Why it matters
When someone feels the urge to thank a colleague or share an idea, that spark fades in seconds. If the system makes it hard, the behaviour never happens — and leaders wrongly conclude people aren’t motivated. BJ Fogg’s Behaviour Model shows that when ability is low, motivation can’t compensate.
How to run it
- List the behaviours your culture needs most: recognising a colleague, raising an idea, giving upward feedback, finding a learning resource, getting a routine approval.
- Ask a frontline employee to do each one while you time them.
- Apply the rule: anything over 30 seconds or three clicks is broken.
- Remove friction first — before launching campaigns to increase motivation.
- Re-test next quarter.
Watch out for
- Testing it yourself — you know the shortcuts
- Measuring adoption without measuring effort