Switch: How to Change Things When Change Is Hard

by Chip Heath

Second, you should build good habits. Recall the idea of action triggers—visualizing when and where you are going to do something important.

Have members of your team rehearsed how they’ll react when they meet resistance from your organization’s “old guard”?

Finally, you should rally the herd. At Alpha, the leaders helped the reformers find one another, and the reformers began to create a language—as we saw in the examples of the designated driver and Fataki—that allowed them to talk about their values with others.

Almost all of us would have put our money on Beta. Not many of us, when confronted with that data, would have immediately thought, Yes, but what about the situational forces?

If the right Path can turn a jerk into a saint, then the right Path can also turn a change enemy into an ally.

The first thing to do is recognize and celebrate that first step. Something you’ve done has worked. You’ve directed the Rider, you’ve motivated the Elephant, you’ve shaped the Path—and now your team is moving, or you’re moving. When you spot movement, you’ve got to reinforce it.

We can say this much with confidence: When change works, it tends to follow a pattern. The people who change have clear direction, ample motivation, and a supportive environment. In other words, when change works, it’s because the Rider, the Elephant, and the Path are all aligned in support of the switch.