How the Power of Intent Drives Atana's New Behavioral Training

Science shows us that behavioral intent (the strength of someone's intention to do something) is the key predictor that determines whether a person is likely to engage in a particular behavior or not. People can know the right thing to do—but without sufficient behavioral intent—still not do it.

So how can leaders commited to developing behaviors that create a positive, inclusive workplace culture impact behavioral intent? Atana.Our propriety methodology addresses three factors that influence intent, and ultimately behavior.

1. Is This Good For Me?
This question represents an individual’s own attitudes toward the behavior based on personal experience, knowledge, biases, or perceptions. Those attitudes can be positive, neutral, or negative. Positive attitudes increase intent, while negative views decrease it.

Example: An employee may feel positively about standing up to workplace bullying, believing that addressing such behavior is the best way to stop it. Conversely, an individual with a negative attitude toward resisting bullying might believe that standing up to a bully could intensify the behavior or make them a target.

2. What Do Others Think?
This question reflects an individual's perception of how friends, family, peers feel about the behavior.

Example: An individual who believes their colleagues are committed to resisting workplace bullying is likely to adopt a similar view and stand up against a bully. But an employee who perceives that co-workers think bullying is acceptable, or that confrontation is dangerous, is less likely to push back against such behavior.

3. Do I Have the Right Skills?
This question captures an individual’s perception of their own control over their behavior. Affecting this perception is one’s belief that they are capable of performing a specific behavior within the circumstances at hand. Ultimately, the stronger a person’s confidence in their ability to perform, and the more they believe in their ability to control their behavior, the greater the likelihood is that they will actually engage in a particular behavior.

Example: An employee who has been taught how to constructively confront bullying behavior and who feels confident in their ability to take action will be more likely to stand up a bully, while an individual who lacks similar know-how and confidence in their capability to act likely will not.

Applying the Power of Intent to Enhance Employee Training

Today’s hyper-competitive business environment, uncertain economy, and urgent need to attract and retain employees affordably and effectively demand maximum returns on organizational investments in training interventions.

As explained in For Training to Impact Culture, New Behaviors Must be Put to Work, the two-fold goal of training is to impart knowledge and result in learners’ applying new skills and behaviors on the job.

Atanas’ behavioral learning products infuse the power of intent into course design. The course content then combines with Atana Insights, our ground-breaking analytics engine, to provide data-driven insights and clear, actionable next steps for your organization.

The result? Greater likelihood that the training will achieve its goals—new employee behaviors at work, increased productivity, and improved workplace culture.

See how real change is really measured.

Request a demo of our Atana Insights dashboard.

Amanda Hagman, Ph.D. |Atana Senior Behavioral & Data Scientist
A recognized leader in program evaluation, learning analytics and the use of predictive insights on an institution-wide scale, Dr. Hagman leads research and innovation for Atana’s behavioral training courses. Her work includes the development of course assessments and content aligned with behavioral outcomes.