We underestimate how long it will take to finish a task, overlook or ignore information that reveals a flaw in our planning, or fail to take advantage of company benefits that are in our best interests. It’s extraordinarily difficult to rewire the human brain to undo the patterns that lead to such mistakes. But there is another approach: Alter the environment in which decisions are made so that people are more likely to make choices that lead to good outcomes. Leaders can do this by acting as architects. Based on the research in behavioural economics there is an approach for structuring work to encourage good decision making.

This process can be applied to a wide range of problems, from high employee turnover to missed deadlines to poor strategic decisions.