Framework 148 Influence Model

Introduction

This framework focuses on 4 key building blocks to change mindsets and behaviours required for successful transformation.

There are 3 main levels of change:

i) improve outcomes without having to change the way people work, eg divesting non-core assets to focus on the core business, etc

ii) need to adjust work practices or to adopt new ones without changing mindsets, eg new bottom-line targets, reduced waste, innovation relationships with academics, etc

iii) need to change mindsets and behaviours that involve fundamental collective cultural transformation, eg going from reactive to proactive, hierarchical to collegial, customer-focused, etc

NB In change programs there can be much risk and disruption.

Four building blocks

i) fostering understanding and conviction (it is known
"...human beings strive for congruence between their beliefs and their actions and experience dissonance when these are misaligned. Believing in the 'why' behind the change can therefore inspire people to change their behaviours..."
Tessa Basford et al, 2016

 Cognitive dissonance, ie
"...the distressing mental state that arises when people find that their beliefs are inconsistent with their actions - agnostic priest would be an extreme example..."
Leon Festinger as quoted by Emily Lawson et al, 2003

There is a deep-seated need to eliminate cognitive dissonance by changing your actions or your beliefs. This involves explaining and communicating the rationale behind the change efforts.

Furthermore, research has shown:

    - the impact of false-consensus, ie people frequently overestimate the extent to which others share their own attitudes, beliefs, opinions, etc

    - the curse of knowledge, ie people find it difficult to imagine that others don't know something that they themselves do know.
To handle this, there as a need to develop a change story which
"...helps all the stakeholders understand where the company is headed, why it is changing, and why this change is important..."
Tessa Basford et al, 2016

This includes the need to build a feedback loop on how the story is received.

The story must explain why it's worthwhile undertaking the change and that employees' contributions make sense to them as an individual.

(For more detail on the importance of stories, see elsewhere in the Knowledge Base.)

This is linked with the purpose to believe in.
"...To feel comfortable about change and to carry it out with enthusiasm, people must understand the role of their actions in the unfolding drama of the company's fortunes and believe that it is worthwhile for them to play a part. It isn't enough to tell employees that they will have to do things differently..."
Emily Lawson et al, 2003)

ii) reinforcing changes through formal mechanisms (surrounding structures, like reward and recognition systems, must be aligned with the new behaviours; realising that behaviour often stems from direct association and reinforcement; reinforcement can be conscious and shaped by expected rewards and punishments associated with specific behaviour, eg commission-based sale jobs involves being paid more for working harder and smarter; incentive/rewards/recognition schemes, etc need to be aligned with the desired behaviour:
"...how the tendency to behave in certain ways depends upon the expectation that the effort will result in the desired kind of performance, that this performance will be rewarded, and that the reward will be desirable..."
Victor Vroom as quoted by Tessa Basford et al, 2016

"...organisational designers broadly agreed that reporting structures, management and operational processes, and measurement procedures - setting targets, measuring performance, and granting financial and non-financial rewards - must be consistent with the behaviour that people are asked to embrace. When a company's goals for new behaviours are not reinforced,  employees are less likely to adopt them consistently..."
Emily Lawson et al, 2003

Furthermore, the initial reinforcement can be successful but it does not guarantee that their impact will endure; they need to be supported by the other building blocks.

If handled correctly it will increase motivation and save the organisation money.

How these reinforcements are delivered is important
"...predictability makes the m less effective: intermittent reinforcement provides a more powerful hook......further, people react negatively if they feel that reinforcements are not distributed fairly. Research on equity theory describes how employees compare the job inputs and outcomes with reference - comparison targets, such as co-workers......or their own experiences at past jobs..."
Tessa Basford et al, 2016

NB it is suggested that organisations neutralise compensation as it can become a source of anxiety; instead they should focus on collaboration and purpose which drives performance.)

iii) developing talent and skills (need to do more than just exhorting employees to behave differently, need to teach them how to do this; the human brain is not fixed, new connections can be developed at any time, ie neuroplasticity; despite the fact brain has an amazing ability to learn new things, self-serving biases can prejudice our thinking, eg most people overlook their limitations and are overconfident of their abilities; sometimes people doubt their ability to change, ie learned helplessness
"...passive acceptance and resignation that develops as a result of repeated exposure to negative events perceived as unavoidable......people who believe that developing new skills won't change a situation are more likely to be passive..."
Tessa Basford et al, 2016

For example, some employees will stop offering new ideas if the earlier ones are challenged and/or don't work.

To handle this, you need to create
"...a sense control and competency that can promote an active effort to improve. As expectancy theory holds, people are more motivated to achieve their goals when they believe that greater individual effort will increase performance..."
Tessa Basford et al, 2016

NB Adult learning is more than just than listening to instructions, ie
"...They must also absorb the new information, use it experimentally, and integrate with existing knowledge..."
Emily Lawson et al, 2003

Furthermore,
"...People assimilate information more thoroughly if they go on to describe it to others how they will apply what they have learnt to their own circumstances. The reason, in part, is that human beings use different areas of the brain for learning and teaching..."
Chris Argyris as quoted by Emily Lawson et al, 2003)

 iv) role modelling (of the 4 building blocks, this one is the most important in changing behaviour; involves both unconscious and conscious thinking.
"...Unconsciously, people often find themselves mimicking the emotions, behaviour, speech patterns, expressions and modes of others without even realising they are doing so. They also consciously align their own thinking and behaviour with those of other people - to learn, to determine what is right, and sometimes just to fit in..."
Tessa Basford et al, 2016

In addition to senior management being role models, the key opinion leaders (informal leaders, people of influence, significant others, etc) are important, ie they must 'walk the talk'.
"...The way role models deal with their tasks can vary, but the underlying values informing their behaviour must be consistent..."
Emily Lawson et al, 2003

This involves the concept of  social proof, ie
"...a mental shortcut people use to judge what is correct by determining what others think is correct..."
Tessa Basford et al, 2016

In addition to role models, group identity can be important, ie
"...Role modelling by individuals must therefore be confirmed by the groups that surround them if it is to have a permanent or deep influence......Change must be meaningful to key groups at each level of the organisation..."
Emily Lawson et al, 2003)

The influence model, with its 4 building blocks of change

 
(source: Tessa Basford et al, 2016)

Summary

For each building block, you need to understand
"...What they are, how they work, and why they matter..."
Tessa Basford et al, 2016

The 4 building blocks
"...together they add up to a way of changing the behaviour of people in organisations by changing attitudes about what can and should happen at work..."
Emily Lawson et al, 2003

Research has shown
"...Successful transformations......they were nearly 8 times more likely to use all four actions as opposed to just one..."
Tessa Basford et al, 2016