System
PLAN: WHAT IS YOUR GOAL?
People will not change if they don’t know what the end goal is. What is it that you want to achieve? Can you paint a picture of a better world, or a better organization? Can you point to a vision and destination that people can agree to?
INITIATORS: ARE YOU COMMITTED?
No change effort can succeed without change agents being fully committed. Do you have the time, energy and resources available to actually pull it off? Are you dedicated to your cause and your goal, and not distracted by other work and projects?
AWARENESS: HOW WILL YOU COMMUNICATE?
People will not know that change is needed when you don’t communicate it effectively. How do you intend to communicate your goals and change plans? What will you do to increase awareness among people of the need for change?
INFORMATION: HOW DO YOU RADIATE INFORMATION?
A crucial part of many change initia- tives is to change the environment so that people better understand what’s going on. How will you make sure that change can be seen by everyone?
How will you make the invisible visible, and broadcast the need for change to everyone?
PLAN: WHERE IS IT GOING WELL?
Often a good way to introduce change is to find an example of things going well, and then to copy that behavior elsewhere. Can you name a situation that can act as a shining example of how you want things to be? Is there a bright spot of good behavior?
INITIATORS: WHO IS ASSISTING YOU?
Successful change agents rarely work alone. Many initiators create a guiding coalition of people who help them, either openly or behind the scenes.
Who is helping you in your change initiative? Who will give you moral support?
AWARENESS: HOW WILL YOU SET AN EXAMPLE?
People are more eager to follow those who are able to set a good example. There must be consistency of what you preach and what you do. How do you intend to show people the way? How will you lead by example?
INFORMATION: HOW DO YOU EASECOMMUNICATION?
Sometimes you must help people communicate better so that good behavior spreads more easily across the network. How will you ease commu- nication of the people involved? Can you shorten the distance or increase the bandwidth of communication?
DO: WHAT ARE THE CRUCIAL STEPS?
You cannot introduce change if you don’t know exactly what people need to do. What are the crucial steps that people have to take? How do you define good behavior? Can you list a few critical moves that people should be making?
INNOVATORS: WHO WILL BE THE INNOVATORS?
Every change initiative starts with a first selection of people who are most likely to convert and adopt the change. Who are your innovators? Which people are eager to try out the new behavior? Where in the social network will you start the change?
DESIRE: HOW DO YOU MAKE IT URGENT?
There is a difference between important and urgent. People usually focus on what is urgent, and not on what is important. Can you make the important stuff feel urgent? Can you make people feel the crisis and the need for change?
IDENTITY: WHAT IS THE GROUP IDENTITY?
It often helps when people feel part of a bigger group, because they feel committed to do whatever expresses the group’s identity. Can you connect your change initiative to a higher identity that people gladly associate themselves with?
DO: WHEN AND WHERE DO YOU START?
Timing and momentum can be very important for every change initiative. There is a right place and time for everything. What is the best place and time for your efforts? Will you start small or big? Will you start now or later?
EARLY ADOPTERS: WHO ARE THE EARLY ADOPTERS?
Change spreads more easily through a social network when influential people adopt the new behaviors. Who are the connectors who can influence a lot of people? Who are the local sponsors who can bring your change to certain parts of the network?
DESIRE: HOW DO YOU MAKE IT DESIRABLE?
People change their behaviors when it makes them feel better. How do you match the change with people’s intrinsic desires? Change agents know they might have to feed people good ideas with spoons full of irresistible effects. Can you make the change feel desirable?
IDENTITY: HOW CAN YOU GROW PEER PRESSURE?
Behavior is contagious when people pressure each other to change. Can you use the power of peer pressure, so that people convince each other to adopt the new behaviors? How can you let pressure in the social network do the work for you?
CHECK: HOW DO YOU MEASURE RESULTS?
When you don’t measure results you won’t know if your change initiative is going well. How do you plan to test if things are going well? How will you measure progress? And do your metrics enable learning instead of distorting system behaviors?
EARLY ADOPTERS: HOW WILL THE LEADERS HELP?
Change spreads more easily when recognized leaders are endorsing the change initiative. How do you get social support from powerful figures, top managers, competency leaders and influential study groups?
KNOWLEDGE: HOW WILL YOU TEACH THEM?
The way a message is conveyed is as important as the message itself.
How will you craft the message you will bring to the people? Will you use metaphors, stories, exercises, discussions, or games? Can you move their minds and their bodies? And can you let them teach each other?
INCENTIVES: CAN YOU INCENTIVIZE GOOD BEHAVIOR?
Sometimes what people need is some recognition for their good behavior.
Do you intend to pat them on the back when they do well? Do you have plans for incentives or rewards that motivate them to show good behavior?
CHECK: HOW DO YOU GET FEEDBACK?
Without feedback there can be no improvement. What plan do you have for collecting feedback from the people involved? Who will give you input on your change initiative? Which people will be positively critical? How will you inspect and adapt?
EARLY MAJORITY: HOW DO YOU REACH THE EARLY MAJORITY?
At some point you cannot address people individually anymore. You have to rally the herd in another way. How do you reach the early majority? How do you make people understand what’s good for a few will be good for the many?
KNOWLEDGE: WHO WILL BE TEACHING?
Many people need help when trying to change, and it is important to consider who will assist them. Who will help people to change? Will it be an expert from outside, or a mentor they know personally? Which gurus or coaches will be involved?
INFRASTRUCTURE: WHICH BARRIERS WILL YOU REMOVE?
Change initiatives are often thwarted by barriers in the environment around the people. This prevents them to change and it inhibits good behaviors from spreading. What barriers in the environment have you identified?
How will you remove them?
ACT: HOW DO YOU ACCELERATE RESULTS?
Short feedback cycles are better than long ones. How will you make sure that there are useful short-term results? How will you generate quick wins that help you fine-tune your goals and consolidate gains to produce even more change?
EARLY MAJORITY: HOW CAN YOU MAKE IT VIRAL?
Part of the challenge of reaching the majority is to delegate your work to other people. You cannot communicate the benefits of change to each and every person, and so other people must do this for you. Can the change initiative become contagious? Is there some kind of snowball effect?
ABILITY: WHAT MAKES IT EASY?
For many people change is harder than you think. That’s why you must make it as easy for them as possible. Can you reduce the change to very small and simple steps? Can you adapt the change with a personal touch to accommodate people’s circumstances?
INFRASTRUCTURE: WHICH GUIDES WILL YOU PLACE?
Sometimes all is needed for people to change is better visual guidance in the right direction. How can you change the environment to make change easy and unavoidable? Can you tweak the environment and apply some visual management?
LATE MAJORITY: HOW WILL YOU DEAL WITH SKEPTICS?
With every change initiative there will be skeptics. Can you find ways to make use of the skeptics? How will you deal with troublesome people? Do you plan to learn from the feedback of cynics?
ABILITY: HOW CAN THEY PRACTICE?
For many people change takes skill and practice. They cannot simply change overnight. It takes time and effort to learn how to do things well. How will you enable people to practice their skill and discipline? How do you help them to grow competence?
INSTITUTES: WHO CAN MAKE THE RULES?
Self-organizing people and teams have a tendency to optimize for themselves. But it is important that people also keep an eye on the organization (or society) as a whole. Can you introduce some rules without a stifling government? Can you urge people to come up with some form of governance by themselves?
LAGGARDS: HOW WILL YOU PREVENT A RELAPSE?
Sometimes change initiatives are called “successful” too early, and then the system slowly slides back into its old behavior. Can you prevent this from happening?
REINFORCEMENT: WHAT ARE THE SHORT-TERM WINS?
When people change they need to see that they’re doing a good job. How will you generate short-term wins so that people actually see progress? How will you achieve small successes that show the evidence that the change is worth people’s commitment?
REINFORCEMENT: WHAT MAKES IT SUSTAINABLE?
The sustainability of new behavior is best achieved when you can turn the boring parts of it into something that is fun. Can you anchor your new approach in people’s minds by adding social, competitive, or other addictive dimensions, so that people want to keep on doing it?