Switch: How to Change Things when Change is Hard

Front Cover
Random House Business, 2011 - Business & Economics - 305 pages
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. 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 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. Table of contents: * Three suprises about change * Find the bright spots * Script the critical moves * Point to the destination * Find the feeling * Shrink the change * Grow your people * Tweak the environment * Build habits * Rally the herd * Keep the Switch going * How to make a Switch * Overcoming obstacles * Next steps.

Other editions - View all