In this week’s episode we delve into the world of rewards and recognition from the perspective of behavioural science.  Once we understand why rewards and recognition are powerful tools, we can start to build these into our change to help reinforce the desired changes and behaviours. We get deep into why rewards work and what they are, and why recognition works and how to make it effective. 
The funniest illustration of this principle is the below linked Modern Love Essay from Amy Sutherland.  I highly recommend reading it.  It will help deepen your understanding while also making you laugh.
Importantly Recognition needs to be genuine, and if it is seen as a political tool or disingenuous by the peer group, it won’t work.  

Links to resources: 
The Classic Modern Love Essay from Amy Sutherland: What Shamu taught me about a happy marriage: 

The book I mention this week shows up in my Change Manager’s Essentials Guide in Episode 10: Nudge:  by Richard Thaler and Cass Sunstein.  This is an in-depth investigation on using micro rewards to drive behavior change and how tech can help us capitalize on this.  Check out the links to the book below, at a few different retailers.

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If you're considering purchasing any of the resources we mention in the podcast, consider doing so through one of our affiliate links below! You can add to our virtual "tip jar" through a commission from your favorite retailer.
 

​Nudge: Improving Decisions About Health, Wealth, and Happiness 
Richard H. Thaler, Cass R. Sunstein

Amazon
Indigo
Rakuten / Kobo

Change implementation requires changing the behavior of the people involved.  This can often look like resistance, in that unwanted behaviors can crop up with increasing frequency before disappearing entirely. This is because the reinforcement and reward of this behavior has changed. 
When we want to phase out an unwanted behavior we make a decision to no longer reinforce it.  From the perspective of change, this means that we no longer respond to maladaptive behaviors.  In short, we ignore.  
When we “ignore” a behavior (no longer respond to the stimuli) it can result in a temporary intensity and increase in the maladaptive behavior before it stops.
Understanding extinction bursts and how to deal with them is important for change leaders.  Change leadership requires strength and forbearance especially when we are moving through an extinction burst – it gets worse before it gets better!

A few references to help dive deeper into this area of behavioral science:
How Extinction is Defined in Psychology

What is Extinction?  Behavior Modification for Reducing Problematic Behaviors 
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Implementation and adoption require that we change behavior.  When all is said and done, and after everything has been set up and is ready, reality hits when we actually have to DO something! 
I walk through several examples in this episode that illustrate this phenomenon and how behavioral science helps us understand what works, and what doesn't when we're implementing change. 
A key take away from this episode is how we structure learning and training in implementation efforts.  I talk through my experience in successful training efforts, and why a behavioral coaching model works after we implement the change.  The key to effective training includes demonstrating and listening, and then importantly, the application of learning by doing the new processes and behaviors in the new environment. 
 
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We're taking a pause from our regularly scheduled programming to answer a great question that popped up in one of the change forums out there on the wild wild internet. 

This week we address how to change successfully in an entrenched cynical culture that is also a unionized organization. We draw from Connected Change (TM) to frame the answer using the five elements to frame and approach. We also draw from our lengthy discussion on systems theory and change in systems when thinking about and discussing how to change in a unionized organization.

​Fully captioned videos are available on YouTube