Podcasts
Influence
The Power of Influence and the Messenger Effect with Steve...
Steve Martin
0 minutes
March 2026
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By Nick Hobson
Imagine this: you’ve invested in a two-hour workshop or a week-long seminar for your team. The feedback is glowing, participants leave inspired, and yet… six months later, nothing has changed. Projects stall, habits persist, and the gap between learning and doing remains wide open.
Here’s the harsh truth: research shows only 10%-30% of training actually transfers to the workplace. Why? Because learning, despite the term, isn’t just about learning stuff—it’s about changing behaviour.
At its heart, learning isn’t about cramming information into brains—it’s about reshaping actions in the real world and driving persistent behaviour change. Think about how a child learns something new. They take it into the world with them.
When it comes to organisational scenarios, it’s easier said than done. Here’s why:
Behavioral science transforms learning from a fleeting experience into a sustained behaviour change initiative. By focusing on rigorous measurement, individual development, and organisational change, it ensures that both people and systems align to achieve meaningful and lasting impact.
To bridge the gap between learning and doing, organizations must focus on outcomes, not just inputs. Attendance or participation metrics only scratch the surface. The true measure of success lies in:
Consistent and rigorous measurement helps organizations identify what works, refine strategies, and demonstrate the tangible value of learning initiatives.
Behaviour change begins at the individual level. Employees need not only knowledge but also the tools, motivation, and confidence to act differently. Behavioural science drives individual development through targeted, role-specific programmes.
Individual-level change is often easier and more immediate, as it focuses on equipping people with the skills and strategies they need to act differently right away. However, its impact is limited if the broader organisational systems and structures don’t support and reinforce these new behaviours.
While empowering individuals is a crucial starting point, ensuring the sustainability of these changes requires embedding them within the systems, structures, and culture of the organisation.
Organisational design ensures that individual-level change doesn’t remain isolated but becomes embedded into the organisation’s DNA. It creates the systems and processes necessary to sustain behaviour change over the long term, providing the foundation for alignment and scalability.
Key components of organisational design include:
By aligning organisational design with individual behaviours, organisations can create environments where learning becomes part of everyday practice. This ensures that the immediate impact of individual-level development is sustained and amplified over time.
Learning is a behavioural challenge—but it’s also an opportunity.
Next time you plan a training initiative, don’t stop at what participants will learn. Ask yourself: What will they do differently? That’s the question that shifts training from an investment to a game-changer.
With behavioural science, learning doesn’t stay in the room—it creates real-world impact.
Contact our team to discover how we can help you to capture attention, connect with others and convince people to act.
Receive insights from Steve Martin, CEO of Influence at Work, on the big questions that are shaping innovative, forward-thinking organisations and how the science of influence and persuasion can help navigate future change.
