Many prefer the certainty of misery over the misery of uncertainty. The same goes for behavior: You can experiment with it, but that can be quite daunting when the outcome is uncertain. These observations may have inspired Icek Ajzen’s research that resulted in the theory of planned behavior, a model that you can use to motivate your employees to learn successful behaviors.

Based on his earlier theory of reasoned action, Ajzen knew that behavior is more likely to change if there is intention. An employee’s desire to change their behavior is influenced by three factors:

• Attitude: What is the learner’s opinion of the new behavior and its possible consequences?
• Subjective norm: What is the learner’s view on others’ opinions of the behavior?
• Perceived behavioral control: To what extent does the learner believe that external factors prohibit them from displaying the behavior?

“Pictorial presentation of UBL” by Choong Lyong Ha is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

If you want to change employee behavior, you will need to challenge these factors. Here are some tips to help.

1. Attitude: Everyone knows the effect of the new behavior.

You probably have an organizational goal in mind that the new behavior will accomplish—for example, feedback skills to stimulate learning from each other. Communicate this goal to your employees explicitly. Tell them how learning the new behavior will benefit the organization as well as the employees themselves. For example, give it weight by pointing out that the behavior will be discussed during the next performance review and might be connected to a promotion.

2. Subjective norm: Motivated employees stimulate others.

If a learner practices giving feedback but sees that their colleagues do not appreciate that feedback, their desire to change will be minimal. Therefore, make sure that the context is right. Your organization should have a culture with an implicit motto of “Let’s do this together.” Achieving this culture relies heavily on the manager. There is a crucial difference between an enthusiastic manager who emphasizes the importance of training from the beginning and an uninterested team leader who is not concerned with it. Encourage those employees who are appreciated by their coworkers to speak out. Ideally, they had some input into the training design, so they are committed and provide a positive subjective norm.

3. Experienced behavioral control: Develop concrete steps and goals.

An employee may be positive about the ideal behavior and what their peers think of it, but they will not have the intention to change if they do not see how they can master the behavior. The secret is to connect the content of the training program to the learners’ level, boosting their self-confidence. Make sure that they feel like the ideal behavior is achievable and that they continuously receive confirmation that they are on the right track. The structure of activities is very important. When they are short and increasingly difficult, learners will notice that they can apply their new sub-skills in more complex situations as well.

4. Real change: Take away any obstacles.

Imagine this situation: You are on the right track; your learners believe their new behavior will have positive effects, they are noticing appreciation and they are able to make progress immediately. But what if there are obstacles on the way between their intention to change and the actual change? Maybe the employee who should give better client advice feels that they do not have the time, or, when speaking with a potential client, a consultant notices that they don’t have enough room for negotiation to close the deal. Their intention will change immediately. Before the behavior is developed, identify and remove all of these potential obstacles.

Marijn de Geus is co-founder and CEO of TrainTool, which offers smart video role plays to develop soft skills. Download this free e-book for more tips on motivating employees and changing behavior.