Welcome to the Behavioral Ethics Bookshelf

By Lixing Sun | An exploration of dishonesty by identifying examples of "cheating" in nature and parralelling them to human behavior. Sun even highlights the need for flexible ethical frameworks to encourage honesty while recognizing that some rule-bending can spark progress.

By Daniel Kahneman | Nobel Prize winner Daniel Kahneman is the starting point for understanding much of behavioral science and dual system thinking that underlies it. If there is one book you read, make sure this is the one. [Note: It’s surprisingly dense for a popular book, but worth the effort.]

By Dilip Soman | One of the few behavioral science books that clearly ties theory and application together, all in an easy-to-read format. Its strength is providing a host of practical tools to overcome “last mile” problems, those breakdowns from production to take-up—critical for behavioral compliance solutions.

By Max H. Bazerman and Don A. Moore | Not only about ethics and compliance, but this book is a primary text in many MBA judgment and decision-making classrooms.

By Scott Plous | Not as well known as some other important books on judgment and decision making, but if you’re looking for a primer on all the processes that lead to unethical behavior, this is a great start full of real research.

By Travis Waugh | Training is a major part of the real world of compliance, and this book gets it right by focusing on levers of human behavior―context, habits, and motivation―explaining how they can be used to create holistic training programs that are more than “check the box.”

By Roger Miles | Unethical behavior creates conduct risk in organizations. This book explains how that happens and offers ways to mitigate it. Really good on how “lawful but awful” conduct can create spiraling regulatory risk.

By Robert B. Cialdini | Cialdini is the preeminent expert in the fields of influence and persuasion and has been called “the world's most practical social psychologist” by Nobel Prize winners. The chapters on social proof and authority are foundational to understanding how others influence our ethical behavior.

By Damon Centola | Ethical (or unethical) behavior in an organization is a product of many factors, but chief among them is how others behave. Network research explains the mechanics of how this happens and what leads to complex behavioral contagions.

By Nina Mažar and Dillip Soman | Perfect for business leaders looking to apply and scale behavioral science insights. This book, part of the "Somon trilogy," helps leaders create effective interventions that can drive meaningful change within companies.

By Eric Singler and Chandon Pierre | Nudge Management is a perfect resource for all those interested in implementing nudges to improve well-being, performance, and employee engagement in the workplace.

By Alex Edmans | Not explicetly a behavioral science book, but at the same time one of the most important books out there about how we interpret stories, studies, and statistics. Edmans gives readers simple tools to critically evaluate the information they encounter--think of it as an inoculation against misinformation through critical thinking.

By Don Norman | Another book not about besci that's all about besci. In his incredibly influential book, Norman analyzes common design flaws in everyday objects and offers practical insights on how to create products that are more functional, accessible, and enjoyable for users by aligning their design with the principles of cognitive psychology. If you've ever wondered, "How could someone have designed it this way?", this one is for you.  (Applies to compliance codes and trainings too.)