Decision Guide for Program Managers: What You Need to Know About the Designing for Behavior Change (DBC) Approach

This resource is intended to guide programme managers in making decisions around whether to adopt the Designing for Behavior Change (DBC) approach in their programming, and whether or not to send staff to be trained in this approach.

As explained in the guide, "the DBC Approach starts with filling in a framework to better understand how to integrate the approach into programming. The DBC framework is a relatively easy-to-use tool that helps project designers and implementers to design (redesign or modify) an evidence-based behavior change strategy or intervention so that it is more effective in prompting beneficiaries to adopt a new behavior. It does this by identifying, through simple formative research, which determinants of behavior change are blocking or enabling the practice of the behavior, and then planning a strategy that addresses those barriers and motivators." The DBC approach is not sector specific; it can be used to design behaviour change activities in any sector (such as health, nutrition, agriculture, natural resource management, economic development, education, gender equity, and water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) (See Related Summary below for more information).

The guide explains the DBC approach and its purpose, how the DBC Framework can be used in a programme, and the logistics of implementing the DBC approach. The guide goes through seven questions to explain these key points and includes annexes and links to further reading. The questions are:

1. What is the DBC Approach and what is its purpose?
2. How will using the DBC Framework help us achieve our projects' objectives?
3. Can the DBC framework be used by staff working in different sectors of our country program?
4. What costs are involved in getting my staff trained and then using the DBC framework?
5. What type of staff are most appropriate to send?
6. What preparation and follow up is required by my organization?
7. What have other attendees said or done as a result of the DBC workshop? What does successful implementation look like?