Switch: How to Change Things When Change Is Hard

So how do we align our two minds to make change come more easily? Well, that's what "Switch" teaches us to do. Once we learn how our minds process change, we can go about instituting change in the right way, so that it lasts. There are three specific areas we must address to get people to change. If even one is missing, then change isn't going to stick.

We also get to read plenty of real-life stories about how people achieved extraordinary change simply by following the strategies laid out in the book. And these aren't all about huge organizations. The stories focus on the efforts of everyday people, from the corporate world to stay-at-home parents, who are trying to make both small and massively large changes.

"Switch" is a highly useful how-to book. You learn enough just in the first chapter to start making significant changes in your life, and by the time you're done you'll be inspired enough to take on the world. And you'll have the confidence to believe you can actually succeed. The science is well-researched, the writing is excellent and bitingly funny at times, and the pace is quick. This is a book you won't want to put down.

Whether you're trying to change your company, your community, or aspects of your own life, "Switch" will show you how to do it so that your efforts pay off. This is the kind of book all of us can benefit from, even if all we want is to start getting to the gym on a regular basis.

Chip Heath is a professor at the Graduate School of Business at Stanford University. Dan Heath is a senior fellow at Duke University's Center for the Advancement of Social Entrepreneurship. The Heath brothers are also the authors of the bestselling book, "Made to Stick," which you can hear about in a different Book Insight podcast.

So, keep listening to find out why less is more, when you're giving people choices; what investigation has to do with management; and why feeling is believing, for people who need to change.

With 11 chapters in total, "Switch" is divided into three main sections. Each section focuses on one of the three areas that must be addressed in order for change to take place.

The first section is called Direct the Rider. The Rider stands for our rational mind. This is the mind that gets us to work on time, plans for the future, and finishes the marathon.

The next section is called Motivate the Elephant. The Elephant represents our emotional mind. This is the mind that eats the Oreo when we're on a diet, constantly hits the Snooze button on our alarm clock, and skips the gym. The Elephant also represents our love, compassion, and empathy for others.

If we want to change things, we've got to appeal to both the Rider and the Elephant. The last section, Shape the Path, is full of strategies for aligning the Rider and the Elephant within us, and making the path to change as easy as possible.

Here's a good example that shows why this alignment is so important.

Jon Stegner worked for a large manufacturer, and he believed the company was wasting vast amounts of money on purchasing costs. He knew he had the ability to save the company at least $1 billion over the next five years by changing the way they bought things, but convincing his bosses was going to be challenging.

So, he started with gloves. After some investigation, he learned that his company was buying 424 different kinds of gloves for employees to use in their work. And all these gloves were coming from different suppliers, with drastically different prices. Very similar pairs of gloves cost $5 at one place, and $17 at another place. The company was buying them both.

Stegner hunted down the prices for every single glove the company was buying, and got a sample of each. In his presentation, he dumped all 424 gloves on the presentation table, and invited the executives to come look at all the money they were wasting.

The executive team was downright stunned, and with clear leadership from Stegner they quickly changed their purchasing process.

Many people would have made an analytical PowerPoint presentation to highlight this waste, and left it at that. They would have gotten nods from the board, and another meeting would be scheduled to discuss the issue. We've all sat through meetings just like this one, and most of us know how ineffective they can be.

The reason Stegner's presentation succeeded was that he aligned everyone's Elephant and their Rider, and then shaped a clear Path. He jolted their emotions, their Elephants, and provided clear analytical data, which appealed to their Riders. He then made change easy by providing clear ways to change, which shaped the Path.

This is how lasting change takes place. People need to have their emotions engaged, a logical reason to make the change, and an easy path to get there.

So, how can you do this in your own life?

Well, we've got to begin with our Riders, and this is what the first section covers. We have to offer clear direction.

This is important. For instance, if we're trying to battle obesity, we can't tell people to start eating healthily. What does that mean to them anyway? It's far too broad and vague to be effective. They simply won't do it.

But, we can tell them to buy 1 percent milk instead of whole milk when they're at the grocery store, because it's lower in saturated fat and they may start losing weight. This is clear and actionable. And, it will get results far quicker than just telling them to start eating healthily.

The authors say that if we want to change, we have to be clear on what we want to change. Vagueness only causes inaction because people aren't sure what to do. But when we're clear, the action becomes simple, because it's concrete.

Another way we can direct our Riders is to limit the number of choices we offer. Several scientific studies have proven that having too many options is exhausting, and causes decision paralysis. The fewer choices we have, the higher the likelihood that we'll actually make a decision.

The next section focuses on motivating our Elephant. Remember, our Elephant is our emotional mind. Any successful change has to get our elephant engaged or it's simply not going to last long-term.

The reason is that when we look at changing something, we're not sure about what the future will hold. This uncertainty makes our Elephants afraid, and then we're reluctant to move. It's easy to put off decisions when we're not stimulated to move forward. Fear of change, no matter how small that fear is, makes avoidance really easy.

The authors say we have to get people to feel something if we want them to truly change. And in this chapter there's a great example that illustrates how important this is.

The Massachusetts Department of Youth Services – or DYS – recently went through a major overhaul. Instead of focusing on putting problem kids in detention facilities, they began to network with nonprofits like halfway houses, group homes, and counseling centers.

This new networking model meant that the DYS had to change drastically on the inside, and everyone embraced the change except the head of the accounting department. He was a fanatic for detail, and he ruled his department with an iron fist. If even one detail was missing on anything, like an expense report from a partner organization, it would be kicked back.

The top leaders at the DYS tried to convince him that these nonprofits were hanging on by a thread. One delayed check could mean that kids don't eat, or don't see a doctor. But the manager kept his dictatorial management style.

Finally, the deputy commissioner took the accounting manager with her to visit some nonprofits. He saw first-hand just how busy everyone was. No one had a quiet, closed-door office like he thought they would. There were kids running around everywhere, there were laughter and games, and all the while the staffers were trying to work miracles on a limited budget.

The experience affected him deeply because he saw, and felt, how vital this money was to them. Every time he kicked an expense report back, one of these kids might have to go without food. This feeling changed him, and his behavior, dramatically.

This is what the authors mean when they say we have to get our audience to feel something.

But feel what? What should we be addressing? Well, the rest of this section teaches us which emotions we need to engage in order to effect lasting change, and it gives us several useful strategies to get started.

By now we've learned how to give direction to our Rider and motivate our Elephant. Now we have to make the journey easy. We have to create a steep downhill slope and give people a push so they start changing with as little effort as possible. And this is the focus of the last part of the book, Shaping the Path.

One of the most illuminating points in this section is one the authors make early on. They say that often, what looks like a people problem is often a situation problem.

For instance, suppose a crazy driver passed you in traffic this morning. Your first thought was probably, "Wow, what a jerk!"

You probably didn't think, "Wow, I wonder what emergency that person is going through to cause them to drive so dangerously?"

We often jump to conclusions about people. We automatically think they're the problem. But the truth is that, most of the time, it's the situation that's the problem. If we focus on changing the situation, not the person, we'll succeed more often.

One tip we thought useful for managers was to investigate. For instance, imagine you're trying to get your team to start using a new online form for submitting time sheets. But no one's using it, despite all your efforts. You automatically think they're being lazy, or downright stubborn.

But this is jumping to conclusions. So, you investigate further. You ask your team why they're not using the online form, which is supposed to be easier than using paper. They tell you they don't like it. So you ask to observe them while they fill out the form.

Suddenly, the problem is crystal clear. Your team starts complaining as soon as they start the program, because they're forced to accept the help of a digital wizard, as they fill out the form. This is not only annoying, but also demeaning. They can't stand the wizard, so they avoid the online form.

You decide to eliminate the wizard tool. And a few weeks later, your entire team is using the online form.

Obviously, not all problems can be resolved so easily. But this is a good example of how further investigation, and making the 'path' easier for your team, can lead to real results.

Another practical tip was to use what scientists call "action triggers." Getting people to do something, especially something they're not excited about, can be difficult. But giving them a very clear picture of what they're going to do, and when they're going to do it, will make all the difference.

Imagine you're trying to get your salespeople to spend more time cultivating existing client relationships. To encourage them, give them an action trigger. Tell them that every morning, once they've poured their first cup of coffee, they have to call one of their most important customers.

Because you've told them to do it after they've poured their first cup of coffee, they now have a concrete image in their mind. They know exactly when they need to call an important client. And they're far more likely to make this change now. The authors quote several studies that prove just how powerful action triggers can be.

This last section is full of wonderful tips just like that one, and all of them are relevant to implementing change in any environment.

So, what's our last word on "Switch"?

Hands down, we loved it. This book is so compelling that once you start reading, you won't want to put it down. The authors' writing style is friendly and fast-paced, and every chapter is full of fascinating information that will keep you turning the pages.

It's also full of really useful information. The knowledge and tips in the book are eye-opening, and you'll finish feeling very empowered and confident that you really can effect change.

"Switch," by Chip Heath and Dan Heath, is published by Broadway Books.

That's the end of this episode of Book Insights. Thanks for listening.