Switch: How to Change Things When Change Is Hard

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Switch: How to Change Things When Change Is Hard

4.04 of 5 stars 4.04 · rating details · 9,769 ratings · 1,080 reviews

Why is change so difficult and frightening? How do you create change when you have few resources and no title or authority to back you up? Chip and Dan Heath, the best-selling authors of Made to Stick, are back with a ground-breaking book that addresses one of the greatest challenges of our personal and professional lives — how to change things when change is hard.

In their...more Why is change so difficult and frightening? How do you create change when you have few resources and no title or authority to back you up? Chip and Dan Heath, the best-selling authors of Made to Stick, are back with a ground-breaking book that addresses one of the greatest challenges of our personal and professional lives — how to change things when change is hard.

In their follow-up book to the critically acclaimed international bestseller Made to Stick, Chip and Dan Heath talk about how difficult change is in our companies, our careers, and our lives, why change is so hard, and how we can overcome our resistance and make change happen. The Heaths liken the human mind to two distinct entities — the animal mind, or what psychologist Jonathan Haidt calls the elephant, and the logical brain, which Haidt describes as the rider. The elephant is instinctive; it acts on emotion. It likes gorging on Oreos and sleeping in. And it loves routines — doing things the same old way, every day.

The rider is the planner and thinker. The rider obsesses about the future. He or she wants to stop eating junk food and stop hitting the snooze button. But it’s hard, because when the rider and elephant disagree on where to go, the rider usually loses. And that describes the essential tension between our primitive emotional brain and our high intellect, and helps to explain why changing how we behave is so difficult. The secret to making a switch is understanding this odd couple relationship. Direct the Rider. Motivate the Elephant. Shape the Path.

Throughout Switch, Chip and Dan Heath illustrate and explain situations in which sweeping change was adopted, from a university researcher who ended the cycle of child abuse in a group of families, to an entrepreneur who turned his skeptical employees into customer service zealots and saved his company.

In the tradition of Made to Stick, Blink, and Outliers, Switch is filled with engaging and entertaining stories of how companies and individuals have brought about and sustained significant change. An indispensable guide to making change happen, it is certain to become a classic.(less)

Hardcover, 320 pages

Published February 16th 2010 by Crown Business (first published 2010)

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Dec 27, 2010 Bob Hayden rated it 5 of 5 stars

Switch is a compelling, story-driven narrative the Heaths use to bring together decades of counterintuitive research in psychology, sociology, and other fields to shed new light on how we can engage our emotions and reason to create real change. Books like this (Emotional Intelligence 2.0 is another great one) provide practical "how-tos" that add so much value for me. It has a test that tells you how good you are at keeping The Rider in control.

Switch is arranged around an analogy that illustra...more

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Nov 22, 2010 Kerrilee rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2010, jcw

I'll be interested to see if this book is still relevant in 10 years, as the influence of books like this often come and go. In the meantime, though, my brain just won't stop incorporating elements from it into how I'm thinking about current events in my life.
I was already inclined to believe the validity of the structure that the Heaths outline because I've practiced some of it already without using the same words--most especially Shaping the Path, as I give a lot of thought to the environment...more

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Aug 11, 2012 Reid rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2012

I understand the perspective of the haters: this book is broad and over-simplifies a really complex topic. I understand, haters, but I don't agree. I love the Heaths' writing precisely because they keep things simple. Their premise that inspiring change requires you to speak to both the brain's logical, rational side as well as its emotional side isn't headline news, but they present it using a simple metaphor (Rider, Elephant, and Path) that makes it easy to grasp and (more important) easy to r...more

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Apr 24, 2013 Shauna rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: eureka-2012

I read this because I had to choose one title from an initially daunting list of "leadership"-related titles in preparation for an institute I attended recently. Otherwise, I never would have picked it up (I never read inspirational/leadership-type nonfiction). From here, I'll just quote verbatim the review I gave of this to the other attendees:
"Switch"...is all about how to make a change. Big, little, personal, institutional, societal…any kind of change in any context can be understood by the o...more I read this because I had to choose one title from an initially daunting list of "leadership"-related titles in preparation for an institute I attended recently. Otherwise, I never would have picked it up (I never read inspirational/leadership-type nonfiction). From here, I'll just quote verbatim the review I gave of this to the other attendees:
"Switch"...is all about how to make a change. Big, little, personal, institutional, societal…any kind of change in any context can be understood by the overarching metaphor the Heath brothers use: a Rider (reason/analytical appeal) on an Elephant (feeling/emotion), traveling a Path (the situation/environment/direction the change must go). The three elements of the metaphor form the structure of the book, and the authors richly illustrate each element and its sub-parts by using real-life examples, ranging from hospitals and schools, to Target and Brasilata (a very large can-manufacturing company in Brazil). You meet a teacher who inspired a class of 1st graders, almost all of whom could barely read or didn’t even know the alphabet, to perform at 3rd-grade levels by year’s end. You meet a Save the Children worker sent to open the first office in Vietnam (with next to no resources of any kind, and no support from the Vietnamese government), who in six months reached 2.2 million people in 265 villages, dramatically reducing childhood malnutrition. The Heaths also cite volumes of published research, using those experiments to vet their statements at each step. There are several side-bar “case studies” which are also drawn from real situations needing change, where you are offered the chance to think about what you might do to make the “switch,” and walk you through the change step by step.
The three elements of making a switch: Direct the Rider, Motivate the Elephant, and Shape the Path, are further described and faceted into steps. It’s a clear primer for making a change.
I found "Switch" very readable and thought-provoking. It serves as an excellent manual on leadership from any level in an organization or environment, and on how to create and foster innovation with very few resources. It got me thinking creatively about changes coming (or changes not coming, but needed!) in my own organization and my personal life. My sole quibble with the book is that I found it had a few too many humorous “asides,” which can work (Mary Roach’s books are nothing but well-researched humorous asides, and I enjoy them immensely), but the Heaths’ I found fell a little flat and momentarily distracting. I do highly recommend this book.(less)

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Feb 06, 2012 Stephen rated it 4 of 5 stars

This is an excellent book on how to enact change and the mechanics behind that. I strongly recommend this book to anyone who wants to change something in their personal life or within their working environment.

I was able to get a good understanding of the interplay and motivation of the two competing brain types which Chip coined the Rider ( Rational ) and the Elephant ( Emotional ). He then breaks it down to these sections.

Direct the Rider
- Follow the bright spots
- Script the Critical Moves
-...more

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May 12, 2010 Taka rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2-nonfiction-you-must-read, japan_jul07-aug10, self-help, social-science

Another must read from the Heath Brothers-

This is another invaluable book packed with extremely useful information. True to the theme of their earlier book, they help make all the concepts stick by hammering them in over and over: Direct the Rider, Motivate the Elephant, and Shape the Path.

For any change to occur, you must have a good reason, a good motivation, and a good environment. The rider is the rational side of you, the elephant, your emotional side, and the path, your environment.

To dire...more

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Apr 23, 2013 Jorge rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: business, social-science

Switch: How to Change Things When Change Is Hard by Chip Heath, Dan Heath

“Switch" is the fascinating book about change. This is a book to help you change things at the individual, organizational, and societal level. The Heath brothers, Chip and Dan make use of recent psychological case studies and an engaging writing style that not only entertains but provide readers with interesting insights into the psychology of change. This intriguing 320-page book is broken out by the following three secti...more

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Apr 09, 2013 Easy Projects rated it 5 of 5 stars

Last week, I was looking for a book to listen to (yes I said listen to, because of my schedule, the only time I have to “read” books is when I’m driving to and from work. Thanks Audible!), and my CEO recommended a book called “Switch: How to Change Things When Change is Hard” by Chip and Dan Heath. At first, the title didn’t resonate with me much; it sounded like one of those fluffy “yes you can do it, just believe in it” type of books that were solely based on believing in yourself. Now, I’m no...more

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Apr 02, 2013 Jake Adams rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

My calculus teacher Will Haase gave me this book after a long talk we had regarding my externship project. I had expressed to him that I wanted to do a project that came back to the essential question: What is leadership, and how does one become a leader.
I feel this book by Chip and Dan Heath was a crucial part of my inquiry into leadership because the books essential question is: How to change things when change is hard.

This book was incredible! It is a series of stories, testimonials, and soci...more

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Oct 27, 2012 Taras rated it 5 of 5 stars

For work I have to spend a lot of time convincing people to do things differently. A friend suggested that this book might be relevant.
The book is a series of case studies of how to establish change in behaviors, culture, etc. Some case studies are impressive, some are exaggerated and others are downright creepy(ie using television/radio to introduce new habits, priming people to make it easier to make silly decisions).
One particular case study was amusing similar to my quest to reduce review t...more

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Oct 25, 2012 Annie rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: misc

Switch, a well-researched self-help book, is about the process of making changes. The authors, who are brothers, posit changes are so difficult to make, because two parts of our mind can stand in the way of changing. One is our rational mind, the Rider, who is directing the emotional component of our mind, The Elephant, down a path.
Chip and Dan Health’s solution is to “Direct The Rider, Motivate the Elephant and Shape the Path.” Presto-change! They delve into each subtopic further, offering thr...more

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Oct 11, 2012 Jennifer rated it 4 of 5 stars

After reading this book, I have been able to understand so much more clearly why I am who and where I am. The simple concept that logic and emotion are constantly fighting to make the decision gave me a whole new outlook on my thoughts and actions. I can now stop and ask what is in control and adjust if my emotions are taking me places I don't want to be. It was really encouraging to see the stories of people who have fought against emotion to satisfy logic, even when not at all socially accepte...more

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Aug 30, 2012 Whitney rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: teaching

Read this on a friend's recommendation, and I'm glad I did. The concept behind the book was effectively presented through the Rider/Elephant metaphor. They also used a lot of clever, memorable terms like "TBU" (true but useless), or "bright spots", etc.

The ideas made a lot of sense to me and I felt like I could make a lot of connections to things I've seen or experiences I've had. Most notably, my experiences implementing new ideas and conducting professional development with fellow teachers. I...more

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Aug 22, 2012 Jason Cox rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: nonfiction, self-help

This is an excellent book for anyone looking to shape some change into your organization or even your own life. A lot of people have difficulty with change and this book is an excellent resource for both learning about why we are resistant to change and how to make it easier and more successful.

Chip & Dan Heath look at the problem of "Change" and use an excellent analogy of an elephant and its rider to describe the emotional and logical components that fuel our actions and can effect directi...more This is an excellent book for anyone looking to shape some change into your organization or even your own life. A lot of people have difficulty with change and this book is an excellent resource for both learning about why we are resistant to change and how to make it easier and more successful.

Chip & Dan Heath look at the problem of "Change" and use an excellent analogy of an elephant and its rider to describe the emotional and logical components that fuel our actions and can effect direction change in our life. Sometimes change is hard because we can't see the logical benefit of the change. Often times, however, we are battling the emotional elephant that is resistant to change for deeper reasons that we may not even be aware. When you understand that analogy, you can start looking at problems and the need to change in another way and find solutions to tackling the problem that engage "the rider" or "the elephant" or, preferably, both to make the change happen and make it stick.

Throughout the book, the authors use colorful real-life stories to illustrate problems and how they have been overcome. They break down techniques directed at directing "the rider" and motivating "the elephant" in ways that I thought were thought-provoking, interesting, and very applicable to life and business. Change isn't just about getting other people to do what needs to be done, often it is about getting yourself to do it, too.

Finally, they talk about changing the environment to make the change either easier to happen, or more likely to stick. This is more broad-based thinking, but still is illustrative of how we often need to "look outside the box" at the problems behind the problem that keep our best efforts from succeeding.

I'm giving this book 4/5 stars because it's really a great read. The 5th star is taken simply because a lot of these ideas aren't new and if you've done a significant amount of reading in this genre, you've probably read much of this before. But, I give the authors full credit for putting those ideas together with a super-functional analogy that makes it memorable, and using modern references that most Americans will recognize and identify.(less)

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Aug 12, 2012 Sabe Jones rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: managers, self-improvers

Recommended to Sabe by: coworker

Shelves: nonfiction

Most of the time, when I read a book on leadership or personal growth that has a business focus or context, the thing is so loaded with buzzwords and condescending parable nonsense that it's next to unreadable. This is not one of those books.

Switch takes a set of well-known but often forgotten principles of human psychology and uses them to build a strategy for getting people to change their patterns of behavior. It's a bit about management, a bit about persuasion, and all insightful. The wide a...more

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Aug 08, 2012 Loy Machedo rated it 5 of 5 stars

Loy Machedo’s Book Review – Switch by Chip Heath & Dan Heath

How many of you want to change:
Your food habits?
Your lifestyle?
Your destructive behaviors?
An addiction?

Well, if that is the case, then you must read the book Switch.

Chip & Dan (sounds more like the Disney’s characters Chip & Dale – remember?) have brilliantly outlined in a very easy to understand and provocative manner, their theory on what would work, why it would work and also provided compelling examples to show you insta...more

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Jul 26, 2012 Carrie rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

“Switch” is a nonfiction book in which the Heath brothers lay out, step by step, the way to implement successful change in your personal life, your home, your workplace, your church, your community, or your society. The book is 10% “advice” and 90% real life stories/situations that exemplify the steps of the process. The Heath brothers believe that there are three elements that impact each and every change effort – the Rider (the rational side – the analyzing, planning, long-term side), the Elep...more “Switch” is a nonfiction book in which the Heath brothers lay out, step by step, the way to implement successful change in your personal life, your home, your workplace, your church, your community, or your society. The book is 10% “advice” and 90% real life stories/situations that exemplify the steps of the process. The Heath brothers believe that there are three elements that impact each and every change effort – the Rider (the rational side – the analyzing, planning, long-term side), the Elephant (the emotional side – the feeling, motivating, moving side), and the Path (the environment in which the change is occurring). In order to be successful, you have to direct the Rider, motivate the Elephant, and shape the Path. The Heath brothers go on to give many, specific ways in which to accomplish those three goals.

As I said, “Switch” is nonfiction, and I typically give nonfiction a wide berth. You might get me to read a memoir or biography or teaching book, but other than that, I’m not a nonfiction fan. However, this book might convince me to be a little more open-minded about this genre. I LOVED the fact that this book was chock full of real life stories. And I loved that the stories were about businesses, governments, schools, parents, researchers, psychologists, hospitals, individuals… no one who reads this book can walk away saying, “This framework can’t work for me. This doesn’t apply to what I want to change.” The authors make it clear through their wide variety of examples that what they are proposing works for anyone, anywhere, any time, wanting to make any kind of change.

I also loved this book because now I am so inspired to work for change at my school. I don’t know that I am smart enough, on my own, to take this framework and apply it to the various change situations necessary, but I do believe that this process can work and that my school can change. I definitely plan to recommend this book to several people at work – hopefully they will find it as enlightening and inspiring as I do. “Switch” is a book that I loved the first time around, and a book I plan to re-read again in the future. It is SO motivational and empowering!!! A MUST-READ for any person desiring to implement change!(less)

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Jun 06, 2012 Jacob Catalano rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

“Switch: How to Change Things When Change is Hard” The Change Catalyst You Have been Looking For

Switch by Dan and Chip Heath is a book that provides a simple, easy to follow framework for anyone at the forefront of a change initiative. The book provides many high quality anecdotes, some real, and some hypothetical, in which their change framework could be applied. However, since the book is all about change, it may have the misfortune to be categorized as a “self-help” book, traditionally a very...more “Switch: How to Change Things When Change is Hard” The Change Catalyst You Have been Looking For

Switch by Dan and Chip Heath is a book that provides a simple, easy to follow framework for anyone at the forefront of a change initiative. The book provides many high quality anecdotes, some real, and some hypothetical, in which their change framework could be applied. However, since the book is all about change, it may have the misfortune to be categorized as a “self-help” book, traditionally a very weak genre. I urge you to not view Switch as a self-help book, but rather a book that will give you the ability to create any kind of change. It could be a change initiative as severe as helping your brother who has an extreme gambling issue, as tedious as trying to get the senior management at your company realize the mistakes do they are making, or as rudimentary as trying to get your child to work harder in school; these are all changes that Switch can help achieve.
I would recommend this book for any individual with the courage or motivation to create change. Moreover, Dan and Chip use language that is very understandable and straight forward, which affords all readers with the opportunity to extract the brilliant insights Switch has to offer. And once you do read Switch, I assure you, you will not be let down. The book lives up to its bold title; Switch: How to Change Things When Change is Hard.
The majority of the book is written as an extended metaphor: Dan and Chip ask you to envision a person riding an elephant. The person represents the logical, rational side of human thought process; the elephant represents the emotional side of people. The final part of the metaphor is the shape of the path both the rider and elephant are on; you are going to want that path to be shaped into the easiest route possible. This metaphor paints a vivid and effective picture for the reader. As one can imagine and as Dan and Chip explain, no matter how much the rider tugs on the rains of the elephant, the elephant is ultimately going to go wherever it likes. Therefore, many courses of actions must be taken to get the rider and the elephant traveling in the same direction. It is these courses of action which Dan and Chip thoroughly explain that fills the 320 pages of Switch. They outline nine main courses of action which should be taken that will allow for change to occur. For each action, they thoroughly explain the rationale behind why it would be effective, and then supplement it with many real life examples of its effectiveness.
It is through these tremendous stories and rational that Dan and Chip’s outstanding research ability and intellect is shown. Every story seems as if it was tailor made for book. Furthermore, they are all memorable. It is evident that they have applied their framework from their last book; Made to Stick, which was all about making things memorable. For me, this just adds to their credibility.
If you have any doubt as to whether or not you should purchase this book, do yourself a favor and just buy it. It empowers you to make educated decisions when you trying to change anything and all the while, it’s a fascinating book filled with incredible content. Buy the book.
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Jun 01, 2012 Lynda Felder rated it 5 of 5 stars

Switch
By Chip and Dan Heath

I read this book because I’m eager to make some important changes in my own behavior and to be the change I want to see in the world. It’s an easy read, with loads of practical suggestions to promote change. It also answers a big question. Why is it that we know certain behaviors are completely destructive, yet we do not stop them? Doctors surely know that smoking and obesity are likely to lead to early death, yet still there are plenty of fat doctors who chain smoke....more Switch
By Chip and Dan Heath

I read this book because I’m eager to make some important changes in my own behavior and to be the change I want to see in the world. It’s an easy read, with loads of practical suggestions to promote change. It also answers a big question. Why is it that we know certain behaviors are completely destructive, yet we do not stop them? Doctors surely know that smoking and obesity are likely to lead to early death, yet still there are plenty of fat doctors who chain smoke. The Heath brothers explain that it’s not an information gap that keeps us stuck in our ways, failing to change.

Right off in Chapter 1 we learn why we resist change. It’s because the heart and the mind often fervently disagree. We are offered an explanation first hypothesized by psychologist Jonathan Haidt in his book, The Happiness Hypothesis. Our emotional side, Haidt says, is like an elephant. Our rational side is the rider of the elephant. Whenever the rider and the elephant disagree on a direction, the elephant wins. The Heath brothers then continue, chapter by chapter, to offer solutions to win over the elephant, our emotional and instinctive side, and make sure both rider and elephant travel in the right direction. It’s not always an easy battle, and often what looks like laziness or indecisiveness or extreme resistance is something else entirely, like exhaustion or a bad situation.

You may not relate to all of the examples and case studies described in this rather wordy book. I wasn’t interested in all of the corporate scenarios, and so I skimmed them.

However, many of the studies are fun to read. In the first part of the book, a popcorn study describes movie goers who ate vast amounts of stale popcorn even thought it was wretched; it was five days old and squeaked when chewed. Some received moderate portions of popcorn, and others were given an enormous bucket. Those who got bigger buckets couldn’t possibly eat the entire amount, yet they consistently ate more than those who got smaller portions. (You can read more about this in Mindless Eating, by Brian Wansink.)

Another scenario in the chapter “Shrink the Change” describes a study of hotel maids who did not recognize that cleaning rooms was exercise. One group of maids was told that, in terms of exercise, they were superstars. This group was given statistics about how many calories they burned for various cleaning activities. The other group wasn’t given any statistics, nor told that their work involved exercise. Four weeks, later, the group that had learned that they were exercise superstars had lost an average of nearly two pounds. The other group of maids hadn’t lost any weight.

By the time you finish Switch, you’ll have been exposed to a number of methods that can help you to make keep the rider and the elephant headed for a better life. I suggest that you read this book and become the change that you want to see in the world.
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May 05, 2012 Adam Wiggins rated it 3 of 5 stars

Drive change by motivating people's emotions; solve big problems by starting small; focus on amplifying what's working, not fixing what isn't; big change requires hands-on leadership; preload decisions; don't underestimate the power of identity in achieving (or blocking) change.

Some quotes:

- "When you're at the beginning, don't obsess about the middle, because the middle is going to look different once you get there. Just look for a strong beginning and a strong ending and get moving."

- "Analyti...more

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Mar 31, 2012 Paul rated it 4 of 5 stars

This book is about how to change things, and focuses on three straightforward aspects of change: analytical, emotional, and environmental. It's a bit buzzwordy (referring to "The Rider" who represents the analytical part of yourself, "The Elephant" which represents the emotional, and "The Path", which represents the environmental (as in, The Rider sits atop The Elephant and appears to control it on The Path)). Don't let the buzzwords scare you off - the concept is pretty solid, and worth conside...more

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Mar 09, 2012 Deb rated it 5 of 5 stars

*Flip the switch!*

Brilliant. Brilliant. Brilliant!

In the acknowledgment section of _Switch_, the author brother team of Chip and Dan Heath realize that "no thank-you would seem adequate for all that our family has done to support us, but we'll thank them anyway." Similarly, no review would be adequate for all that this book contributes to our understanding of human behavior and change, but I'll write this review anyway.

The authors use a wonderful metaphor for the three key forces that must be o...more

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Dec 27, 2011 Kerry rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: business, nonfiction, psychology

This is an excellent (and timely, considering all the New Year resolutions) book! If you want to save time, you can just read the first and last chapters, as those in the middle are just examples (case studies) to illustrate their points. Here is the cliff-note version:

The Three Surprising Truths about Change and What You Can Do about Them:

-- Direct the Rider (our analytical side): What looks like resistance is often a lack of clarity. Provide crystal-clear direction (instead of telling people t...more

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Oct 06, 2011 Kevin rated it 4 of 5 stars

I had already read their first book, Made to Stick, and their second book had generally favorable reviews, so I thought I'd give it a shot. Having read Made to Stick, Predictably Irrational, and the Malcolm Gladwell books, this book is a little bit of more of the same, but it has a bit different purpose. This book has many interesting anecdotes and stories about bringing about change, but also attempts to distill out the key elements, and tries to teach you how to apply those to challenges you f...more

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Sep 16, 2011 Angie rated it 5 of 5 stars

Switch: How to Change Things When Change Is Hard by Chip Heath and Dan Heath

I found this book to be a revelation. It’s smart and delivers on its promise. By the end of the book, I had a much clearer perspective on to make change. One of the reasons that I like this book so much is that it focuses on the systems in place – not the people. Too many books focuses on the people and start from the assumption that there is something wrong with them: they are lazy or they are dumb. These assumptions l...more

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Aug 24, 2011 Jerilyn Marler rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: personal-development

Purely by accident I read "Switch" immediately after reading Jonathan Haidt's "The Happiness Hypothesis." Chip Heath refers to Haidt's book and even borrows Haidt's metaphor of the Rider and Elephant to describe human behavior. It was like graduating with honors and then diving into an advanced class on the topic of change.

I read "Switch" on a cross-country flight. The only time I regret having an electronic reader is when all devices have to be off during take-off and landings. I was aching to...more

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Aug 04, 2011 Matt Kelley rated it 3 of 5 stars

This is a quick read and one that's sure to be very helpful to just about every reader -- the clear change strategies the Heaths discuss here can apply to both organizations and individuals and there are a few takeaways that I'll remember for a long time. I'm a big fan of 'Made to Stick,' and I look at stickiness as one the Heaths' specialties. They tell stories and give tips that you can remember and act upon. They also summarize piles of social science studies that end up proving great fodder...more

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Jul 13, 2011 Daniel Silvert rated it 3 of 5 stars

Authors Chip and Dan Heath offer a compelling persuasion formula that can be applied to a wide range of situations, from personal habit-breaking to complex societal issues.

In Switch, the Heath brothers employ a simple metaphor: the Rider and the Elephant, to illustrate the challenges inherent to encouraging people to change. The Rider is a person’s intellect, filled with ideas and plans, the Elephant represents an individual's emotional side and is powered by momentum either to resist or embrac...more

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Jul 12, 2011 Bookseller Cate rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I seem have a lot of books on change in my "to be read" pile. I'm hoping this is a sign that I'll soon be getting back into some good habits regarding writing, reading, housekeeping, etc.. The trip to San Francisco has resulted in a few setbacks, but also in a new determination.

It's interesting that the two books in the pile that I've managed to read so far are relatively similar in their approaches to change, but use very different terminology to explain the ideas. Switch has chosen to use the...more

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Jul 06, 2011 Samuel Lubell added it

Shelves: nonfiction

Switch: How to Change Things When Change is Hard by Chip Heath & Dan Heath. Nonfiction – business/self improvement. Library. Book Club 268 pages. Book that uses the metaphor of an elephant (the emotional brain) and the rider (the rational side) ad how to make change you need to appeal to both. The rational side tends to give in to the elephant’s cravings (which is why diets so often fail.) The book gives advice – Direct the rider (find bright spots rather than just problems find out where it...more

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About Chip Heath

Chip Heath is the professor of Organizational Behavior in the Graduate School of Business at Stanford University.
He received his B.S. degree in Industrial Engineering from Texas A&M University and his Ph.D. in Psychology from Stanford.

He co-wrote a book titled Switch: How to Change Things When Change Is Hard with his brother Dan Heath.

More about Chip Heath...

Books by Chip Heath

Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die

Decisive: How to Make Better Choices in Life and Work

Made to Stick (Epilogue): Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die

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title link	preview: Switch: How to Change Things When Change Is Hard
avg rating	preview: Switch: How to Change Things When Change Is Hard Goodreads rating: 4.04 (9769 ratings)
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BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6570502-switch?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1327696568l/6570502.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6570502-switch?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]Switch: How to Change Things When Change Is Hard by Chip Heath[/url]

Switch: How to Change Things When Change Is Hard

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