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Changing Minds: How Hard Is It?
“All leadership comes down to this: changing people’s
behavior.”
– Alan Deutschman in Fast Company (“Change or Die,” May
2005)
Changing
people’s behavior
is the most important challenge for business leaders competing
in unpredictable environments.
“The central issue is never strategy, structure, culture,
or systems,” asserts Dr. John P. Kotter, a retired Harvard
Business School professor who specializes in leadership. “The
core of the matter is always about changing the behavior of people.”
What works—and
why is change so incredibly difficult?
A recent
Fast Company article, “Change or Die” (May
2005), reveals that when faced with a health crisis like heart
disease, only one in nine individuals makes the necessary, lifesaving
changes required to live longer.
Minds are hard to change, yet so many aspects of our lives are
directed toward doing just that. We face a supplier who needs to
respond more quickly, a subordinate who must perform a task differently,
or a peer who should recognize the importance of our project and
commit to it. We clearly acknowledge the need for others to change
their minds and act differently. We also know we need to change
our own minds at certain times.
Many of us
are professionally involved in the business of changing people’s
minds. A CEO, executive, or team leader must convince and secure
commitment; a salesperson must close the sale and persuade consumers
to think differently about new product features; consultants
and coaches must change minds to motivate groups and individuals
to perform more effectively for improved results.
Why are our
brains wired in a way that seems to resist change so tenaciously?
In their book How the Way We
Talk Can Change the Way We Work (2001), authors Robert Kegan
and Lisa Laskow Lahey describe the process of resistance and
our body’s and mind’s
natural tendency to revert to what they’re used to doing—a
process called homeostasis.
In this new
millennium, with ever-increasing discoveries about the brain,
has cognitive neuroscience discovered clues to what is required
to help people change their way of thinking so they can modify
their behavior? Professor Howard
Gardner, a lifelong researcher and expert on the mind, believes
we’ve reached
this point:
“Of all of the species on earth, we human beings are the
ones who specialize in voluntary mind change: we change the minds
of others, we change our own minds. We have even crafted various
technologies that allow us to extend the sweep of mind change:
powerful mechanical artifacts like writing implements, televisions,
and computers…In the coming decade, mind changing will continue
and, in all probability, accelerate.” —Changing Minds,
2004.
What must
we understand about the brain to better grasp the process of
changing others’ minds?
And what happens when we try to change our own mind to employ
and sustain new behaviors?
7 Levers to Change a Mind
Leaders
must consider several critical factors to changing someone’s
mind. Gardner has identified seven levers used to change minds:
| 1. |
Reason:
When we are trying to persuade
others, reason plays a pivotal role—especially among
those who consider themselves educated. Most businesses rely
on analysis and logical processes when making decisions. The
rational approach involves identifying relevant factors, weighing
each in turn, and making an overall assessment. |
| 2. |
Research:
The scientific approach collects
relevant data and analyzes it in a systematic manner (often
statistical) to verify or cast doubt on promising trends. Research
needn’t be as
formal as this, however. It may entail identifying events and
forming judgments as to whether they warrant a change of mind. |
| 3. |
Resonance:
While reason and research appeal
to the cognitive aspects of the mind, resonance applies to
our emotions. Appealing to one’s
feelings and creating emotional resonance are among the more
powerful means of changing minds. Resonance is often achieved
after one hears reason and research arguments, but it may occur
on an unconscious level. As a relationship of trust or connection
to the mind-changer develops, one is persuaded to change. |
| 4. |
Representational
Redescriptions: This term describes what happens when a change
of mind becomes convincing in several different ways that reinforce
each other. For example, a PowerPoint presentation may present
the same concept using percentages, bar graphs, and other graphic
images, all of which explain the same key concept in distinct
ways. |
| 5. |
Resources
and Rewards: So far, the possibilities
for mind-changing lie within reach of any individual whose
mind is open. It is sometimes more likely to occur when resources
are available. In psychological terms, this is known as positive
reinforcement. Ultimately, however, unless the new course of
thought is congruent with the other criteria—reason, resonance, and research—it
is unlikely to last beyond the provision of rewards. |
| 6. |
Real-World
Events: Wars, terrorists, natural disasters, and economic depressions
can influence mind-changing. On the positive side, so can prosperity
and peace. It is easier to convince a nation to go to war after
a terrorist attack, even when the facts are lacking. |
| 7. |
Resistances:
The six factors involved in
changing minds have thus far been positive. It is unrealistic
to assume that you won’t
encounter resistance—the strong force that negatively
affects mind change. In our early years of life, we change
our minds frequently to develop, learn, and become competent.
Research demonstrates that changing minds becomes more difficult
with age. We develop strong views and perspectives that are
resistant to change. |
Any effort to understand the process of changing minds must take
into account the power of resistance.
A mind change is most likely to occur when the first six factors
operate in concert (they are coordinated and congruent), and when
resistance is relatively weak. Conversely, a change of mind is
unlikely to occur when resistances are strong and the other factors
fail to point strongly in one direction.
Changing Minds in an Organization
Getting people to replace one frame
of mind with another is harder still when you’re working with large groups. Gardner,
a MacArthur Fellow “genius” award winner, has studied what works
for heads of state and corporate CEOs: “When one is addressing
a diverse or heterogeneous audience, the story must be simple,
easy to identify with, emotionally resonant, and evocative of positive
experiences.”
When change is introduced to an organization’s
members, leaders will experience greater success when they:
1. Make good use of narrative, telling stories to which people
can relate.
2. Present data using as many of the seven levers of change as
possible (for example, facts and emotions).
3. Express a clear understanding of areas of resistance.
4. Achieve emotional resonance with people whose “buy-in” is
required for successful change.
5. Give people opportunities for ongoing support and dialogue.
1. The Power of Stories
Stories can be a key element in changing minds. In a story, you
have a main character, ongoing activities to achieve a goal, a
crisis, and a resolution.
Leaders must analyze the current situation, determine what needs
to change, and envision an altered state of affairs. They must
then create a convincing narrative and present it to those whose
minds they hope to change.
Success will depend on various factors, including the effectiveness
of the narrative, the ways in which it is convincingly conveyed,
and the extent to which leaders and those around them actually
embody the presentation. The more personal and authentic the story,
the more people will identify with common themes.
2. The Power of Variety
One’s level of familiarity with a concept determines how
we successfully process and accept it. Delivering
the same content in multiple forms is a powerful way to change
people’s minds,
which may explain the popularity of PowerPoint presentations.
People must not only hear the message,
but also see it—often
in the form of images, graphs, and diagrams. For example, many
motivational speakers use music, humor, and strong emotional stimulation
to deliver their messages and inspire action.
Using more than one delivery method gives people an opportunity
to form mental representations in their preferred learning mode.
Some people do well with logical arguments, while others require
an emotional connection.
3. The Power of Resistance
When it comes to changing someone’s mind, Gardner says, “The
biggest mistake people make is not understanding the other’s
resistances.” Each of us has ingrained beliefs (fundamentalism).
We are committed to maintaining our opinions (the status quo).
For some, this is a defense mechanism, and any attempt by others
to change our thinking would come at the expense of self-esteem.
What never works when trying to change
someone’s mind is
a direct assault on his or her point of view. When
you go in determined to change someone, you’re triggering
defensiveness.
Gardner advises us to pay attention
to unspoken cues and listen carefully to the other’s perspective: “Try
to put into your own words tentatively, not threateningly, what
you think the other person’s concerns are,” he says. “Most
people will appreciate your efforts if you say, ‘It seems
to me you’re saying such and such.’ Then they can answer, ‘Well,
no, that’s not exactly what I’m saying.”
Even the most eloquent argument is
likely to fail if you lack insight about the person you’re trying to sway. The
real trick is to take the other person’s perspective. Once you
understand someone’s resistance, you can try to find a common
solution.
4. Appealing to Emotions
Emotional persuasion isn’t taught in business schools, nor
does it come easily to the engineers, scientists, lawyers, physicians,
accountants and managers who run organizations. Most
CEOs have higher educations and are trained in statistical analysis
to a degree that allows them to make sound decisions. They must
then convince others, using as many methods as possible—not
just the facts.
According to Dr. George Lakoff, a professor
of linguistics at the University of California at Berkeley, “Concepts
are not things that can be changed just by someone telling us
a fact. We may be presented with facts,
but for us to make sense of them, they have to fit what is already
in the synapses of the brain. Otherwise, facts go in and then
they go right back out. They are not heard, or they are not accepted
as facts.”
Minds rely on frames, not facts, according to Lakoff and other
experts. Frames are mental structures that shape the way we see
the world, part of the cognitive unconscious, and they exist outside
of our awareness.
Because of the way the brain learns,
messages have a better chance of being retained when our emotional
centers are engaged. When individuals
experience a positive emotional resonance with the person trying
to change their minds, they’re more easily
persuaded—a phenomenon that can occur even in the absence
of reasonable facts to support change.
5. The Power of Ongoing Communication and Support
Every action has an equal and opposite
reaction, according to Newton’s Third Law of Motion. In
organizations, this reaction often takes the form of avoidance,
resistance, and exceptionalism.
Change feels more natural when you have participation and engagement
at all levels. Your goal? It is to introduce ideas into the mainstream,
without excessive use of authority. When more people can contribute
to finding solutions and helping each other, there is a better
chance of achieving real behavioral change. The more people communicate
and support one another, the easier it is for everyone to stay
on track.
Change initiatives are more likely to fail when there are no ongoing
discussions or support. This is why 90% of cardiac patients revert
to unhealthy habits after their heart attacks, despite overwhelming
evidence that points to a need for change. In one 1996 study by
Dr. Dean Ornish, president of the Preventive Medicine Research
Institute in Sausalito, California, 77 percent of heart patients
managed to sustain behavioral lifestyle changes and avoid surgery
after three years by participating in a twice-weekly program that
offered support and training.
In summary, changing minds is not easy, but there are clear methods
for increasing the probability of effecting real behavioral change.
Provision of coaching services is highly recommended to support
change initiatives.
Resources:
Deutschman,
A. (May 2005). “Change or Die.” Fast
Company.
Gardner,
H. (2004). Changing Minds: The Art and Science of Changing Our
Own and Other People’s
Minds. Harvard Business School Press.
Kegan, R. & Lahey,
L. (2001). How the Way We Talk Can Change the Way We Work. Jossey-Bass.
Raffel, D.
(May 2005). “Brain to Brain: How to Get Anyone
to Agree with You.” O Magazine.
Working
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Dr. Maynard Brusman
Consulting Psychologist and Executive Coach
Trusted Advisor to Senior Leadership Teams
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