As the CEO for two organizations, one problem we encounter are the “resisters.” Change comes very hard to some people. In my experience, a hard core resister will go to extraordinary measures to stop change. I let one one of my top line executives go after showing extraordinary insubordination. As I filled the leadership void for a while, I was using his executive computer and discovered searches for dirt on me, including a search for lawsuits, bar association discipline and other attempts to find a reason to convince the board of directors to let me go. This executive did not know how to erase the cookies that accompany search results.
Our prefrontal cortex consumes a lot of energy, and as this story tells [LINK HERE], our biases often prevent us from accepting opportunities for change. The author of the story came up with a list of 175 cognitive biases that affect us, and placed them into 20 categories. It was further refined into four classes that include “What should we remember;” Need to act fast;” “Too much information;” and Not enough meaning.”
As we try to convince policy makers and administrator of the already proven benefits of a trauma-informed public policy, we run into cognitive biases. We find the resisters. If they are willing to go to the same lengths to resist change as my executive was, you can understand why the pace of change is slow.
But, if we understand a process for helping to encourage change, we might improve the pace of change a little bit. Or if we do it wrong, we can slow it down a lot.
Resistance is a phrase we use while we are introducing the “Lean Management system” in an organization. Lean Management is a deep cultural change and is rarely taught in the U.S. I tried to introduce the concept to the dean of the University of Alaska Fairbanks Business School sometime around 2007. I was not successful. Today, the University of Anchorage Alaska has a Lean program and teaches one course. It’s a course in becoming a Six Sigma green belt. Almost every Six Sigma implementation I have seen has failed, including two medical facilities I know about. There are reasons for this, and they are covered in the graphic shown by the article.
How can we facilitate change? Education and information is critical. The University of Colorado’s Tri-Ethnic Center developed a strategy for facilitating change referred to as “The Community Readiness Model.” [LINK HERE]. There are other change models that exist, but what I have been attempting to do is to educate enough people, along with other early adopters, until we hit what Malcolm Gladwell refers to as “The Tipping Point.” [LINK HERE]
My point is to inform readers to be patient and present as much factual information and data as you can. We are making a difference, albeit slowly.
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