Switch: How to Change Things When Change Is Hard

by Chip Heath

If you are a manager, ask yourself: “What is the ratio of the time I spend solving problems to the time I spend scaling successes?” We need to switch from archaeological problem solving to bright-spot evangelizing.

An alcoholic goes an hour without a drink. Three sales reps out of fifty sell like crazy. A few Vietnamese mothers, with no more money than any others, manage to raise healthy kids. These flashes of success—these bright spots—can illuminate the road map for action and spark the hope that change is possible.

Behavior is contagious.

Obesity is contagious. A groundbreaking study led by Dr. Nicholas Christakis of Harvard Medical School, which followed 12,067 people for thirty-two years, found that when someone became obese, the odds of that person’s close mutual friends becoming obese tripled! Remarkably, proximity didn’t seem to matter. Obesity seemed to “spread” between friends even when they were in different parts of the country.

In situations where your herd has embraced the right behavior, publicize it. For instance, if 80 percent of your team submits time sheets on time, make sure the other 20 percent knows the group norm. Those individuals almost certainly will correct themselves.