Switch
Why is it so hard to make lasting changes in our companies, in our communities, and in our own lives? The primary obstacle is a conflict that's built into our brains, say Chip and Dan Heath, authors of the critically acclaimed bestseller Made to Stick. Psychologists have discovered that our minds are ruled by two different systems--the rational mind and the emotional mind--that compete for control. The rational mind wants a great beach body; the emotional mind wants that Oreo cookie. The rational mind wants to change something at work; the emotional mind loves the comfort of the existing routine. This tension can doom a change effort--but if it is overcome, change can come quickly.In Switch, the Heaths show how everyday people--employees and managers, parents and nurses--have united both minds and, as a result, achieved dramatic results: ● The lowly medical interns who managed to defeat an entrenched, decades-old medical practice that was endangering patients.● The home-organizing guru who developed a simple technique for overcoming the dread of housekeeping.● The manager who transformed a lackadaisical customer-support team into service zealots by removing a standard tool of customer service In a compelling, story-driven narrative, the Heaths bring together decades of counterintuitive research in psychology, sociology, and other fields to shed new light on how we can effect transformative change.
Stats for nerds
14recommend
15mentions
15people
2010–2023years
93% recommend7% neutral
Mentions per year
What Hacker News says
- “Team Topologies” https://teamtopologies.com/
“Switch: How to Change Things When Change Is Hard” https://www.amazon.com/Switch-Change-Things-When-Hard/dp/038...
- I've found that Switch[1] is really helpful for technical leaders. A large part of the job of a leader is successfully implementing change and too many leaders with a technical background lean too much on logic and reasoning to try to make changes happen. Switch offers a playbook for successfully implementing change and when I've followed it closely I've been much more successful than when I wing it.
[1]https://www.amazon.com/Switch-Change-Things-When-Hard/dp/038...
- "Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion" by Robert Cialdini
This explains so much of human behavior, but I hesitate to recommend it to people because it is so easily weaponized. To borrow from Harry Potter, it's the closest thing I've seen to a book of charm spells, but was written as a defense against the dark arts. Better everyone read it rather than just the marketers.
What I really love about this book is how much of politics it has explained for me, including the downfall of the USSR and the American civil rights movements, but also newer events like Schwarzenegger's poltiical career.
If you like this, I'd also recommend:
"Thinking, Fast and Slow" by Daniel Kahneman "Predictably Irrational" by Dan Ariely "The Power of Habit" by Charles Duhigg
All are in a similar vein. For more focused book on human behavior, I recommend first time team leads/managers read:
"Switch" by Dan and Chip Heath
A solid guide to changing organizational behavior.
- Interesting book that highlights frameworks to undergo different types of change.
Switch, How to change things when change is hard - Chip Heath & Dan Heath
- Passing your vision and dream to everyone is your most powerful move. Imagine for a moment what that would be like, what that would accomplish. This book is an amazing read for people in your position, https://www.amazon.com/Switch-Change-Things-When-Hard/dp/038...
- It does depend on your audience, but I've gotten good mileage out of these questions, so personally vouch for them. I got them from the book "Switch"[0], which has better phrasing than I jotted down in my comment. I highly recommend the book.
[0] https://www.amazon.com/Switch-Change-Things-When-Hard/dp/038...
