Key Benefits

Behavioral economics provides fundamental insights into how people think—and how altering the decision-making context can make an impact on their choices. In this behavioral economics program, you will learn how to design and rigorously test a “choice architecture” that can help your managers make better decisions, create greater value for your customers, and improve business outcomes for your company.

DetailsExpand All Collapse All

Understand the actions of your customers and employees Understand the actions of your customers and employees

Discover the subtle forces driving choices and become your organization's go-to problem-solver
Develop a user-oriented, outcome-driven mindset
Improve employee motivation
Design products and services that create more value for your customers

Improve decision-making and performance across your organization Improve decision-making and performance across your organization

Enhance organizational performance by using "choice architecture" to alter the context in which employees make decisions
Facilitate rapid cycles of idea generation
Test the potential impact of proposed actions

Expand your personal and professional network Expand your personal and professional network

Extend your network by living and working with accomplished executives from various backgrounds, industries, and countries across the globe
Build relationships with a diverse group of peers who can provide wide-ranging insights into your business challenges and career decisions

Key Benefits

Details

Understand the actions of your customers and employees

Discover the subtle forces driving choices and become your organization's go-to problem-solver
Develop a user-oriented, outcome-driven mindset
Improve employee motivation
Design products and services that create more value for your customers

Improve decision-making and performance across your organization

Enhance organizational performance by using "choice architecture" to alter the context in which employees make decisions
Facilitate rapid cycles of idea generation
Test the potential impact of proposed actions

Expand your personal and professional network

Extend your network by living and working with accomplished executives from various backgrounds, industries, and countries across the globe
Build relationships with a diverse group of peers who can provide wide-ranging insights into your business challenges and career decisions

Who Should Attend

Executives with at least 10 years of experience who lead functional areas such as product development, human resources, talent management, marketing, advertising, business development, or sales
Individuals responsible for product design, product management, or risk management

This program may be of particular interest to past participants of Changing the Game: Negotiation and Competitive Decision-Making, as the programs are highly complementary.

Attendance by multiple company representatives will foster teamwork and amplify the program's impact on your organization.

Participating Companies Have Included:

Google

H&R Block

Hess Corporation

Merck

Standard Bank Group

Tertiary Education Trust Fund

UBS

US Air Force

wealthMD

Dive Deeper into the Experience

We Celebrate New Ways of Thinking. Are You Ready?

Thrive in a learning environment that welcomes diverse ideas and perspectives.

Examining the Impact of Human Behavior

Make smarter, better choices by understanding yourself and others.

See His Story

Discover more about business. And yourself.

Global perspectives > Leadership growth > Organizational impact.

Who Should Attend

Executives with at least 10 years of experience who lead functional areas such as product development, human resources, talent management, marketing, advertising, business development, or sales
Individuals responsible for product design, product management, or risk management

This program may be of particular interest to past participants of Changing the Game: Negotiation and Competitive Decision-Making, as the programs are highly complementary.

Attendance by multiple company representatives will foster teamwork and amplify the program's impact on your organization.

Participating Companies Have Included:

Google

H&R Block

Hess Corporation

Merck

Standard Bank Group

Tertiary Education Trust Fund

UBS

US Air Force

wealthMD

Dive Deeper into the Experience

We Celebrate New Ways of Thinking. Are You Ready?

Thrive in a learning environment that welcomes diverse ideas and perspectives.

Examining the Impact of Human Behavior

Make smarter, better choices by understanding yourself and others.

See His Story

Discover more about business. And yourself.

Global perspectives > Leadership growth > Organizational impact.

Learning and Living at HBS

When you participate in an Executive Education program on the HBS campus, you enter an immersive experience where every aspect of the learning model has been carefully designed to facilitate your growth. Your learning will take place on your own, in your living group, and in the larger classroom, driven by the renowned HBS case method.

Learning and Living at HBS: When you participate in an Executive Education program on the HBS campus, you enter an immersive experience where every aspect of the learning model has been carefully designed to facilitate your growth. Your learning will take place on your own, in your living group, and in the larger classroom, driven by the renowned HBS case method.

Admissions Criteria and Process

We admit candidates to specific sessions on a rolling, space-available basis, and encourage you to apply as early as possible. Although most programs have no formal educational requirements, admission is a selective process based on your professional achievement and organizational responsibilities.

Admissions Criteria and Process

Answering Your Questions

Our Program Advising team can help you at any stage of the admissions process—starting with identifying the program that best addresses your learning and development goals. Contact a program advisor via email or call 1-800-427-5577 (outside the U.S., call +1-617-495-6555).

Application Submission

We recommend that you apply at least four weeks before the program start date. You may use our online form or download an application. HBS maintains all application information in strict confidentiality. We acknowledge receipt of applications via email. In the unlikely event that you do not receive an acknowledgment, please email us at exed_admissions@hbs.edu or call us at +1-617-495-6226.

Application Review

To optimize the learning experience and maximize the exchange of ideas, our Admissions Committee makes selections that balance each participant's experience, scope of current responsibilities, and type of organization. HBS seeks candidates who reflect a broad range of industries, functions, countries, and backgrounds. We review applications monthly and will contact you via email with the Admissions Committee's decision.

Fee, Payment, and Cancellations

The program fee covers tuition, books, case materials, accommodations, and most meals. No payment is necessary until you have been accepted. Payment is required prior to the program start date. If you need to cancel or defer participation, you must submit your request in writing more than 30 days before the start of the program to receive a full refund. Cancellations or deferrals received 14 to 30 days prior to the start of the program are subject to a fee of one-half of the program fee. Requests received within 14 days are subject to full payment.

Your Course of Study

This program is structured to improve your analytical and decision-making skills and help you bring the principles of behavioral economics to your organization’s most pressing challenges. Through dynamic faculty presentations, case studies, role-playing, simulation exercises, and insights from guest speakers, you will discover how subtle yet powerful changes to the decision-making environment can influence outcomes.

Your Course of Study: This program is structured to improve your analytical and decision-making skills and help you bring the principles of behavioral economics to your organization’s most pressing challenges. Through dynamic faculty presentations, case studies, role-playing, simulation exercises, and insights from guest speakers, you will discover how subtle yet powerful changes to the decision-making environment can influence outcomes.

Key TopicsExpand All Collapse All

Understanding decision science Understanding decision science

Examining the psychological biases and motivation problems that get in the way of making wise decisions
Analyzing the power of group dynamics in mitigating or exacerbating the counterproductive effects of psychological biases
Studying the behavioral limitations that make it difficult for people to pay attention to the right information at the right time

Shaping the behavior of customers and employees Shaping the behavior of customers and employees

Understanding why choice contexts can sometimes act as barriers to successful decision-making
Examining effective strategies for aligning customer and employee actions with your organizational goals

Applying behavioral economics in your organization Applying behavioral economics in your organization

Identifying your organization's specific behavioral challenges—and exploring potential solutions
Defining the essential skills that enable a "choice architect" to influence the behavior of other organizational stakeholders
Exploring roadmaps that incorporate behavioral economics into everyday work

Key Topics

Understanding decision science

Examining the psychological biases and motivation problems that get in the way of making wise decisions
Analyzing the power of group dynamics in mitigating or exacerbating the counterproductive effects of psychological biases
Studying the behavioral limitations that make it difficult for people to pay attention to the right information at the right time

Shaping the behavior of customers and employees

Understanding why choice contexts can sometimes act as barriers to successful decision-making
Examining effective strategies for aligning customer and employee actions with your organizational goals

Applying behavioral economics in your organization

Identifying your organization's specific behavioral challenges—and exploring potential solutions
Defining the essential skills that enable a "choice architect" to influence the behavior of other organizational stakeholders
Exploring roadmaps that incorporate behavioral economics into everyday work

The HBS Advantage

Our Executive Education programs are developed and taught by HBS faculty who are widely recognized as skilled educators, groundbreaking researchers, and award-winning authors. Through their board memberships, consulting, and field-based research, they address the complex challenges facing business leaders across the globe

Faculty Cochair

John Beshears

Assistant Professor of Business Administration. Member of the Negotiation, Organizations & Markets Unit; and faculty cochair of "Behavioral Economics: Understanding and Shaping Customer and Employee Behavior."

Read Full Bio

The key to better decision making is a better understanding of how humans make decisions.

Francesca Gino

Tandon Family Professor of Business Administration. Head of the Negotiation, Organizations & Markets Units; and faculty cochair of "Behavioral Economics: Understanding and Shaping Customer and Employee Behavior" and "Driving Profitable Growth."

Read Full Bio

The key to better decision making is a better understanding of how humans make decisions.

Faculty

Max H. Bazerman

Jesse Isidor Straus Professor of Business Administration. Codirector, Center for Public Leadership, Harvard Kennedy School. Member of the Negotiation, Organizations & Markets Unit; and faculty chair of "Changing the Game: Negotiation and Competitive Decision Making."

Read Full Bio

Leslie K. John

Marvin Bower Associate Professor. Member of the Negotiation, Organizations & Markets Unit.

Read Full Bio

David Laibson

Robert I. Goldman Professor of Economics. Member of the Department of Economics, Harvard University.

Read Full Bio

Michael Luca

Assistant Professor of Business Administration. Member of the Negotiation, Organizations, and Markets Unit.

Read Full Bio

Todd Rogers

Professor of Public Policy at the Harvard Kennedy School.

Read Full Bio

The HBS Advantage: Our Executive Education programs are developed and taught by HBS faculty who are widely recognized as skilled educators, groundbreaking researchers, and award-winning authors. Through their board memberships, consulting, and field-based research, they address the complex challenges facing business leaders across the globe

Faculty Cochair

John Beshears

Assistant Professor of Business Administration. Member of the Negotiation, Organizations & Markets Unit; and faculty cochair of "Behavioral Economics: Understanding and Shaping Customer and Employee Behavior."

Read Full Bio
The key to better decision making is a better understanding of how humans make decisions.
Read More

Francesca Gino

Tandon Family Professor of Business Administration. Head of the Negotiation, Organizations & Markets Units; and faculty cochair of "Behavioral Economics: Understanding and Shaping Customer and Employee Behavior" and "Driving Profitable Growth."

Read Full Bio
The key to better decision making is a better understanding of how humans make decisions.
Read More

Faculty

Max H. Bazerman

Jesse Isidor Straus Professor of Business Administration. Codirector, Center for Public Leadership, Harvard Kennedy School. Member of the Negotiation, Organizations & Markets Unit; and faculty chair of "Changing the Game: Negotiation and Competitive Decision Making."

Read Full Bio

Leslie K. John

Marvin Bower Associate Professor. Member of the Negotiation, Organizations & Markets Unit.

Read Full Bio

David Laibson

Robert I. Goldman Professor of Economics. Member of the Department of Economics, Harvard University.

Read Full Bio

Michael Luca

Assistant Professor of Business Administration. Member of the Negotiation, Organizations, and Markets Unit.

Read Full Bio

Todd Rogers

Professor of Public Policy at the Harvard Kennedy School.

Read Full Bio

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More Admissions Information

Program content, dates, fees, and faculty are subject to change. In accordance with Harvard University policy, Harvard Business School does not discriminate against any person on the basis of race, color, sex or sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, age, national or ethnic origin, political beliefs, veteran status, or disability in admission to, access to, treatment in, or employment in its programs and activities.

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Earn a Certificate of Management Excellence

This program applies toward the HBS Certificate of Management Excellence.

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Need Help? Contact Us:

Program Advising team

Email: executive_education@hbs.edu

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Program Finder

Request the Brochure

Download Brochure

Earn a Certificate of Management Excellence

This program applies toward the HBS Certificate of Management Excellence.

Learn More

Need Help? Contact Us:

Program Advising team

Email: executive_education@hbs.edu

Identify the Right Program for You

Program Finder

Request the Brochure

Download Brochure

Negotiation & Decision-Making Comparison Chart

Compare programs at-a-glance to find what's right for you.

Learn More

"A key takeaway was to be more cognizant of the biases that come into play in decision-making."

Kate Talty

Head of Total Rewards and Mobility, Lixil Americas, U.S.

Read Her Story

Need Help? Contact Us:

Program Advising team

Email: executive_education@hbs.edu

Identify the Right Program for You

Program Finder

Request the Brochure

Download Brochure

Negotiation & Decision-Making Comparison Chart

Compare programs at-a-glance to find what's right for you.

Learn More

"A key takeaway was to be more cognizant of the biases that come into play in decision-making."

Kate Talty

Head of Total Rewards and Mobility, Lixil Americas, U.S.

Read Her Story

Need Help? Contact Us:

Program Advising team

Email: executive_education@hbs.edu

Identify the Right Program for You

Program Finder

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Behavioral Economics: Understanding and Shaping Customer and Employee Behavior

"A key takeaway was to be more cognizant of the biases that come into play in decision-making."

"A key takeaway was to be more cognizant of the biases that come into play in decision-making."

Summary

Summary

DetailsExpand AllCollapse All

Understand the actions of your customers and employeesUnderstand the actions of your customers and employees icon-dropdown-down

Improve decision-making and performance across your organizationImprove decision-making and performance across your organization icon-dropdown-down

Expand your personal and professional networkExpand your personal and professional network icon-dropdown-down

Understand the actions of your customers and employees

Improve decision-making and performance across your organization

Expand your personal and professional network

Who Should Attend

Who Should Attend

Learning and Living at HBS

Learning and Living at HBS