The Human Element
‘designing a solution to minimize the forces that act against making changes’
I subscribe to a daily McKinsey newsletter highlighting their featured insights, leading me to their author interviews; the insights and interviews come from their research division. According to McKinsey, this is what they do in this division, “Our talented research professionals work within a global network of industry, functional, and geographic experts to gather data, develop hypotheses, analyze industry trends, and create a clear picture of competitive landscapes.”
One of the author talks I listened to featured David Schonthal, Professor of Strategy, Innovation, and Entrepreneurship at Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management and former senior director of the design-thinking firm IDEO. He co-wrote a book called THE HUMAN ELEMENT with Loran Nordgren, also faculty at Kellogg. The Human Element is about convincing people to adopt new ideas and behaviors.
Any of you who has tried to innovate within your organization knows only too well the resistance to change and the friction that this causes between people are mammoth. In the book, the authors surface four frictions that result from people's fear of change. Surfacing these frictions and acknowledging them can help people overcome the resistance to change.
The authors discuss ‘designing a solution to minimize the forces that act against making changes.’
FRICTION #1 = INERTIA
ASK IF THIS CHANGE IS A SIGNIFICANT OR MODEST CHANGE FROM THE STATUS QUO?
Don’t underestimate people’s desire to stick with what they know instead of accepting something new?
FRICTION #2 = EFFORT
HOW COSTLY IS THE PHYSICAL EXERTION TO ADOPT THIS NEW THING?
Think about how much cognitive effort is needed to use with/work with/integrate with?
FRICTION #3 = EMOTION
What negative or undesired feelings does this idea cause?
How much anxiety, trepidation, or fear does this change cause?
FRICTION #4 = REACTANCE
People’s aversion to being changed by others is about losing their autonomy.
How pressured do people feel about adopting change? Have they had time to acclimate to the idea? Were they invited to participate in the process of co-designing the changes?
These are the frictions that surface when we try to change stuff:
INERTIA
EFFORT
EMOTION
& REACTANCE
Surfacing these four frictions before you try to make changes may make it easier for you to innovate or effect change in your organization. Helping people understand these frictions will make them more secure to try new things.
Try it.
