What does it take to get people to change? I mean change their Behavior!
To get real changes we need to improve our chances of success, therefore, we must be ready to combine or integrate approaches together. Joseph Grenny, in his book influencer and now crucial conversation, mentioned that to multiply our chances of success or results by ten times, we must combine minimum of 4 of 6 influencer models that is represented in a matrix of Personal, Social, and Structural forms of Motivation or abilities.
Monumental impact is achieved if we are able to engage leaders at personal, social and structural levels – which aligned with my plan to engage leadership to drive my innovation plan. We need leaders who will model behaviors. Getting their support and ensuring they praise good behaviors. I have engaged the dean and the administrators to develop their ePortfolios and showcase their improvements at every meetings. Stronger than this is to get leaders who are enablers and are way makers themselves. Engaging leaders who has strong ethics and competence to buy-into the change drive will multiply the number of people who will be engaged.
For all our designed changes, whether personal, organizational or national development, we must design the change model to have the following components as discussed in the first and second video – https://www.youtube.com/watchv=cW0qZl6IrkI & https://youtu.be/wu7UBY5euBg.
- let it align with their personal motives or value system or what they have always believed in. Humans can work against pain and look over pleasurable values to get to do things they believe in.
- Work on the environment to ensure it is designed to improve their abilities to make the change in behavior happen.
- Deliberate training and capacity development. Presence of tools that will enable the work is done.
- Social pressure has a way of driving us to do many things. This happens during celebration seasons where many people get to travel because others have travelled.
- Deliberate efforts to drive consistent practice.
Long standing bad habits are almost always from individuals that encourage bad behaviors or disable right ones. Social motivation is a strong factor to be considered because we all thrive on social capital, as we all need ourselves at different points or the other. Social ability by building strength in numbers and model the behavior to make them excited to try. Seek the support of those who enable things to happen. Provide coaching, training and guidance.
References
- Harnessing Social Pressure https://youtu.be/wu7UBY5euBg
- All Washed Up! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cW0qZl6IrkI
- Grenny J, Patterson K, Maxfield D, McMillan R, Switzler A. (2013) Influencer The New Science of Leading Change