What is the secret to successful change? People!

If you planned to get on a plane, renovate your living room or start a new career in a completely different field, knowing there was only a 30% chance you would succeed... would you bother?

If your organization is adopting a new online communication tool, such as MS Teams or Cisco Webex, this rather discouraging forecast is reality. On average, a staggering 70% of transformational organizational changes fail. [1,2] Digital transformation in specific has an even less comforting failure rate of 84%, according to Forbes. [3] The reason why less than a third of change initiatives are successful is because so many organizations are not good at managing change.

Why people find it hard to change

What drives successful change, and what causes failure? The key factor in any change initiative is people, the driving force behind it all. No organizational change can be effective if it is not supported by its employees. And yet, it is often forgotten that navigating change can be a challenging journey for individuals.

In their book ‘Switch' [4] bestselling authors and brothers Chip and Dan Heath draw upon extensive research in psychology, sociology, and other fields to uncover why change is difficult for people. Their answer is that change is hard because the human brain is always subject to an underlying tension between the rational side and emotional side of the human brain, which compete for control and have different interests.

Picture this: The rational mind seeks a healthier diet, while the emotional mind craves the allure of fries and chocolate cookies. The rational mind aspires to make changes at the workplace, yet the emotional mind clings to the comfort of familiar routines. And when as an employee you have to transition to a completely new communication tool or platform, this internal struggle often leads to resistance against the change.

Towards lasting behavioral change

Communicating is what many of us do countless times a day at work. Using a new communication tool requires learning a new way of doing things, involving a significant cultural change that affects all people in the organization. To achieve permanent change, it is crucial to appeal to both sides of the human brain simultaneously.

Think of the rational side as the 'Rider,' gifted in thought and planning, while the emotional side embodies the 'Elephant,' fueled by passion and motivation. Without a clear plan, the Rider cannot find a path forward, and without emotion, the Elephant lacks the energy to drive change. This metaphor was first coined by social psychologist Jonathan Haidt.

What can we learn from this? To bring about change, we must:

1. Engage the rational mind – make the destination crystal clear 
2. Motivate the emotional mind – make people feel the need for change
3. Shape the path – make required changes specific and ensure the environment supports the change

By embracing these strategies, you can forge permanent change in personal, corporate, and team settings. At Learning Connected, we are dedicated to using our expertise to guide you through the user adoption process and to ensure your journey with online communication tools is a resounding success! Get in touch with us today and get the most out of your online communication tool.

1. Taking Stock survey by The Change Management Toolbook, February 2005
2. Dr. Corrie Black (Mar 16, 2022). 12 reasons your digital transformation will fail, Forbes 
3. Bruce Rodgers (Jan 7, 2016). Why 84% Of Companies Fail At Digital Transformation, Forbes 
4. Chip Heath and Dan Heath. Switch: How to Change Things When Change Is Hard. Thorndike Press, 2011