Changing Behavior without using Common Sense

I always knew that change was hard, especially because people are creatures of habit. Some don’t see a need for change and others might be too afraid of change; feeling safe in their own comfort zone. After viewing the videos for this week’s module and reading Influencer (Grenny, et al., 2013), I have realized that I have been trying to influence change, in myself and in my organization, all wrong. Cross (2013) explains that the greatest adversary of change is common sense. 😱 I know, when I first heard that I was taken aback. What do you mean common sense is the greatest adversary of change? But after listening to her TedTalk, my mind was blown. In order to influence and create meaningful and lasting change we must debunk some “common sense” myths.

Myth #1: Education will change behavior. According to Cross (2013), the public usually assumes that if people learn about a problem, then they will make the appropriate change to fix said problem. That is actually not completely accurate. She stated that only 20% of people changed a certain behavior after being given the appropriate information, coming to the conclusion that giving information in itself was not enough. On the other hand, when people were given tangible and personalized information, 60% of the people made a change. This proves that we must know our audience and that how we present our information changes the effectiveness of the effort (Cross, 2013). Myth #2 You need to change attitudes to change behaviors. Cross (2013), states that attitudes FOLLOW behavior, not the other way around. If we set behavioral expectations and connect to our values then we can influence behavioral change. This also connects to what Grenny (2013) states about changing behavior and changing the world. If we have personal, social and structural motivations and ability, then we can inspire behavioral change that can change the world (Grenny, 2013). Myth #3 People know what motivates them to take action. The final myth that Cross (2013) discusses, is that people know what motivates them to change and take action, when in fact social norms actually influence people’s behavior (Cross, 2013). Grenny (2013), also discusses the influence that social interactions have on changing behavior. Applying what we learn. In order for my coworkers/classmates and I to bring Blended Learning to our campus, we must use what we have learned from Cross (2013) and Grenny (2013). We, as influencers of change, must first know our audience and present them with information in a tangible and personalized way. Then we must influence behavioral changes with the help of social norms and interactions. This will lead to attitude changes and will create a more meaningful and lasting change in our organization.

References: Cross, J. (2013, March 20). Three myths of behavior change – what you think you know that you don’t. YouTube. Retrieved January 25, 2022, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l5d8GW6GdR0&ab_channel=TEDxTalks Grenny, J. (2013, April 26). Change behavior- change the world. YouTube. Retrieved January 25, 2022, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6T9TYz5Uxl0 Grenny, J., Patterson, K., Maxfield, D., McMillan, R., & Switzler, A. (2013). Influencer: the new science of leading change, second edition (2nd ed.). McGraw-Hill.