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, say Chip
and Dan Heath, authors of the critically acclaimed bestseller Made to Stick.
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 Switch, the Heaths show how everyday
people—employees and managers, parents and nurses—have united both minds
and, as a result, achieved dramatic results:
● The lowly
medical interns who managed to defeat an entrenched, decades-old medical
practice that was endangering patients.● The home-organizing guru who developed a simple technique for overcoming the dread of housekeeping.● The manager who transformed a lackadaisical customer-support team into service zealots by removing a standard tool of customer service 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. | 
