INTERVENTION DEVELOPMENT

-some questions to ponder on

Why design interventions?
To change the way they think and act (mindset & behaviour).

What must we pay attention to when we design interventions?
-You cant influence persistent and resistant behaviour until you
know the forces driving it, i.e the root causes.
-You must diagnose before you can prescribe.


INFLUENCING TO CHANGE
BEHAVIOURS
Key influencing principles and strategies for changing
the way people think and behave



Copyright 2008 by VitalSmarts, LLC
Can we influence behaviour change?

70% of change efforts in organizations fail.

Findings in the fields of psychology and sociology
suggested otherwise.
- The Influencer methodology references over 5 decades of research on
behaviour change, from social scientists and skilled practitioners whose
influence efforts routinely led to sustainable improvements.
- The same theories and principles have been applied successfully to over 2
dozen organizational projects.
These people have been able to effect change
solely through their ability to influence human
thought and action
Dr. Mimi Silbert,
founder/CEO
Delancey St.
Foundation.
91% of felons/inmates
changed for good after 2
years

Dr. Muhammad
Yunus, Nobel Peace
prize winner &
founder of Grameen
Bank.
Helped 7 million people to
overcome poverty.



Dr. Wiwat, Ministry of
Public Health,
Thailand.
Reduced the spread of HIV in
early 90s by over 80% in late
90s


Dr. Donald Hopkins,
Vice President,
Carter Foundation,
Georgia.
Reduced 3.5 million cases of
guinea worm disease in early
90s to only 10,000 by end of
2005
Mike Miller, Vice
President of Billing
Systems,
Telecommunications
industry
Reduced billing costs by 30%,
improved quality by 25% and
increased employee
satisfaction by 20%, all in 9
months.
Exercise 1.0
Identify a behaviour that you want to change:
a) In yourself, and
b) In others/ someone else

Write this on one post-it note for each behaviour
Exercise 2.0
One of your employees repeatedly and against
company policy returns from lunch late. This has
been going on for a long time and youve already
talked to him/her about it several times.

Diagnose all the reasons this might be happening .
Write each possible reason you come up with on a
post-it note.




Pre-conditions to influencing change

In order to improve our existing situation, what
must people actually do?
What are the specific behaviors you want to
change?
b. Search for Vital
Behaviours

Is it worth it?
Can they do it?
c. Change the way people
think
(Convince others to
change their minds)
Influence geniuses do not develop an influence strategy until theyve carefully
identified the specific behaviours they want to change
a. Clear and Compelling
change, with measurable
results

Clarify what you want, why you want it and
when you want it.
Remember: Behaviours are actions, not results or qualities
1. Specify the behaviours
-What are the acts, actions or activities you want them to do?


-What acts, actions or activities do want them to stop?


2. How can I change the way people think?

To influence behaviour change, we need to help others answer only 2 questions
Whats in it for me?
How can I benefit?
Will I be able to be cured?
Will it bring me happiness?
WILL IT BE WORTH IT?
(motivation)

Am I able to do it?
Will I be able to cope?
What will happen if I do it?
CAN I DO IT?
(ability)
When we find a way to change how individuals think, theyre well on the way to
changing their behaviour : Influencer, by Patterson, Grenny, Maxfield, McMillan and
Switzler (McGraw Hill 2008)
Tips on how to convince others to change their
minds
When it comes to persistent and/or resistant problems, verbal persuasion rarely works. It
often comes across as nagging or manipulation
Tip #1Nothing changes minds faster like actual real life
experience or data
Come up with innovative ways to create the personal experience;
otherwise create vicarious experiences.
Create the vicarious experience: watching others in action is the next
best thing to experience some thing on your own.
Tip #2Use stories to help change minds
stories help individuals transport themselves away from the role of a
listener and into the story itself (from critic into the role of participant).


MAKING CHANGE HAPPEN
3. Making change
happen.
2. Change the
way people think.
1. Search for vital
behaviours.


THE FRAMEWORK FOR CHANGE
How do you go about making change happen ?
- Three types of forces influence motivation and ability
MOTIVATION ABILITY
PERSONAL
Make the
undesirable
desirable
Surpass your limits
SOCIAL Harness peer
pressure
Find strength in
numbers
STRUCTURAL
Design rewards
and demand
accountability
Change the
environment
THE SIX SOURCES OF INFLUENCE
FRAMEWORK
Influencer/The Power to Change Anything: Kerry Patterson,
Joseph Grenny, David Maxfield, Ron McMillan and Al Switzler
(McGraw Hill 2008)
1
3
5
2
4
6
Key questions
MOTIVATION ABILITY
PERSONAL
Make the undesirable desirable
Do they hate it?
Do they find meaning in it?
Does it fit into their sense of who they
are and who they want to be?
Surpass your limits
I cant
I dont know how
I never learned that
Nobody ever thought me
I keep trying, but I cant figure it out
SOCIAL
Harness peer pressure
Are often people (including me):
Encouraging the right behaviour
Discouraging the wrong behaviour


Find strength in numbers
Do others ( including me) provide
(or withold):
Help
Information
Resources
Required, particularly at critical times?
STRUCTURAL
Design rewards and demand
accountability
Non-human motivators:
Are rewards- pay, promotions,
performance reviews, perks or costs,
encouraging the right behaviours or
discouraging the wrong behaviours?

Change the environment
Non-human enablers:
Does the environment (tools,
facilities, information, reports,
proximity to others, policies, etc)
enable good behaviour or bad?
Are there enough cues and
reminders to help people stay the
course?
THE SIX SOURCES OF INFLUENCE FRAMEWORK
THE END
BACK-UP MATERIAL
INFLUENCER The power to change anything
Prologue
How influence affects change and what are its
pre-conditions.
Search for vital behaviours.
Change the way people think.
Making Change Happen
The framework for change

Can we influence behaviour change?
Organizations have very little to show for lasting
change.
- 70% of change efforts fail.
- Based on research, the authors contend that there were embarrassingly few
examples of (organization) leaders who had been successful at influencing
employees to act in new ways.

Findings in the fields of psychology and sociology
suggested otherwise.
- As such the authors referred to over 5 decades of research on behaviour
change, from social scientists and skilled practitioners whose influence efforts
routinely led to sustainable improvements.
- These findings also mirrored the same theories and principles that the authors
had applied when successfully executing influence strategies to over 2 dozen
organizational projects.
What is an Influencer?

The essence of leadership
An INFLUENCER motivates others to change

An INFLUENCER replaces bad behaviours
with effective new skills
An INFLUENCER makes things happen
Influencer/The Power to Change Anything: Kerry Patterson,
Joseph Grenny, David Maxfield, Ron McMillan and Al Switzler
(McGraw Hill 2008)
PROLOGUE

HOW INFLUENCE AFFECTS CHANGE AND
WHAT ARE ITS PRE-CONDITIONS



SEARCH FOR VITAL BEHAVIOURS
1. Search for Vital Behaviours

Focus on behaviours, not
outcomes -
Advise people what they are
actually supposed to do, and
not just what to achieve.
Identify specific behaviour(s)
for people to enact.
Give special attention to key
high leverage behaviours. -
Dont dilute your efforts by
giving equal concentration on
everything.
Study best practices
Learn from influence masters
who have done it successfully
Study positive deviance
Look for people, time or places
where you or others dont
experience the same
problems, and try to determine
the unique behaviours that
make the difference.
Search for recovery
behaviours
Develop a recovery plan as
people are going to make
mistakes
Identify crucial moments first if vital behaviours are hard to identify.
CHANGE THE WAY PEOPLE THINK
Influence can effect change
INFLUENCE
The ability to change the way people think and behave
Everybody is an influencer -
Its the one job that cuts across
every stage of our life.
Its our duty to become good at
exerting influence.

Influencing can be learned
Our lack of influence stems from
lack of skill rather than character
flaw/lack of motivation
So what do have to do if we want to influence and change the way people think and
behave?
People give more credence to a story than
cold hard facts
How stories can captivate a listener
Step 1
Make your listener/reader
identify your character as
someone he knows

Step 2
Arouse the emotions of the
listener/reader make him feel
as if he is a participant of an
exciting drama, rather than as a
spectator
LaLajos Egri, creative writing expert

Why change seems impossible

There is rarely one cause
There is a combination of causes
You cant influence persistent and resistant
behaviour until you know the forces driving it
You must diagnose before you can prescribe
Formulating simple solutions to complex and
persistent problems almost never works
SIMPLISTIC
INFLUENCE
METHODS
Pass a
law/set up
policies,
regulations
& directives
Threaten
a
consequenc
e
Restructure
/re-
engineer
Conduct
training
programme
All influence/change masters agree that it takes a combination of
strategies aimed at a handful of vital behaviours to solve persistent and
pervasive problems
Personal motivation -
Make the undesirable desirable
DESIRABL
E
- Intrinsic
satisfaction
- They care about
it
TRY IT,
YOULL LIKE
IT
VICARIOUS
EXPERIENCE
MAKE IT A GAME
- Turn a chore into
play
- Keep a score to
chart accomplishment
and generate
satisfaction
What if vital behaviours are still not desirable?
Make it an issue of personal significance
- it defines who they are
- personally defining moment

Engage in moral thinking moral quest (Guidant,
medical devices company).

Engage in moral thinking: Win hearts by
honouring choice.
A change of heart cannot be imposed, it can only be chosen
William Miller
Motivational interviewing replace judgment with empathy,
and lectures with questions (dont lecture, listen) to gain
commitment.
Lessons from Miller/Heath/Graham: when you surrender
control, you win the possibility of influencing even addictive
and highly entrenched behaviours.
2. Personal ability- Surpass your limits
Demand deliberate practice:
Practice
Break the skill into small parts
Get feedback from a coach
Prepare for setbacks

Note: Will power is an ability that can be learned

3 & 4. Social motivation and ability

3. Harness the power of social pressure by finding
strength in numbers
a) Pave the way / make a difference
b) Enlist the power of those who motivate
Opinion leaders (not innovators)
Formal leaders and neighbours/ colleagues
4. Seek and support of those who enable:
a) 1. The wisdom of crowds
b) 2. Focus group discussions


5. Structural motivation

5. Ensure that costs and incentives support the
desired behaviours:
a) Use rewards third and in moderation
b) Link rewards to vital behaviours
c) Use rewards that reward


6. Structural ability

6. Change the environment to make bad behaviours
harder and good behaviours easy:
a) Use the power of space
b) Use the power of data and cues
Change the report you routinely view to parallel your goals and
values
Post visual directions
Place reminders in key spots

c) Use the power of tools
Mechanise difficult work
Reorganise workflow
Update manuals, policies and procedures