Former course participant, Christian Hunt, joined the Behavioural Science in Practice programme to enhance his practical knowledge in order to fulfil his job role. In his blog, Christian describes the key principles he learnt during the programme and how he is applying these to his career in behavioural science. 

My name is Christian Hunt and I’m the founder of Human Risk, a behavioural science-led consulting and training firm, specialising in the fields of ethics and compliance. I was formerly a Managing Director at UBS, where I was Head of Behavioural Science, and I’m also the host and producer of Human Risk – a podcast which focuses on behavioural science.

My decision to study the Behavioural Science in Practice programme at Warwick Business School (WBS) was driven by a professional need. I recognised that many aspects of my role involved influencing human decision-making. Organisations cannot be compliant of their own accord, it’s the people within them that will determine whether or not that is the case. Equally, the largest single cause of risk within my organisation was people, either doing things they shouldn’t or not doing things they should.

For those reasons, I felt that it would be helpful to enhance my practical behavioural science knowledge in order to be able to fulfil my role. Having looked at the available options, I felt that the Behavioural Science in Practice programme offered a good balance of theory and practical experience with a faculty that was well respected on both fronts. There was no other course that could match it in those respects.

I came with very high expectations and I’m delighted to say that they were exceeded. Not only did I learn a huge amount, but I was also able to build a network of like-minded colleagues (we still speak to each other three years later!). I also really enjoyed getting out of the office to learn something that was genuinely interesting and useful. Many courses I’ve been on looked good in theory, but didn’t really deliver. This one did!

The Shard is a great location for education. Not only is it well located from a transport perspective, but there is something highly enjoyable and inspiring about being taught in such an iconic building. The views are obviously fantastic, making it an extremely memorable studying experience. Equally, the facilities are excellent, with well-equipped lecture facilities and breakout rooms. While I would’ve attended the course in another location, The Shard made it much easier for me to do so.

It is no exaggeration to say that the Behavioural Science in Practice programme has fundamentally changed my life. Having attended the course, I have now put into practice many of the principles and ideas that I have learned. As a result, I was able to demonstrate the effectiveness of behavioural science, not only within my area of responsibility of compliance & operational risk, but much more broadly.

As a result, I was offered the opportunity to set up an internal behavioural science function which I ran for about a year. That gave me the experience and encouragement to set up my own behavioural science-led consulting and training firm. I think it is fair to say that attending the course was a huge contributing factor in determining what I do now.  There aren’t many training courses I’m aware of, that can have that much impact. I also know that a number of my cohort have also used the opportunities and learnings of the course, to shape their subsequent careers. 

If you’re curious about behavioural science and how it can help you in your career and personal life, then this programme is the perfect way to begin your journey. The combination of theory and practice, presented by leading experts will give you a strong grounding to explore an exciting emergent discipline.

Find out more about Behavioural Science in Practice