As I talk with clients about implementing changes in their organization, I consistently hear that “some people just don’t want to change!”  While it’s true that some people are absolutely set in their ways and are just plain stubborn, more often than not it’s a leadership issue.  One of the key lessons about change from Chip & Dan Heath, authors of Switch: How to Change Things when Change is Hard, is that what often looks like resistance is simply a lack of clarity.

Most of the time when we talk about change in an organization we’re talking about changing people’s behavior.  However, when we talk about change, how often do we really line out the ‘new’ behavior that we desire.  As an example, let’s use something that many of us need to change – our eating habits.  If I were to tell you to ‘eat healthier’, would you intuitively understand what that meant?  You’re probably nodding your head yes, and most of us do understand the fundamentals of eating healthier – but will that cause us to change our eating behavior?  Probably not.

What if, instead, I told you to eat at least 1 fruit or vegetable at each meal.  Would you be eating healthier?  Absolutely.  Would this instruction be more likely to change your behavior?  According to Chip & Dan Heath, it absolutely would.  The clarity that comes from scripting the critical moves and identifying a clear path to the desired behavior can often eliminate resistance to change.

In the business world, over 90% of companies, both successful and unsuccessful, set goals.  However, studies indicate that the goals set by unsuccessful companies are typically vague, such as ‘improve inventory turns’ or ‘reduce expenses’, which have the same result as saying ‘eat healthier’.  The really successful companies set specific goals around behavior, such as ‘make 3 contacts per week’ or ‘meet to discuss excess inventory once per week’.  In other words, they’re telling their people to ‘eat at least 1 fruit or vegetable at each meal’.

This scripting of the behavior that you want is critical to your change efforts, especially in the early stages.  As you contemplate change in your organization, spend a little more time identifying the specific behaviors you’re trying to change, clarify the path for your people, and you’ll increase your likelihood of success significantly.

by Brent Douglas