Switch: How to change things when change is hard
by Chip and Dan Heath
The subtitle of this book "How to change things when change is hard" summarises its content. It is about creating shifts in behaviour.
Throughout the book, the authors employ a metaphor of an elephant rider trying to get the animal to go down the route of his choice. It is too big and powerful to be forced to act against its will, so the job of the rider is to make the desirable route clear, and then to motivate the elephant to want to go that way.
The rider represents rational thought, which alone is not regarded as sufficient to create change. The authors suggest that there has to be an a emotional attachment to the benefits of doing something differently before people amend their behaviour. By associating positive feelings with new outcomes, commitment to achieving them increases. The new outcome has to be clear and intellectually desirable (a "compelling destination"), but that on its own is not enough. New behaviour has to make people feel differently in order to stick.
The authors suggest that the conventional change sequence of "Analyse - Think - Change" should be replaced by a more emotionally charged protocol: "See - Feel - Change"
Other mechanisms make change more likely. The concept of already having embarked on the journey appears to assist. Loyalty card holders whose cards come with two initial stamps are more likely to achieve another six than those who have a smaller, but blank card. By an astonishing margin. Engineering small, early successes stimulate the feeling of hope which encourages persistence with new behaviour.
Interestingly, providing a range of possible changes makes change of any sort less likely. Faced with bewildering possibilities, people are more likely to continue the way they are. The authors suggest that it is therefore necessary to make the first step towards change a small and very prescriptive one. Not "exercise more", but find the phone number of the gym by tomorrow.
Does this material have practical value? Most people in education are, in varying ways, trying to shape the behaviour of others to adopt more effective practices. This book provides an interesting understanding of the science that underlies this process, and some surprising suggestions for making this effective. It will change the way the reader thinks - about change!