Three surprises about change
Introduction
Sometimes what looks like a people problem might just be a situation problem.
All change effort has something in common: For any change to happen someone has to do something differently. Ultimately any change depends upon whether you could get someone to act in a certain new way.
Any successful change usually shares a common behaviour. The one who leads the change has to do 3 things. To change anyone's behaviour their situation must be changed. To change their behaviour you must change their hearts along with their minds. Unfortunately, more often than not, hearts and minds disagree with each other.
The elephant: our emotional part
The rider: our rational part
The rides lead and control the elephant but the elephant is big and at any time could disagree with the rider and move in another direction.
To change or control this uncertain behaviour you must appeal to the elephant as well as the rider. The rider is important as it provides planning and direction, the elephant on the other hand provides energy to move ahead.
Self-control is like a muscle, you get exhausted when you use more of it. Thus, most of our actions are habits rather than conscious or supervised decisions which is good because if we were to practice supervised decisions for every task, it would be super draining.
When anyone is trying to change anything in their surroundings or situation, they are fiddling with their behaviours that had became almost automatic with time. To change those behaviours you need careful supervision by the rider (the rational part). Bigger changes drain more self-control. It is like moving out of your comfort zone. Thus it is a draining process, especially mentally.
Changes are difficult because people wear themselves out. Laziness might just be exhaustion.
Reaching someone's rider but not their elephant would create a situation where direction exists without the motivation to move towards that.
Oftentimes lack of clarity seems like resistance.
When you don't want the person to change you don't ask them to act differently.
There is a really basic framework for change of behaviour
* Direct the rider with clear directions.
* Motivate the elephant because you can't get too far by the use of force. you must engage with people's emotional side as well to get their cooperation.
* Create the path, because sometimes what may seem a people problem is just a situation problem and thus we must shape the part to make this change a bit easy.
Part 1
Direct the rider
• Finding the bright spots
• Plan the moves
• Head to the destination
Chapter 1 - Finding the bright spots
Bright spots: successful efforts that are worth repeating.
The “not invented here” problems are solved by the bright spots. Sometimes people have a cynical reaction to new solutions.
During tough situations, the rider might see problems everywhere and there kicks in 'Analysis Paralysis. The rider would be restless until he gets clear and concise directions. Thus, to make any progress in making a change, you must have ways to give directions to the rider. Bright spots are important here because these are the best hope for governing the rider when you try to change something.
Solution-focused therapists learn to concentrate their patients on the earliest signs of miracles – what is the first modest indicator you would see that would make you believe the issue was gone? After assisting patients in identifying clear and vivid indicators of development, they go to a second question, the exceptional question: when was the last time you witnessed a tiny bit of the miracle, even if only for a brief period? The therapist is attempting to demonstrate gently that the client is capable of handling her issue.
Despite his urges, an alcoholic might be sober at times throughout his life. Those sparkling specks are gold waiting to be extracted. There will be bright spots in your field of vision if you are attempting to alter things, and if you learn to detect and comprehend them, you will answer one of the basic riddles of change: what precisely has to be done differently?
The bright spot philosophy: What works, and how can we do it more often? Typically, we ask, "What's broken, and how to fix it?" ", but that is incorrect.
Large problems are seldom addressed by large solutions. Instead, they are usually addressed by a series of minor solutions.
When the rider studies the situation, he looks for a solution that is appropriate for its size. If the rider sees a hole, he wants to fill it, and if the hole is round and has a 10-inch diameter, he will hunt for a 10-inch peg. But such a mental paradigm might not even work.
Chapter 2 - Script the critical moves
Decision paralysis: Having multiple alternatives, even if they are quite good, might paralyse us and force us to return to the default strategy. The action might not be rational but it's human nature.
Barry Schwartz: Choice no longer liberates, it debilitates.
Change gives new options, which creates uncertainty. Decision paralysis is caused by more than just possibilities, such as choosing one doughnut out of 100 kinds. Ambiguity does this as well. You may be unsure about your alternatives during times of transition. And ambiguity, like a table with 24 jams, causes choice paralysis.
The most familiar option is usually the status quo, theref decision paralysis may be fatal for change.
Ambiguity is your adversary. Any effective transformation requires the translation of hazy intentions into tangible action. In other words, you must write the key moves.
You must supply crystal clear advice to launch a movement in a new direction. That is why scripting is important: you must consider the particular response you would want to see in a difficult situation.
You can't write every step; that's like attempting to predict a particular move in a chess game. The crucial movements are what matters.
If you are in charge of a change initiative, you must eliminate ambiguity from your vision of transformation. It implies you'll need to know how to script the key movements to turn ambitions into actions.
You are not ready to lead a switch unless you can work your way down from a change notion to a concrete behaviour. To start a movement, you must be definite and concrete.
Chapter 3 - Head to the destination
Destination postcard: In bringing about change, we are focused on short-term objectives that may be accomplished in months rather than years. We want what we may call a destination postcard: a vivid vision of the near future that demonstrates what is possible. We've shown the value of seeking bright spots and spoken about how to teach the rider how to behave, but we haven't addressed the most fundamental question: where are we going in the end? Where are you going?
When you present a fascinating destination, you are helping to rectify one of the rider's major flaws: the tendency to get lost in analysis.
When you indicate to a desirable location, the rider begins to use his abilities to figure out how to get there.
SMART Goals: objectives that are current, relevant, detailed, quantifiable, and actionable. Ex: By the conclusion of Q3, my marketing campaign will provide 4500 quality sales leads for the sales team.
Because they are built on the presumption that the objectives will be beneficial, SMART goals are more suited for steady-state conditions than for changing scenarios. You can't rely on SMART objectives when seeking goals that strike individuals square in the stomach and reach the elephant.
A significant study of business change initiatives conducted in the 1980s found that more emotive objectives, such as the desire to improve customer service or create more useful goods, were more effective at inspiring successful change than financial ones. Effective vision statements articulate ideals that help workers relate to the company.
Postcards with your destination have a dual purpose: they inform the rider of where you're going and convince the elephant that the trip is worthwhile.
A strong behavioural script must be used in association with the tour destination postcard. That is a prescription for achievement.
Don't worry too much about the centre while you are just starting, since it will look different when you reach there. Find a powerful beginning and finish, then just start going.
A game plan to appeal to the rider:
1. Follow the shining spots. You will undoubtedly discover certain items that are performing better than others when you assess the issue. Don't dwell too much on your mistakes. Investigate and replicate the successes instead.
2. Give the rider clear instructions, including a start and an end. Send him a postcard with a destination ("You'll be in third grade soon!") and outline his pivotal actions clearly ("Buy 1% milk").
Part 2
Motivate the elephant
* Look for the emotion
* Reduce the change.
* Grow your workforce.
Chapter 4 - Find the feeling
Changing people's behaviours is always at the heart of the problem, and highly effective scenarios often include appealing to people's sentiments to influence conduct. People discover methods to assist others in seeing the issues or solutions in ways that affect emotions, not just thinking, in highly effective change initiatives.
The sequence of change in almost all effective change attempts is seeing-feeling-change rather than analyze-think-change. Evidence is given to you that evokes a feeling in you.
People are hesitant to change successful prior practices, which makes change difficult. To persuade people that a disaster is imminent and that they have no option but to go, we may need to fabricate a crisis.
Chapter 5 - Shrink the change
People believe that being around halfway through a longer trip is more motivating than being at the beginning of a shorter one.
Making individuals feel as if they are already closer to the finish line than they may have expected is one method to inspire action.
The elephant in us is easily disheartened, so a feeling of progress is essential.
You had the best start searching for the first two stamps to place on your teams' cards if you are heading a change initiative. Attempt to remind them of what has previously been accomplished rather than concentrating entirely on the novel and distinctive aspects of the impending shift.
Shrink the change is what you need to do to get an elephant to move.
The elephant hat is acting without expecting a reward right now. You need to tell the elephant that the work won't be too difficult to encourage it to move.
One way of shrinking the changes is to limit the input you are asking for, such as only 15 minutes of exercise or only one topic a day. Another method is to think in terms of small wins or milestones that are within the reach.
Early triumphs are created by the engineering of hope. The pursuit of change requires hope. Once someone is on the right track and moving forward, it's critical to show off their accomplishments.
UCLA coach John Wooden: “When you improve little every day, eventually big things occur. Don't look for a quick, big improvement. Seek small improvement one day at a time. That is the only way it happens – and when it happens, it last”
Psychologist Karl Weick: “A small win reduces importance (this is no big deal), reduces demands (that is all that needs to be done) and raises perceived skill levels (I can do at least that). All three of these factors will tend to make change easier and more self-sustaining.”
You need to select small wins that have at least these 2 traits:
1. They are meaningful.
2. They could be reached immediately or pretty soon.
Big changes come from a series of small changes. It's alright if the first few changes seem trivial or not big enough to change. The challenge is to get the elephant moving, even if the movement is slow at first.
Chapter 6 - Grow your people
People often use either the identity model or the consequences model when making decisions, which are the two most common models of decision-making.
The Consequences Model argues that when we have to make a decision, we assess the advantages and disadvantages of our alternatives and choose the one that will give us the most pleasure.
The Identity Model: According to the identity model of decision-making, whenever we have a choice to make, we ask ourselves three questions:
1. Who am I?
2. What kind of situation is this?
3. What would anyone like me do in this situation?
We are not born with an identity; we develop identities throughout our lives. The challenge then becomes: How can you change such that it is a matter of identity rather than consequences?
People are open to creating new identities, and identities expand with time. You'll want to continue behaving like a concerned citizen once you begin to view yourself that way.
The elephant despises losing. When an elephant confronts a long, difficult journey, how do you keep it motivated? You must instil the notion that failure is inevitable—not a failure of the purpose per se, but failure along the way.
People who adopt a growth mindset—those who push themselves, take chances, accept criticism, and look at the big picture—can't help but advance in their lives and jobs.
Business people think in two stages: You make a plan and then carry it out. There isn't a practice or learning phase in the middle. However, you must behave more like a coach and less like a scorekeeper to bring about and maintain the shift.
Three steps forward and two steps back is often the pattern of true progress, the type that sticks. If failure is a need for change, then how individuals conceptualise failure is crucial.
The paradox of the growth mindset: The development attitude is unwaveringly hopeful even if it seems to highlight failure and motivate us to seek it out. We will face challenges, make mistakes, and experience setbacks, but despite it all, we will improve and ultimately succeed. “
Only when falling is seen as a learning opportunity rather than a failure will people persevere.
Changing expectations: If a student submits work that's below standard the teacher might say 'NOT YET'. The student develops the mentality that "my instructor believes I can perform better" as a result.
The elephant needs an incentive, and the rider needs guidance. Feelings are what inspire change; information alone does not enough. However, confidence also contributes to motivation. The elephant must have confidence in its ability to adapt to change. Additionally, there are two ways to increase someone's self-assurance so they feel strong compared to their difficulty. You have the option to either grow your people or reduce the change or both.
Part 3 - Shape the path
• Modify the surroundings
• Create habits
• Gather the flock
• Continue to use the switch
Chapter 7 - Modify the surroundings
What might look like a personal problem is often a conditional problem.
Stanford psychologist Lee Ross: Individuals consistently have a propensity to neglect the environmental factors that influence how other people behave. He referred to this rooted behaviour as the "Fundamental Attribution Error."
Fundamental Attribution Error: The mistake is in our tendency to blame people's actions on who they are rather than what circumstances they are in.
You may give people a clear direction (rider) or increase their drive and resolve if you want them to change (elephant). Alternatively, you might just make the trip simpler. You may direct their direction by creating a steep downhill slope and giving them a nudge. You may alter your behaviour by altering your course.
Making the appropriate conduct somewhat easier and the inappropriate behaviour slightly harder is the goal of environment modification.
Changing the surroundings may frequently solve what seems to be a character issue. Dramatic behavioural changes might result from little adjustments to the route.
Chapter 8 - Build habits
People are extremely sensitive to their surroundings and culture, as well as the norms and expectations of the communities in which they live. The behaviour is contagious because we instinctively try to fit in with our peer group.
Our environment influences us in subtle ways, one of which is by reinforcing our habits. Habits are significant because they function as behavioural autopilot. They permit a great deal of good behaviour to occur without the rider taking command. The rider's self-control is finite, so having some positive things happen "free" on autopilot is a huge plus.
Action triggers:
•Improves action motivation.
•Action triggers will not force you to do something you don't want to do. The benefit of action triggers is that we are preloading a decision.
•We preserve the rider's self-control by preloading the decision.
When people pre-decide, they give control of their surroundings to the environment.
•Action triggers shield goals from appealing distractions, bad habits, or competing objectives.
•The action trigger must be specific and visible enough to disrupt people's normal state of mind.
•Action triggers establish immediate habits - behavioural autopilot.
•A study of 8155 participants discovered that the average person who set an action trigger performed better than 74% of people on the same task who did not set one.
How can you create a habit that supports the change you are trying to make? There are only two things to think about:
1. The habit must help the mission.
2. The habit should be relatively simple to adopt.
A good change leader never wonders, "Why are these people behaving so badly?" They must be evil people." A change leader considers, "How can I create an environment that brings out the best in these people?" ”
Chapter 9 - Gather the flock
We all look to others for cues on how to behave in ambiguous situations.
You do things because you see others doing them.
If you want to change things, you must pay attention to social signals, which can either guarantee or derail a change effort. When you lead an elephant down an unfamiliar path, it is likely to follow the herd. The elephant is constantly looking to the herd for cues on how to act.
Publicize instances where your herd has adopted appropriate behaviour. For example, if 80% of your team submits timesheets on time, make sure the remaining 20% is aware of the group norm. Those people will almost certainly correct themselves.
You want some people to improve their behaviour, yet they are reluctant to change. As a result, you mobilise the support of others, who in turn may influence the people you seek to persuade. It is, in essence, an attempt to change the culture, and culture is frequently the crux of effective organisational transformation.
Small-scale gatherings where reformers might convene and prepare for collective action without being noticed by members of the ruling group. Free areas are frequently crucial in enabling societal transformation.
If you want to change the culture of your company, you must gather the reformers. They require open space. They need time to plan outside of the eyes of the resisters. For some time there should be an 'us versus them' struggle. It's not usually desirable but important.
Chapter 10 - Keep the switch going
A long journey begins with one step, but one step does not ensure a long journey. How can you keep them coming?
The first step is to acknowledge and appreciate the first step. Something you did was effective. You've led the rider, inspired the elephant, and sculpted the road, and your squad is on the move. When you notice movement, you must encourage it.
Reinforcement is the key to progressing from the first steps of a long journey to the second, third, and hundredth. However, most of us are horrible reinforcers. We must seek and praise bright spots, no matter how little.
Riders are prone to focusing on the bad. Problems are easy to identify; progress is more difficult - but more valuable.
Reinforcement necessitates a clear vision of the objective, as well as the ability to reinforce bright-spot actions when they occur.
Change is a process, not an event.
Mere exposure effect: indicates that the more you come into contact with something, the more you enjoy it. This idea ensures that a change attempt that initially appears undesirable and unfamiliar will gradually gain popularity as people become accustomed to it. Cognitive dissonance also works to your advantage. People dislike acting one way and thinking another. So, now that a modest step has been taken and individuals have begun to act in a new manner, it will be increasingly difficult for them to resent how they are acting. People will begin to think of themselves differently as they begin to act differently, and as their identity changes, it will support the new way of doing things.
When change is effective, it tends to follow a pattern. People who change have a clear goal, plenty of drive, and a supportive environment. When the transformation is successful, it is because the rider, the elephant, and the way are all in sync.