3
III. Change is Hard! Time for a SWITCH
- Direct the Rider
Is it resistance? Or lack of clarity?
Follow the Bright Spots
Script the Critical Moves
Point to the Destination - Motivate the Elephant
Is it laziness? Or exhaustion?
Find the Feeling
Shrink the Change
Grow Your People
- Shape the Path: Is it a people or a situation problem?
Tweak the environment
Build Habits
Rally the Herd
- Shape the Path: Is it a people or a situation problem?
- Bright Spot Recipe for Vietnamese families
Gather data on the issue (height/weight of all kids)
Study data - find the bright spots (some kids healthy, despite being poor)
Identify the “normal” way to do things (most families serve 2 large bowls of white rice)
Study bright spots - what are they doing differently? (4 small meals, include potato
greens & small shrimp)
Ensure these actions are not “exceptional” (no “rich uncles” - need scalable strategies)
Reproduce bright spot practices (cooking circles, shared, learned)
IV. Three Key Take-Aways
- Change is HARD! We need strategies that help in the real world.
- Consider Implementation Intentions as a strategy for change: when, where, how you plan
to achieve your goal or perform your new behavior. - Develop plans for strategic change that targets the head, the heart, and makes the path
easier.
Selected References (in order of appearance in talk)
Webb, T.L., and Sheeran, P. (2006). Does Changing Behavioral Intentions Engender Behavior
Change? A Meta-Analysis of the Experimental Evidence. Psychological Bulletin, 132(2): 249-
268.
e.g., Armitage, C. & Conner, M. (2001). Efficacy of the theory of planned behaviour: A meta-
analytic review. British Journal of Social Psychology, 40, 471-499.
Webb, T.L., and Sheeran, P. (2006). Does Changing Behavioral Intentions Engender Behavior
Change? A Meta-Analysis of the Experimental Evidence. Psychological Bulletin, 132(2): 249-
268.
Gollwitzer, P. & Sheeran, P. (2006). Implementation intentions and goal achievement: A meta-
analysis of effects and processes. In M. Zanna, (Ed). Advances in Experimental Social
Psychology, Vol 38, 69-119. San Diego, CA, US: Elsevier Academic Press.
Can implementation intentions and text messages promote brisk walking? A randomized trial.
Prestwich, Andrew; Perugini, Marco; Hurling, Robert
Health Psychology, Vol 29(1), Jan 2010, 40-49. doi: 10.1037/a0016993
Heath, C., & Heath, D. (2010). Switch: How to Change Things when Change is Hard. New York:
Random House.
Brian Wansink, (2006). Mindless Eating: Why We Eat More Than We Think. New York: Bantam
Dell.