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Name: Switch
Rating: 4.4 (203 reviews)
Author: Chip Heath & Dan Heath

Chip Heath & Dan Heath

How to Change Things When Change Is Hard

4.4 (203 ratings)

20 mins

10 key ideas

Audio & text

What is Switch about?

Switch examines why it is often difficult for people to switch their behavior, and how, by understanding the mind, it is possible to find shortcuts that make change easier. Through scientific studies and anecdotes, Switch provides simple yet effective tools for implementing changes.

About the Author

Chip Heath is a professor of organizational behavior at Stanford University, and his brother Dan Heath is a senior fellow at Duke University. They have co-authored two other bestsellers: Made to Stick and Decisive.

Table of Contents

Switch
summarized in 10 key ideas

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Key idea 1 of 10

Implementing change is like riding an elephant: choose a direction, give your elephant some peanuts and stick to an easy path.

Changing our behavior is not always easy, as anyone who has resolved to quit smoking, eat healthier or start running in the mornings will know. So what is it that can make change so difficult?

An excellent analogy for examining behavioral change is that of an elephant and its rider trying to follow a certain path. The elephant, being a powerful, stubborn creature, represents the emotional side of people, looking for a quick payoff rather than long-term benefits. The rider in turn represents the rational side that knows what should be done, and can tug at the elephant’s reins to exert some small degree of control over it. Finally, the path represents the situation in which the change is to take place.

Consider a situation where you want to get up at 5:45 in the morning to go jogging. Your inner rider has rationally analyzed the situation and thinks this is good for you. But what happens when the alarm actually goes off in the morning? If you’re like most people, your inner elephant will demand just a little more sleep, totally overpowering your rider, and you’ll end up skipping the jog.

But what about the situational factors that help or hinder your noble quest? A comfy bed and bad weather outside won’t help get that elephant moving, that’s for sure. On the other hand, the smell of freshly brewed coffee just might.

All three components influence whether change will be successful, whether progress along the path is made. From changing your own diet to influencing others' behavior, your success will depend on your ability to direct the rider, motivate the elephant and shape the path.

Implementing change is like riding an elephant: choose a direction, give your elephant some peanuts and stick to an easy path.

Find the bright spots, learn from them and spread them around.

Your inner rider is a terrific thinker and planner. Unfortunately, he is also prone to spinning his wheels: overanalyzing every aspect of a potential change without actually doing anything. Worse still, his analysis is totally problem-focused, obsessing over all the difficulties ahead.

But endless analysis of the obstacles in your way gets you nowhere; you must give the rider a clear direction to go in so he can put his planning and rational thinking to good use. Instead of looking at the problems, find and focus on the so-called bright spots: specific situations or areas where change has already succeeded. Then figure out how change was achieved and leverage these lessons to make the change more widespread.

The rider hates making decisions, so clearly script the critical moves needed for a change.

When faced with a change situation, the rider can easily succumb to something called decision paralysis. Say you’re trying to implement the vague behavioral change to “eat healthier.” The rider will try to analyze all the possible alternatives of how to do this: eating more vegetables, eating less pasta, using less salt, frying with a different oil, etc. Any one of those changes would already help, but the rider ends up doing a lot of analysis and changing nothing.

This is a very human tendency. Studies have shown that, somewhat paradoxically, the more choices we have, the less able we are to make a decision. Too many alternatives just confuse us. From the outside, this may look like resistance to change, but it’s actually lack of clarity on what to do next.

Use a destination postcard that appeals to both the rider and the elephant.

When faced with change, the rider will often obsess about which direction to move in, wasting energy by overanalyzing every option. However, you can avoid this analysis paralysis by giving the rider a direction that he can navigate toward.

For example, when first-grade teacher Crystal Jones wanted to motivate her students, she told them that by the end of the year, they would all be honorary third graders: reading, writing, doing math and so forth at a third grade level. This was a powerful image because it spoke to the students’ inner riders, giving them a clear goal to strive for, but it also engaged their inner elephant by promising a desirable goal: the “cool” third-grader status.

To get the elephant moving in the right direction, evoke strong emotions.

While your inner rider may technically hold the reins of your inner elephant, in a battle of wills, the rider will only be able to command the powerful beast for so long before his strength runs out and the elephant veers off in the wrong direction. This is why successful changes usually demand motivating the elephant as well. Logical analysis and rational arguments that appeal to the rider are of no help here. Instead, to get the elephant moving in the right direction, a powerful emotion must be triggered.

When Jon Stegner wanted to convince the leaders of the manufacturing company he worked for that their purchasing function was hugely inefficient, he knew he needed to get their attention fast; charts and analysis would not be enough.

To get the elephant to climb a mountain, lead it up a small hill first.

Change often seems massive and daunting. For example, a person who is deeply in debt can feel like they’ll never be able to pay it off. To the elephant, a massive change looks like a demoralizing mountain that it is expected to climb, and hence it remains stubbornly still.

So how do you get this elephant moving? You need to shrink the change: show the elephant it just needs to climb a small hill first.

Grow your people by cultivating a change-friendly identity and adopting a growth mindset to overcome failure.

In 1977, most citizens of St. Lucia couldn’t have cared less about their native and gravely endangered St. Lucia parrot. Unfortunately, without their support there was no way to protect the gorgeous turquoise and lime-green bird from extinction.

But 21-year-old Paul Butler was tasked with doing just that. There were no rational economic arguments to sway the natives with, so he instead targeted their national identity: with bumper stickers, T-shirts and volunteer action, Butler started making the bird a part of their national identity. Soon, a groundswell of public support helped pass strict laws that saved the magnificent bird from extinction.

To change people’s behavior, give them an easy path to follow.

Sometimes, change can succeed even with a confused rider and reluctant elephant. The reason lies with the path they are following: situational or environmental factors affect people’s behavior. Hence, shaping the path to be a gentle, pleasant downhill stroll can be a great help in making changes.

People tend to underestimate the role of situational factors, especially when trying to explain the behavior of others. This is known as fundamental attribution error: we think the behavior of others derives from the way they are rather than the situation they are in.

To get a “free ride” in implementing change, build new habits and make the environment enforce them.

During the Vietnam War, the US government was concerned about rampant drug use among its troops. Some 20 percent of the soldiers developed a serious addiction in Vietnam, and there were concerns about the consequences when they brought their new habits back home.

Astonishingly, however, the government found that one year after returning, only one percent of the veterans were still addicted. Just as the environment in Vietnam had made so many of them addicts, their familiar environment and loved ones back home made them kick the habit.

Make the path look well-trodden: show people they are following the herd.

At heart, humans are herd animals: in situations where we’re not sure how to behave, we look to others for cues. For example, if you’re at a fancy dinner and don’t know which fork to use, you will look to other diners and follow their lead.

Behavior is contagious. This is why TV shows have laugh tracks and bartenders seed their tip jars at the beginning of an evening. We tend to follow the example set by others, laughing and tipping with the herd.

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Who should read Switch

Anyone who wants to change parts of their own behavior
Anyone who wants to implement a change in a group or organization
Anyone who wants to understand why changing behavior is often so difficult

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Marketing & Sales Personal Development

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Switch summary

What is Switch about?

About the Author

Switch
summarized in 10 key ideas

Implementing change is like riding an elephant: choose a direction, give your elephant some peanuts and stick to an easy path.

Find the bright spots, learn from them and spread them around.

The rider hates making decisions, so clearly script the critical moves needed for a change.

Use a destination postcard that appeals to both the rider and the elephant.

To get the elephant moving in the right direction, evoke strong emotions.

To get the elephant to climb a mountain, lead it up a small hill first.

Grow your people by cultivating a change-friendly identity and adopting a growth mindset to overcome failure.

To change people’s behavior, give them an easy path to follow.

To get a “free ride” in implementing change, build new habits and make the environment enforce them.

Make the path look well-trodden: show people they are following the herd.

Key ideas in Switch

Implementing change is like riding an elephant: choose a direction, give your elephant some peanuts and stick to an easy path.

Find the bright spots, learn from them and spread them around.

The rider hates making decisions, so clearly script the critical moves needed for a change.

Use a destination postcard that appeals to both the rider and the elephant.

To get the elephant moving in the right direction, evoke strong emotions.

To get the elephant to climb a mountain, lead it up a small hill first.

Grow your people by cultivating a change-friendly identity and adopting a growth mindset to overcome failure.

To change people’s behavior, give them an easy path to follow.

To get a “free ride” in implementing change, build new habits and make the environment enforce them.

Make the path look well-trodden: show people they are following the herd.

Who should read Switch

Categories with Switch

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Switch summary

What is Switch about?

About the Author

Switch summarized in 10 key ideas

Implementing change is like riding an elephant: choose a direction, give your elephant some peanuts and stick to an easy path.

Find the bright spots, learn from them and spread them around.

The rider hates making decisions, so clearly script the critical moves needed for a change.

Use a destination postcard that appeals to both the rider and the elephant.

To get the elephant moving in the right direction, evoke strong emotions.

To get the elephant to climb a mountain, lead it up a small hill first.

Grow your people by cultivating a change-friendly identity and adopting a growth mindset to overcome failure.

To change people’s behavior, give them an easy path to follow.

To get a “free ride” in implementing change, build new habits and make the environment enforce them.

Make the path look well-trodden: show people they are following the herd.

Key ideas in Switch

Implementing change is like riding an elephant: choose a direction, give your elephant some peanuts and stick to an easy path.

Find the bright spots, learn from them and spread them around.

The rider hates making decisions, so clearly script the critical moves needed for a change.

Use a destination postcard that appeals to both the rider and the elephant.

To get the elephant moving in the right direction, evoke strong emotions.

To get the elephant to climb a mountain, lead it up a small hill first.

Grow your people by cultivating a change-friendly identity and adopting a growth mindset to overcome failure.

To change people’s behavior, give them an easy path to follow.

To get a “free ride” in implementing change, build new habits and make the environment enforce them.

Make the path look well-trodden: show people they are following the herd.

Who should read Switch

Categories with Switch

Books like Switch

Discover the Blinkist catalogue

Popular titles

Most popular categories

Trending Collections

Switch
summarized in 10 key ideas