Switch

How to Change Things When Change Is Hard

By: Dan Heath, Chip Heath

Narrated by: Charles Kahlenberg

Length: 7 hrs and 43 mins

Publisher's summary

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 best seller 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

Switch shows that successful changes follow a pattern, a pattern you can use to make the changes that matter to you, whether your interest is in changing the world or changing your waistline.

©2010 Chip Heath (P)2010 Random House

helped me better understand how to drive change

the concepts for driving successful change were made clear through interesting and varied examples. it helped confirm for me the possibility of driving change from a wide range of positions within an organization.a

One of my favourite books for inspiration

I love the way these guys write. Solid and still easy and fun. I have had Switch in my bookshelf for a long time and often refer to it for inspiration. Being able to hear makes it easier to remind myself of the theories and methods and get ideas for myself and clients.

Great for all industries

This was one of the best (and most applicable) change books I’ve read. The authors did a great job pulling examples from ALL industries, organizations, and even individuals sparking a culture change across an entire country. The things they suggest are easy to apply, but the strategies aren’t a one size fits all. The authors help you understand what approach would work best in different situations....and some of the solutions are EXTREMELY creative! Overall, I’d recommend to anyone in any industry or organization. (Examples included: manufacturing companies, public school board of trustees, Tanzania, a country saving an endangered species, Amazon, low socioeconomic and under performing high school)

The Rider vs. The Elephant

I would suggest this book to anyone who is seeking change that may not have an idea of how to start the change. Narrator had a good voice and is pretty easy to listen to. I was able to listen at 1.35 speed with no issues of the Narrator talking too fast.

Excellent insights on how to make or drive change

Where does Switch rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Switch is among the best audiobooks I've listened to. Although I read it many months ago, I still use the ideas and examples almost every day in my work as an executive coach and as a designer of leadership development programs for senior executives of global companies. I also use it in my own life whenever I find myself stuck in moving forward with a change I want to make.

What did you like best about this story?

I loved the clear description of the 3 levers of change: the Rider (our analytical/mental functions), the Elephant (our emotional/impulsive motivators) and the Path (the things in the environment that can make it either easier or more difficult for us to change). I also really enjoyed the fascinating examples, and the fun, relaxed style of the authors.

Which scene was your favorite?

My favorite example was about the executive who wanted to create a centralized purchasing department. The company had hundreds of locations and each one was buying their own rubber gloves. The costs for each pair ranged from under a dollar up to almost five dollars. Despite the fact that this was wasting millions of dollars, the analytical data and spreadsheets he compiled had done nothing to change the minds of the CEO and other senior executives on the management team. So the executive found a very novel way to create an experience that got their emotions engaged and their "elephants" helped him get their votes for central purchasing.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

If you want to make a change, Switch will make it easier..

Struggling with my elephant

What made the experience of listening to Switch the most enjoyable?

Excellent viewpoint on why it is so hard to make changes both personal and in an organization. Enjoyed the listen and plan to re listen to enforce the learning.

What about Charles Kahlenberg’s performance did you like?

Enjoyed his reading, Easy to listen to.

What’s an idea from the book that you will remember?

How hard it is to get the elephant to make a change

Practical Approach to Addressing Change

If you're looking for a "magic bullet" - something that will prescriptively give you the steps to follow to make change happen - don't read this book.

However, if you'd like a very clear understanding of they key pieces needed to effect change - in yourself, your loved ones, your co-workers, organization - even a culture - this is your book. The visual I now have of the elephant, the rider, and the path is so clear, so easy to understand, I can use these three priciples as guidelines in any situation.

I've shared this book with many people since reading it.

What's not to like?

This book is informational and transformational. Read it, you won't be sorry. It's changed the way I see problems.

Hope for change

I like being a champion for change and struggled with others seeing the point. Great steps, proven through the experience of others. Excellent personal change ideas. going to try them out.

Great read! Needed Its Insights

This was a great read. I prefer Marshalls book, Triggers, for learning how to change myself or one individual. Switch is full of insight and tactics for effecting change in groups, tribes, organizations, societies, etc. It's helpful, though, for personal change as well.