The SHIFT Framework: A Behavioral Science Approach to Organizational Change
SHIFT is a five-stage behavioral design framework for organizational change. It was built to solve a specific problem: most change programs follow the right steps (communicate, train, support) and still fail to produce lasting behavior change. SHIFT addresses the gap between what organizations do and what actually changes behavior.
The framework stands for Specify the behavior, Hypothesize the causes, Intervention Design strategies, Facilitate the change, and Test and Iterate. Each stage builds on the previous one, moving from problem definition through diagnosis, design, implementation, and measurement.
Why SHIFT Exists
Traditional change management frameworks are strong at organizing the political and communicative dimensions of change: building coalitions, communicating vision, aligning stakeholders. Where they consistently fall short is at the behavioral level: why specific people do not perform specific behaviors in specific contexts, and what intervention will address that specific barrier.
SHIFT was designed to fill this diagnostic gap. It draws on the COM-B model of behavior (Capability, Opportunity, Motivation), a validated taxonomy of 93 Behaviour Change Techniques, 73 implementation strategies, and 33 strategy cards that combine these into practical tools for organizational change.
The core premise: behavior change is not a communication problem. It is a design problem. People do not fail to change because they lack information or support. They fail because the forces operating at the moment of action (habits, environmental friction, social norms, competing priorities) are stronger than the plan to do something differently. SHIFT diagnoses those forces and designs interventions that address them.
Who SHIFT Is For
SHIFT is used by change and transformation leaders, PMO teams, HR and people functions, L&D teams, digital health and product teams, and government policy teams. The common thread: organizations where the technical solution is in place but human behavior has not changed. Where adoption is the problem, not availability.
The methodology is delivered through consulting engagements (behavioral diagnosis and intervention design for specific change challenges) and a six-week training program that builds internal capability to use the framework independently.
Key insight: SHIFT does not replace existing change frameworks. It adds the diagnostic precision that most frameworks lack. If your change program has strong sponsorship, clear communication, and deployed training, and adoption is still stalling, the missing piece is behavioral diagnosis.
