This document summarizes key points from a presentation on embracing change. It discusses how change is difficult because it requires changing behaviors. It outlines strategies for effective behavior change, including directing the rational decision-maker (the Rider), motivating the emotional side (the Elephant), and shaping the environment (the Path). Specific tactics include following successes, creating a clear vision, making progress, building new habits, and getting others involved to spread change. The document also discusses organizational citizenship and creating a culture of cooperation.

1. Embracing Change
Bret L. Simmons, Ph.D.
UNR Extended Studies
October 23, 2014

2. www.bretlsimmons.com
http://www.slideshare.net/BretLSimmons

3. What do you want
to learn today?

4. Yesterday’s home
runs don’t win today’s
games
Babe Ruth

5. Sigmoid Curve (Charles Handy)
Sigmoid Curve (Charles Handy, 1995)

6. Discipline of The Second
Curve
“..always assume that we are
near the peak of the first curve
and should therefore be starting
to prepare for the second” (p.57)

7. Exercise 1
Identify a change that is
happening right now at work.
Why are you resisting that
change?

13. Integrity

14. Primary Sources

15. For anything to change, someone has to
start acting differently. Can you get
people to start behaving differently? (p.4)

16. If you want to be effective
at helping others change
their behavior, then build
a reputation for
proactively changing your
own behavior

17. Change Metaphor

18. Rider - Rational
– Deliberates,
analyzes, looks into
the future
– Provides planning
and direction
Elephant – Emotional
– Feels pain and
pleasure
– Provides the energy

19. Direct the Rider
Follow the bright spots:
Investigate and clone the successes

20. Destination
postcards:
Shows the Rider
where you are
headed and the
Elephant why the
journey is
worthwhile
Change is easier
when you know where
you are going and why
it is worth it

21. Script the critical moves
Be specific about the behavior you want to change

22. Direct the Rider
• What looks like resistance is
often a lack of clarity
• Clarity dissolves resistance

23. Motivate the Elephant
Find the feeling
Motivation comes from
confidence. The
Elephant has to believe
that it’s capable of
conquering the change

24. Shrink the change:
Break down the change until
it no longer spooks the
Elephant
Sense of progress is critical

25. Make change a matter of identity, not consequences
Who am I? What kind of situation is this? What
would someone like me do in this situation?

26. Grow your people
Encourage a growth
mindset by praising
effort rather than skill

27. Growth Mindset
• Talent is NOT fixed unless you
believe that it is. Treat talent as
something almost everyone
can earn, not that just a few
people own.
• Everyone can learn to work
smarter
27

28. Motivate the
Elephant
Change is hard because people
wear themselves out. What looks
like laziness is often exhaustion

29. Shape the Path
Tweak the environment. When the situation
changes, behavior changes

30. Build Habits
Supportive habits that are easy to embrace
and advance the new behavior

31. Action Triggers: Decisions you make to
execute a certain action when you encounter
a certain situation

32. Checklists help educate
people about what is best
by showing then the right
way to do something

33. Rally the Herd
Behavior is contagious; help it
spread

34. Shape the path
What looks like a people problem is
often a situation problem. When
you shape the path, you make the
change more likely, no matter
what’s happening with the Rider
and the Elephant

35. The law of
crappy systems
trumps the law
of crappy
people
35

36. How can you partner with others to help
fix crappy systems?

38. This sucks and so do you

39. Here is my suggestion

40. This system does not work as well as it
could. I have a few suggestions. Here are
some things I can do to help make it better

41. Organizational Citizens
Taker, Matcher, or Giver

42. Takers view success as attaining
results that are superior to others

43. Matchers see success in terms of balancing
individual accomplishments with fairness to
others

44. Givers characterize success as
individual achievements that have a
positive impact on others

45. How you give determines if
you will achieve long term
success or languish at the
bottom

46. Concern for Other’s
Interests
LOW HIGH
Concern
for
Self-
Interest
LOW Apathetic Selfless:
Self-sacrificing
givers
HIGH Selfish:
Takers
Otherish:
Successful
Givers

47. Exercise 2
How can you improve the citizenship
behavior in your organization?
Discuss ways you can direct the Rider,
motivate the Elephant, and shape the
Path to create more otherish givers in
your organization.

48. Questions?