While the early 21st century saw the emergence of nudging as an approach to influence individual behaviour, complex environmental, technological, and social challenges require the development of a systems perspective in behavioural science. One methodological approach to achieving this is the creation of behavioural system maps, which bridge behavioural science and systems analysis. These maps allow the analysis of cause-effect relations between the behaviours of multiple actors.

Drawing on behavioural research and scholarly work on system mapping, this guide on the development of behavioural system maps includes five key steps: (1) System exploration and boundary setting, (2) Data collection and behavioural analysis, (3) Construction of the map, (4) Validation and refinement of the map, (5) Analysis and interpretation of the map. The article highlights how existing research using behavioural system maps has approached these steps and connects them to other system mapping methods, such as causal loop diagrams. It concludes by discussing pathways for advancing the approach and its integration in behavioural research.

Urban areas face an increasing urgency to adapt to climate change, yet adaptation efforts remain insufficient. Addressing this adaptation gap requires an understanding of the psychological mechanisms and contextual influences shaping climate adaptation behaviour. Whereas behavioural scientists have explored citizens’ climate adaptation behaviours, the decision-making of policymakers is often overlooked despite its importance in closing the adaptation gap. To address this, we conducted a behavioural systems analysis to uncover behavioural dynamics that shape policymakers' decision-making, based on 32 semi-struct ured interviews and a workshop with Dutch urban climate adaptation policymakers. Combing thematic and content analysis with behavioural system mapping, our results highlight the importance of an integrated, dynamic system approach to understand psychological and contextual influences on policymakers' decision-making. We identified nine central themes reflecting key behavioural dynamics: reliance on precedents; fragmented roles and responsibilities; habitual thinking based on longstanding processes; policy stringency, clarity and process; conflicting political priorities; importance of individuals; externally-motivated action; illusion of local actor engagement; moving from awareness creation to mainstreaming. Furthermore, analysis of behavioural influences using the Theoretical Domains Framework identified policymakers’ beliefs about consequences, environmental context and resources, and goals as most influential determinants of behaviour. Behavioural system mapping revealed three impactful levers for interventions, namely supporting precedent identification, stimulating information gathering, and boosting mainstreaming processes, to improve decision-making in urban climate adaptation. By integrating behavioural insights and systems analysis, this work proposes a novel approach to analyse contextual, dynamic influences and determinants of behaviour that shape adaptation policymaking. Therefore, it aligns with recent calls from behavioural scientists highlighting the need for systemic approaches in behavioural science.