Background

Pharos is an expertise center dedicated to reducing health disparities and committed to accessible, appropriate care and support for people in vulnerable circumstances. Pharos already possessed extensive knowledge of behavioral change, including the COM-B model and the Behavior Change Wheel. At the same time, there was a growing need for a practical step-by-step plan for situations where behavioral change is not just about a single method or target group, but is part of broader, complex organizational change involving multiple levels, social norms, culture, and resistance.


Activities

I guided Pharos in developing a practical step-by-step plan for behavioral change during organizational change. We started with a kick-off meeting with various Pharos experts, where we refined the core question, gathered practical experiences, and identified exactly what colleagues need to effectively guide these types of change initiatives. Based on this, we translated scientific insights and practical experience into an initial draft plan with logical steps, clear choices, and concrete tools.

We tested and deepened this concept in co-creation with Pharos, and subsequently developed it into a workable step-by-step plan. In this plan, we also incorporated our own practical experience as behavioral experts and in-depth tips (for example, on effective working methods).

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Result

  • Pharos now has a practical and evidence-based 7-step plan for behavioral change during organizational change. The document helps colleagues provide advice on larger implementation and change processes and clarifies the steps needed to ensure new behavior is sustainably embedded within organizations. In the plan, we address aspects such as building support, managing resistance, defining roles, ensuring long-term embedding, and behaviors at different organizational levels.
  • Pharos now has a better framework to not only advise clients on content but also to truly guide them through change. Colleagues can get to the core of issues faster, better interpret resistance, and steer more effectively toward concrete behavior, support, and embedding. This ensures that behavioral knowledge is not just for isolated interventions, but serves as a solid foundation for organizational change. Ultimately, this leads to faster and more targeted behavioral change in practice and better implementation of Pharos' advice.

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“Anouk was able to distill complex themes into a clear and pragmatic approach at lightning speed. She combines behavioral expertise with a strong sense of what organizations actually need to truly get moving. Thanks to her sharpness and structure, we now have a step-by-step plan that is both substantively strong and immediately applicable in guiding organizational change.”

‍Annegien Langedijk, Strategic Advisor on Norms and Behavioral Change, and Jeyna Sow, Advisor and Project Manager for Inclusive Care, Pharos‍