Switch

How to Change Things When Change Is Hard

By: Dan Heath, Chip Heath

Narrated by: Charles Kahlenberg

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

Pretty good book about a fascinating subject

I enjoyed Chip and Dan Heath's earlier book, "Made to Stick", so when the president of my company recommended this book on his blog I decided to give it a shot.

The subject matter is fascinating - what makes people change? How do we change our habits, routines, and personalities? Changing is quite possibly the hardest thing a person can do, and this book talks about how that is done.

The reason I didn't *love* this book is that it discusses ways to change in really anecdotal ways, some of the stories illustrate their point well, others only marginally so.

This is certainly not a "how to" book, though you can gather some ideas about how to apply the things they talk about, if you take a few minutes to ponder it.

I was expecting, or hoping, for more "how to" out of this book, but instead got a lot more "stories of change".

Voice and overlay distracting, good book

I'm about 1/2 way through this listen right now, and although the material is quite interesting, as others have said, it's really hard to get past the voice. The narrator's voice is so low and monotonous that you find it hard to stay focused on listening. It is also annoying that it doesn't flow and you can tell where edits were made. This one should be re-recorded. Giving 4 stars for the book, -1 for the narrator.

Simplicity in the Face of Complexity

The latest statistic on organizational change efforts states that 80% of all change efforts fail. In this book, the authors offer a framework for approaching change that is both comprehensive and simple at the same time. That’s not to say that it’s easy – just simple – and its simplicity is what gives hope that organizations (and individuals, for that matter) might just be able to start improving that statistic. The authors describe three aspects of change – emotional, rational, and environmental – using the metaphor of the elephant (emotion), the rider (reason), and the path (the environment). The main thesis throughout the book is that all three must be addressed and integrated in order for change to be successful. The authors weave in elements of Appreciative Inquiry (bright spots), visioning (destination postcards), and systems thinking (tweak the environment), to name a few, and offer many ideas for how to improve your chances that the change you seek will be sustainable.

Easy to read, fast learning concept

Loved the examples, I got it, change is much easier if you appeal to both the elephant and the rider. Toward the end I could guess the outcome. Is that because it was repetitive or did I learn something, I’m going with the latter. Read or listen, the humor breaks the repetition.

Great advice for helping to lead change

If you could sum up Switch in three words, what would they be?

motivate the elephant

Who was your favorite character and why?

It's non-fiction, so there are not really characters in the book. The stories and illustrations do a great job of articulating the points of the book.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

It made me remember the key points really well. Motivate the elephant. Direct the rider. Find the bright spots. Shape the path. Lots of memorable word/sound bytes.

Any additional comments?

Easy "read" on this one. Good to have in the library for future reference.

Excellent book!

The Heath brothers break down the change process and present a simple pattern to take on many problems from personal, organizational, to societal. Excellent book and good performance.

Great book on influencing change

This a philosophy of change and practical methods on how to create it, by appealing to our logical side, our emotional side, and influencing our environment! If you're ready to make a change or trusted to help others make changes this is a great book!

Nice concepts

If you could sum up Switch in three words, what would they be?

Rider. Elephant. Path.

What other book might you compare Switch to and why?

Nope...

Have you listened to any of Charles Kahlenberg’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I haven't, but the cat has a nice reading voice!

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Interesting, but not a barn-burner!

Any additional comments?

Thank you!

Ready to Switch

This book was a great way to look at how to accomplish change. It gives many examples from all different industries and ties them together through the process of change. I would recommend this book to anyone who is looking for a deeper understanding of why change can be hard to make and keep.

A must read

Applies to varies aspects of life and I will be adding it to my annual rotation.