There are change models aplenty – many taking their cue either from the Kotter school or from the field of psychology that considers the emotional aspects of change. These models are generally painstakingly researched, and have interesting case studies to back them up. But critics argue that they can be overly complicated and don’t necessarily fit the more every day changes in a workplace, the culmination of which generally helps to define the culture of that workplace.
An example – an Ops Manager recently challenged the Kotter type approach saying that “but it doesn’t really work if you just want to introduce a new brand of handwash in the bathrooms, does it?”.
The model advocated in Switch – How to change things when change is hard, by Chip and Dan Heath (2010) simplifies much of this and really does work for everything from introducing new handwash to significant and life altering changes. Based on the work by Jonathan Haidt in his work The Happiness Hypothesis, they use the analogy of the elephant and its rider.
Put simply – they ask:
- Have you considered the rational / intellectual arguments? – Direct the Rider
- Have you considered the emotional arguments? – Motivate the Elephant
- Have you cleared the path? – Shape the Path
It’s simple, but try applying it against any number of changes you’re considering and you’ll find it works.
What do you think? Would this work in your workplace, or more generally in your life?
