Lack of change is often attributed to a lack of understanding. Yet in many situations, we know what to do, we just don't do it. Despite this, our first instinct in getting people to change is to teach them something, when really the problem is not an understanding one.One of the reasons why thinking our way into change is limited is that we are lousy self-evaluators. Many of us tend to think we are better at things than we really are - known as a positive illusion, serviced by ambiguity in definitions of good. We don’t necessarily see all the shades involved in being good in different contexts - we may have fixed views or limited perspectives. As a result, we need to get people to see the situation as it is.
Kotter and Cohen found that in most change situations, managers initially focus on strategy, structures, culture or systems - but the heart of the matter is changing people’s behaviours which requires speaking to their feelings. Helping people, therefore, to see the problems or solutions in ways which influence emotions not just thought can be vital for engineering successful change. Rather than analyse-think-change, the sequence should focus on see-feel-change. It can, however, be hard to distinguish why people aren’t supporting change - do they not understand or are they not enthused? Lack of change is often attributed to a lack of understanding. Yet in many situations, we know what to do, we just don't do it. Despite this, our first instinct in getting people to change is to teach them something, when really the problem is not an understanding one.One of the reasons why thinking our way into change is limited is that we are lousy self-evaluators. Many of us tend to think we are better at things than we really are - known as a positive illusion, serviced by ambiguity in definitions of good. We don’t necessarily see all the shades involved in being good in different contexts - we may have fixed views or limited perspectives. As a result, we need to get people to see the situation as it is.
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AuthorI'm an educator driven by the desire to see people realise their potential by gaining the tools they need to be successful. I love being part of a community of learners for whom there is always more to be known and understood. For me, learning and teaching is cognitive, social and emotional and takes the whole self. Archives
July 2015
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