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Switch: How to change things when change is hard: Amazon.co.uk: Heath, Dan, Heath, Chip: 9781847940322: Books

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Switch: How to change things when change is hard Paperback – 3 Mar. 2011

by Dan Heath (Author), Chip Heath (Author)

4.5 5,224 ratings

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Change is hard. It doesn't have to be.

We all know that change is hard. It's unsettling, it's time-consuming, and all too often we give up at the first sign of a setback.

But why do we insist on seeing the obstacles rather than the goal? This is the question that bestselling authors Chip and Dan Heath tackle in their compelling and insightful book. They argue that we need only understand how our minds function in order to unlock shortcuts to switches in behaviour.

Illustrating their ideas with scientific studies and remarkable real-life turnarounds - from the secrets of successful marriage counselling to the pile of gloves that transformed one company's finances - the brothers Heath prove that deceptively simple methods can yield truly extraordinary results.

Print length

320 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Random House Business
Publication date

3 Mar. 2011
Dimensions

12.9 x 2 x 19.8 cm
ISBN-10

1847940323
ISBN-13

978-1847940322
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Product description

Review

A fantastic book ― Wired

Witty and instructive ― Wall Street Journal

Switch is likely to prove invaluable to anyone wanting to make long-lasting change a reality ― BBC Focus

Whether you're a manager, a parent or a civic leader, getting people to change can be tricky business. In Switch, brothers Chip and Dan Heath - authors of the best-selling Made to Stick - survey efforts to shape human behaviour in search of what works. Even when change isn't easy, it's often worth making ― Time

A must-read ― Forbes

About the Author

Dan Heath is a senior fellow at Duke University’s CASE center, which supports entrepreneurs fighting for social good. He lives in Durham, North Carolina. Dan and his brother Chip have written four New York Times bestselling books: Made to Stick, Switch, Decisive, and The Power of Moments. Their books have sold over two million copies worldwide and have been translated into thirty-three languages.

Chip Heath is a professor at Stanford Graduate School of Business. Chip and his brother, Dan, have written four New York Times bestselling books: Made to Stick, Switch, Decisive and The Power of Moments. He has helped over 530 start-ups refine and articulate their strategy and mission. Chip lives in California.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Random House Business (3 Mar. 2011)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 320 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1847940323
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1847940322
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 12.9 x 2 x 19.8 cm

Best Sellers Rank: 12,580 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- 5 in Bhagavad Gita
- 13 in Finance & Stock Market History
- 17 in Business Creativity Skills

Customer reviews:
4.5 5,224 ratings

About the authors

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Dan Heath
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Dan Heath is the co-author, along with his brother Chip, of four New York Times bestsellers: Made to Stick, Switch, Decisive, and The Power of Moments. The Heaths' books have sold over 3 million copies worldwide and been translated into 33 languages.
Heath's fifth book, Upstream: The Quest to Solve Problems Before They Happen, will be released on March 3, 2020. Heath is a Senior Fellow at Duke University's CASE center, which supports entrepreneurs who are fighting for social good. A graduate of the University of Texas and Harvard Business School, he lives now in Durham, NC.
See more on the author's page
Chip Heath
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Chip Heath is a professor at Stanford Graduate School of Business, teaching courses on business strategy and organizations. He is the co-author (along with his brother, Dan) of three books. Their latest book, Decisive: How to Make Better Decisions in Life and Work was published in spring of 2013 and debuted at #1 on the Wall Street Journal bestseller list and #2 on the New York Times. Their 2010 book, Switch: How to Change Things When Change is Hard, hit #1 on both bestseller lists. Their first book, Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die, spent two years on the Business Week bestseller list and was an Amazon Top 10 Business Book for both editors and readers. Their books have been translated into over 30 languages including Thai, Arabic, and Lithuanian. Chip has consulted with clients ranging from Google and Gap to The Nature Conservancy and the American Heart Association.
See more on the author's page

Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5

5,224 global ratings

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Similar concept of the chimp mind and the rational

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 20 May 2023

Verified Purchase

A very accessible book on leadership.
The main premise is that any change management strategies need to take into account the principal of taking into account the rider (rational mind) and the elephant (changeable emotions).

"Make everything as simple as possible, but not simpler."

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 25 March 2011

Verified Purchase

This quote from Albert Einstein haunts my evaluation of Switch: How to Change Things When Change is Hard by Chip & Dan Heath, those Miliband brothers of the business world. Switch is a simple book. It is based on a simile - the emotional part of the mind is like an elephant, the rational part is like its rider, and getting them to work together requires roadwork. That's it, really.

So is this simple, or simplistic? Have they provided a structure for individual and corporate change that is easy to apply and powerful in it effects, with all unnecessary verbiage and overkill stripped away? Or is it a nice little story - borrowed from someone else - with a swamp of other, lesser stories engineered in to fill out some space?

This book made me think, which is always a plus. Switch's often repeated mantra that 'people problems are really situation problems' (3, 183) challenged my own view of the nature of change considerably. It also serves to explain the authors' suspicion of personality testing and analysis as a change mechanism (114 with note, 252, 258). Their main thesis seems to be that managing change is not a matter of reason or emotion but environment, not inner working (which are hard to influence) but the outer world (which is easier).

This environmental emphasis is further reinforced by their (research justified) assertions that 'willpower is not enough' (10) and 'knowledge is not enough' (30, 35, 109, 112, 175). In particular, the notion that increased information can easily lead to change gets a real kicking in Switch; knowledge without change is TBU - True But Useless (71). Rather, emotions are the key (105), or rather motivation as managed through tweaking your situation. To diagnose failure to change as a personal issue rather than a situational one is to commit the 'fundamental attribution error' (180 with note).

The authors are convincing when they analyse the problems of 'analysis paralysis' (33, 72) and 'decision paralysis' (50) inherent with reliance on reason ('the rider') alone. I enjoyed learning about BHAG's (Big, Hairy, Audacious Goals - 75) and Black-and-White Goals (86), as well as the SEE-FEEL-CHANGE method of persuasion (106). I wanted to know more about the identity model of decision-making (153), the management technique of 'appreciative enquiry' (48 with note), and the theory of 'small wins' (136). I was glad to recognise the inclusion of key psychologists whose ideas have much to say to the world of work, such as Martin Seligman (121), Ellen Langer (124), Albert Bandura (129 with note) and Carol Dweck (164).

Most of the good stuff quoted above comes from the middle and strongest section of the book, 'Motivate the Elephant'. The authors had just done a great job of convincing you that the rider (reason) needs directing; this takes the first third of Switch. But it is in the crucial final section - 'Shape the Path' - that the books weaknesses emerge. Which are? Too much repetition of previously stated points. An over-use of illustrative, folksy stories with dubious immediate relevance. And suggested solutions that border on the childish e.g. checklists (220).

There also seems to me to be some basic points of tension in the message of Switch. We're told to give ourselves big, bold goals...but 'lower the bar' (130) and seek small victories. We're told to 'script' all our moves...but then leave the middle part of the journey to take care of itself (93). Perhaps this fuzziness is inevitable when you use metaphors to explain similes!

I'll take away from Switch the basic triadic model for change it promotes, as well as a newfound appreciation for the situational element in creating change. Reading Switch has also left me with a douzen-or-so different articles, concepts and thinkers to research. (Sometimes the references in the notes were the book's best bits.) And I'm persuaded by it that the usual mixture of information and perspiration - new facts and/or more willpower - are not sufficient or even the primary tools in our quest for improvement.

So, Switch, simple or simplistic? Simplistic, I'm afraid. However, Switch did provide enough additions and challenges to my current thinking about change to balance out its flaws a little. I would recommend Switch for those who want a self-help book but aren't familiar with the wider literature. As a business book, Switch's value might reflect the reader's prior knowledge of what to look out for. There are nuggets in the notes. The rest is a one-time read.

102 people found this helpful

Sequel to the Power of Habits?

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 8 June 2012

Verified Purchase

Whilst the Power of Habits looks specifically at changing habits, Switch examines the barriers to change and by understanding how our minds function unlock shortcuts to switches in behaviour.

There are hard and easy changes. They argue that successful changes share a common pattern. They require the leader of change to do 3 things at once.

Firstly to change someone's behaviour you've got to change that person's situation - their hearts and minds. Unfortunately their hearts and minds often disagree. Conventional wisdom identifies the emotional side of the brain and the rational part. The Heaths prefer to think of it as the Elephant (the emotion) and the Rider (the rational). Perched atop a six tonne elephant is a rider holding the reins. The rider's control is precarious because the Rider is so small compared to the elephant. The elephant has enormous strengths - love, compassion, loyalty and sympathy. And even more important the Elephant is the one that gets things done. If you want to change you have to appeal to both. The Rider provides the planning and direction and the elephant provides the energy.

The second surprise about change is that change is not hard because people are lazy or resistant. Change is hard because people wear themselves out. What looks like laziness is often exhaustion. Like the Power of Habit, Switch looks at self control and holds that it is an exhaustible resource. So make change easier. Focus on a small change. But make sure you reach the Elephant (the emotion) as well as the Rider.

The Rider provides direction. But the danger is analysis paralysis. What looks like resistance is often lack of clarity. The third key to change is clarity.

So the keys are :
Direct the rider
Follow the bright spots, Investigate what is working and clone it. Solutions based therapists believe there are exceptions to every problem and that those exceptions, once identified can be carefully analysed.
Script the Critical moves . Don't just think big picture. Think in terms of specific behaviours.
Point to the Destination. Change is easier when you know where you are going and why it is worth it.
Motivate the elephant
Find the feeling Knowing something is not enough to cause change. Make people feel something.
Shrink the change. Break down the change until it no longer spooks the elephant
Grow your people. Cultivate a sense of identity and instil the growth mindset.
Shape the Path
Tweak the environment. When the situation changes, the behaviour changes , so change the situation.
(simplifying time sheets, throw out automatic phone answering)
Build habits. When behaviour is habitual it does not tax the rider. Look for ways to encourage habits. Set action
triggers.
Rally the herd. Behaviour is contagious. Help it spread.

Now I mus

36 people found this helpful

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