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    Why Smart People Make Predictably Irrational Workplace Decisions

    8 min
    |
    |
    Sep 30, 2025
    PsychologyBusinessSelf Help

    Discover how behavioral operations reveals the hidden psychology behind workplace decision-making. Learn why our brains consistently trick us and how to design systems that work with human nature, not against it.

    Why Smart People Make Predictably Irrational Workplace Decisions

    Best quote from Why Smart People Make Predictably Irrational Workplace Decisions

    “

    It’s like we were designing systems for robots when we were actually dealing with humans. We're not randomly irrational—we're predictably irrational, and the key is designing operations that work with human nature instead of against it.

    ”

    This audio lesson was created by a BeFreed community member

    Input question

    Human behaviour psychology based on behavior ops book

    Host voices
    Lenaplay
    Eliplay
    Knowledge sources
    [PDF] Toward a Theory of Behavioral Operations - Harvard Business School
    link
    https://www.hbs.edu/ris/Publication%20Files/07-096.pdf
    Predictably Irrational
    Thinking, fast and slow
    Behavioral Operations: Past, Present, and Future
    link
    https://dspace.mit.edu/bitstream/1721.1/136436/2/SSRN-id3379894.pdf
    The Handbook of Behavioral Operations
    link
    https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/book/10.1002/9781119138341
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    "Reading used to feel like a chore. Now it’s just part of my lifestyle."

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    "Feels effortless compared to reading. I’ve finished 6 books this month already."

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    Key Takeaways

    1

    Welcome & Setting the Stage

    0:00
    0:14
    0:28
    2

    The Birth of Behavioral Operations

    0:38
    0:50
    1:02
    1:17
    1:30
    3

    The Predictable Patterns of Irrationality

    1:43
    1:54
    2:10
    2:25
    2:39
    4

    The Two Systems of Thinking

    2:55
    3:05
    3:21
    3:35
    1:30
    5

    When Emotions Override Logic

    4:02
    4:13
    4:25
    4:42
    4:55
    6

    The Power of FREE and Social Norms

    5:10
    5:18
    5:36
    5:51
    6:02
    6:15
    7

    Practical Applications for Better Operations

    6:27
    6:36
    0:28
    6:58
    7:10
    7:24
    8

    The Future of Human-Centered Operations

    7:38
    1:02
    7:56
    8:14
    8:28
    8:41

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