Accurate diagnosis of problems is crucial before attempting change to avoid worsening issues.
Motivating change requires painting a clear picture of benefits and appealing to existing values.
Deep dives
The Importance of Understanding the Root Cause of Problems Before Implementing Change
In a hospital facing patient dissatisfaction, surgeons proposed to improve customer service by training staff to smile more based on examples from Disney and Ritz Carlton. However, the real issues were related to poor quality of care and long wait times, not staff attitudes. This highlights the importance of diagnosing problems accurately before trying to solve them to prevent endangering patient health.
Motivating Change Through Understanding the Psychology of Change Resistance
Dan Heath's book 'Switch' emphasizes that change doesn't need to be difficult. Understanding why people resist change and finding nuances in cases where individuals want change but struggle highlights the need for motivation. Motivating change involves painting a vivid picture of why change is needed and appealing to individuals' existing values and identities to overcome resistance and drive successful change.
Making Change Manageable Through Small Wins and Shrinking the Change
Shrinking the change involves making it easy for people to find small wins, like the 'Five Minute Room Rescue', which breaks down daunting tasks into manageable actions. By focusing on small, tangible steps and appealing to individuals' sense of progress and achievement, it becomes easier for people to embrace change. Making change manageable and highlighting incremental progress can prevent change fatigue and foster a culture of continuous improvement.
Empowering Individuals to Drive Change Through Unleashing Potential and Identifying Bright Spots
Encouraging employees to tap into their strengths and existing capabilities enables them to contribute positively to change efforts. Identifying 'bright spots' where individuals or teams are already excelling can provide insights for scaling successful practices within an organization. A culture that empowers individuals to innovate and make a difference can lead to transformative change and foster a more engaging and human-centered work environment.
It’s hard to make change at work happen. But wherever you sit in the hierarchy, there are steps you can take to overcome resistance and motivate people to embrace new ideas. In this episode, Adam brings in an education change agent, a business turnaround specialist, and a bestselling author to identify what you can do to improve the status quo. For the full text transcript, visit go.ted.com/WL49
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