Boosting

Engagement Method

Introduction and Purpose

Boosting involves strengthening people’s existing competencies and developing new ones through education, training or feedback. The specific form of Boost applied will depend on the particular competency being targeted. Hertwig et al (2025) outline the following types of competency Boosts:

Digital literacy – the competence to navigate, assess, and use digital tools and information effectively and responsibly, including recognising misinformation and understanding digital systems.
Risk literacy – the competence to understand probabilities, recognise uncertainty, and make balanced judgements about potential outcomes in situations involving risk.
Financial literacy – the competence to interpret financial information, plan and manage resources, and make sound, long-term financial decisions.
Statistical reasoning – the competence to understand, interpret, and critically engage with numerical data and statistical claims to make evidence-informed decisions.
Health literacy – the competence to locate, interpret, and use health information to make informed choices about healthcare, wellbeing, and prevention.
Decision-making – the competence to evaluate options, anticipate consequences, and make choices that align with one’s goals and values.
Motivation – the competence to generate and sustain the drive needed to initiate, pursue, and maintain desired behaviours over time.

The competencies targeted through Boosting should relate directly to the specific behaviour change being sought. What can the individual(s) already do well, and where is further support needed? By utilising and building on existing strengths relevant to the behaviour change goal, feelings of trust and empowerment are created within the individual. This can mean the individual(s) is more amenable to receiving targeted support in those competencies they struggle with, which are also needed for behaviour change.

Boosts can be designed to develop competencies that support biodiversity and sustainability-aligned practices, for example:

Digital literacy – locating reliable biodiversity information, verifying sources, and using digital tools such as mapping apps or observation platforms effectively.
Risk literacy – identifying and assessing the risks that organisational or individual decisions and practices pose to biodiversity and recognising opportunities to mitigate them.
Financial literacy – evaluating the costs and benefits of biodiversity-oriented actions, such as reallocating car park space for habitat creation or supporting sustainable procurement.
Statistical reasoning – analysing data to assess the impact of behavioural or operational changes, for example reductions in car use and associated improvements in air quality.
Health literacy – recognising the interconnections between biodiversity, environmental quality, and human wellbeing, such as the health benefits of greener commuting choices or having access to a greenspace to eat lunch.
Decision-making – exercising informed judgement to adopt behaviours that enhance biodiversity at both individual and organisational levels.
Motivation – sustaining personal and collective commitment to changing behaviours in ways that contribute to biodiversity protection and restoration.

Examples include:

The EU Green Employment Initiative (2014) seeks to grow the green industry through Boosting employees' competencies in relevant areas.
The Lewis Foundation, embraces Human Capital Development to deliver its philanthropic activities for wildlife conservation and protection of biodiversity in South Africa.

Key Features

Timeline:

Boosts can be identified and rolled out in 1-3 months. However this timeline may vary dependent on the size of the organisation, the number of employees to be engaged and the competencies targeted.

Materials Required:

Clearly defined behavioural objectives specifying the changes to be achieved
Identification of key competencies linked to biodiversity goals
Assessment of staff capabilities in relation to each identified competency
Communication materials to explain the Boost strategy, its purpose, and expected outcomes
Practical resources to support Boost activities, such as training workshops, visual prompts, signage, or printed guidance
A detailed timetable for planning, delivery, and follow-up phases
A budget reflecting the level of planning, facilitation, and evaluation required, as Boosts generally represent a medium to high investment activity
Tools to track progress and recognise individual or team achievements
Monitoring and evaluation instruments to assess participation, behavioural outcomes, and organisational impact
For any data collected with people, ethical consent forms and participant information sheets to ensure informed and voluntary participation

Skills Required:

Project Management and Leadership – to coordinate planning, organisation, and implementation of the Boost strategy
Research and Analysis – to identify relevant competencies and assess staff strengths and development needs
Interpersonal and Communication – to communicate objectives clearly, engage employees, and share progress updates
Training and Facilitation – to design and deliver learning activities or collaborate with external training partners
Creative Design – to develop engaging and context-specific Boost materials and activities
Evaluation and Assessment – to design metrics, measure uptake and impact, and provide recommendations for improvement
Financial Planning – to undertake cost–benefit analysis and manage the overall budget effectively

Potential Impact:

Improved organisational practices that contribute to biodiversity protection and restoration
Greater staff awareness of biodiversity issues, including those connected to the organisation’s operations, and increased motivation to act
Development of new competencies, ideas, and innovations that strengthen both organisational performance and biodiversity outcomes
Enhanced trust and engagement within the workplace, contributing to employee loyalty and sustained behaviour change
Stronger alignment between employee behaviour and the organisation’s biodiversity vision and strategic objectives

Case Study

Instructions

To implement a Boost within an organisation, use the following steps as a guide:

Planning:

Define behaviours to be changed: Specify the exact behaviour(s) you want to influence. Behaviours should be concrete and measurable e.g. switching off unused equipment and lights at the end of the working day.
Identify competencies required for behaviour change: Determine which competencies are necessary to perform and sustain the desired behaviour, such as risk literacy, digital literacy, or motivation.
Assess employee strengths and weaknesses: Evaluate existing competencies through surveys, interviews, or performance reviews to identify where employees already excel and where further support is needed. Where needed, obtain ethical approval before collecting or analysing personal data to ensure confidentiality and informed consent are maintained.
Select the Boosts needed: Identify the most appropriate types of Boost to strengthen the targeted competencies. Boosts might include training sessions, mentoring, practical exercises, reminders or digital tools.
Determine available resources and budge: Establish the financial, human, and material resources available to develop and implement the Boosts effectively.
Plan timing and frequency: Decide when Boosts will be delivered, how long they will run, and how often they will be repeated or refreshed to reinforce learning.
Communicate the strategy: Share the purpose, benefits, and structure of the Boosts with employees to ensure clarity, transparency and buy-in.

Boost development and piloting:

Create the Boosts: Develop materials, activities and delivery mechanisms, tailored to the competencies and behaviour targeted e.g. training workshops to strengthen decision-making or communication skills or visual reminders or prompts to reinforce key behaviours.
Pilot implementation: Introduce the Boosts on a small scale or with a select group of employees. This allows testing of both content and delivery.
Collect feedback and review effectiveness: Use interviews, focus groups, or surveys to gather feedback, assess engagement and identify areas for refinement. Where needed, obtain ethical approval before collecting or analysing personal data to ensure confidentiality and informed consent are maintained.

Rollout and evaluation:

Implement organisation-wide: Apply the Boosts across the organisation, adapting delivery to different departments or roles where necessary e.g. in customer-facing roles, strengthen interpersonal skills, motivation, and ethical awareness through scenario-based training.
Provide ongoing support: Offer continuous reinforcement through coaching, peer learning, or digital reminders to sustain behavioural change.
Monitor and review: Periodically assess progress and outcomes, updating or redesigning Boosts as organisational needs, technologies, or goals evolve.

Rationale:

Identifies and helps address barriers to behaviour change through targeted, ongoing support
Empowers employees to take ownership of their actions and decisions, encouraging internal motivation
Ensures that support is relevant, meaningful, and connected to employees’ specific roles and contexts
Embeds new behaviours within everyday workplace practices, reinforcing continuity and normalisation
Builds trust and collaboration between employees and employers through open communication and personalised engagement

Benefits:

Provides a cost-effective and adaptable means of sustaining engagement and performance over time
Creates long-term, self-sustaining behaviour change that continues beyond the initial intervention
Strengthens alignment between individual actions and organisational biodiversity goals and mission
Generates positive spillover effects, motivating wider pro-environmental behaviour within and beyond the workplace
Enhances organisational culture by linking learning, reflection, and recognition to ongoing improvement

Links to Resources

Hertwig et al (2025) offer an open access paper on Boosting

The Max Planck Institute Institute offer an overview of Boosting and Decision Making Skills

Skills Base offer online tools for assessing competency are available

Image by Frauke Riether from Pixabay

Resources