COM-B Model
Michie, van Stralen & West, Implementation Science, 2011
Behavior = Capability × Opportunity × Motivation. If any factor is zero, no behavior.
In plain language
COM-B is a diagnostic tool. When someone isn't doing the thing you want them to do, it's almost always one of three things: they can't (Capability), they don't have the chance (Opportunity), or they don't want to (Motivation).
It comes from health-behavior research — Susan Michie and colleagues built it to explain why public-health interventions succeed or fail. It has since become the standard framework for implementation science across sectors.
Unlike Fogg B=MAP which is a composition model, COM-B is a diagnostic model. B=MAP tells you how to design a behavior; COM-B tells you why your design didn't work.
How Maxim applies it
- Maxim's Compliance Shield pack (L1.4) uses COM-B to enforce regulated behavior. Operator Capability is ensured by loading the relevant framework (GDPR, HIPAA, etc.) into context automatically. Opportunity is created by the MCP gate firing before output ships. Motivation is the blocking gate — bad outputs don't leave the model.
- Maxim's install experience is also COM-B-tuned. Capability: one command. Opportunity: the 90-day Pro Trial activates on install, so the moat is available without a second decision. Motivation: the moat shows up on the very first output, so the reader doesn't have to take it on faith.
- The /mxm-health command runs a COM-B check on your Maxim install: capability (all commands installed), opportunity (Worker reachable, license valid), motivation (confidence rubric active). If any factor is missing, /mxm-health tells you which.
What generic LLMs get wrong
Generic compliance advice tells you the rule ('GDPR says...') without checking whether the operator has the capability to apply it, the opportunity to apply it mid-workflow, or the motivation to apply it when the deadline is tight. COM-B-enforced compliance blocks bad outputs at the MCP layer so the operator can't skip it under pressure.