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The February issue of Scientific American’s Mind magazine has an interesting news article about identity and behaviour. New research suggests that cloaking oneself in a new identity – even for only a few minutes – can disrupt long-established patterns of behaviour. To conduct the study, psychologists entered the online gaming world and developed new ‘avatar’ identities for volunteer ‘players’ and then got them to do maths tests. From a mix of male and female participants those given a female identity and who competed against two males performed worse and gave up quicker than did those assigned male identities and whose opponents were female.  However the subjects’ real genders did not affect their scores!

Whilst the news item does not elaborate the specifics of how the avatar roles were created or transferred to the volunteer subjects, we know that identity is made up of a number of important factors.  It is who we are, who we see ourselves to be; that is our abilities, beliefs we have about ourselves (ie females are rubbish at maths??!!), our values (a certain form of belief that is non contextual) and our thoughts, as well as our attitudes, emotions and the behaviours and strategies we have adopted for that identity (ie playing dumb to be a female ??!!). 

These are of course, exactly the components we study, deconstruct and reconstruct in experiential modeling (or you could call it experience reprocess engineering!). So this research supports what we find (and have found for the last 25 years) in modeling ability and the structure of experience using NLP.  (Why does it always take the psychologists so much time to catch up with NLP?  my opinion only .. and perhaps a little ‘blind’ at that!!). And what we have found is that the effect of identity and ability is not tied to a lifetime of experiences, and can therefore be deconstructed and taught to others.

In my second interview with David Gordon he talks about how modeling can be used by organisations to improve performance and help organisations become excellent. Drawing on examples of work done modeling technical skills for a patent office, modeling effective team work for a large oil company on an oil platform in the North Sea, and also a modeling study on a CEO to improve leadership communication.  Listen to the 5 min interview below.

Podcast

Changeworks Blog

Communication comes in two flavours: Communication and communication. Communication with big ‘C’ refers to the formal, planned communication programmes; the ‘big splash’, so to speak. By communication (small ‘c’) I am referring to the informal means of communicating with people: word of mouth, role models, mentoring, on the job training, one to one meetings etc. In organisations, we need both types of communication for communication to be powerful and most effective.

An interesting article in the New Scientist magazine, considers the transmission of communication through informal networks. Whilst this article puts an interesting slant on these ‘transmissions’ considering anything from moods (happiness, depression) to habit patterns and illnesses, what is interesting is the subconscious and rapid way that our peers influence our behaviour.

Recent research shows that our moods are far more strongly influenced by those around us than we tend to think. Not only that, we are also beholden to the moods of friends of friends, and of friends of friends of friends – people three degrees of separation away from us who we have never met, but whose disposition can pass through our social network like a virus. The fact that, seemingly, friends and peer groups are more influential than relatives or partners and spouses is even more pertinent to the transmission of communication at work. And gender is important, so the research claims: women observe and are influenced far more by other women and vice versa for men.

So what does this mean for organisational communication? There are two sides to this: the first that we need to recognise how powerful this transmission of ‘influence’ is in the organisation’s informal communication system. If employees are influenced more by those around them – in terms of attitudes, thoughts and behaviour – we need to know how to use this for positive influence in communication and change programmes. We also need to understand that this social influence can both hinder and help change communication programmes. And of course, what applies inside the organisation through informal social networks, applies even more powerfully outside the organisation. Think of the informal influence, negative or positive, that your salesmen, engineers and customer service staff have on your customers every day.

This influence is spread through a process of unconscious imitation – like the reflex action of our nervous system, this imitation by passes any conscious process and is performed highly efficiently by our brain and nervous system without any conscious interference or even awareness. Remember how infectious a smile is? I often walk around with a smile on my face, and I notice other people – complete strangers – smiling at me for no reason at all! I think they are nutters until i realise that they are simply and unconsciously copying me. This process of unconscious imitation – copying of behaviour – that we humans are so beautifully ‘wired up’ to do – facilitates in the ‘modeler’ (the person doing the copying) the experience of the emotion of the model. By copying that person’s smile with my body (facial expression, posture) i experience a ‘pale reflection’ of my model’s emotions. So by copying behaviours, I start to experience the attitudes, emotions and even thoughts of the person I am copying.

And what of the implication for organisational communications? By tapping into the ‘collective intelligence’ of social networks in the organisation we can ‘engineer’ the adoption and spread of new behaviour and cultural change. Viral Change (TM) offers a process for this, but it does require careful planning and facilitation (and an understanding of human behaviour) behind the scenes. Coupled with a strong ‘Communication’ programme, this can be a very powerful way to effect change and communication in organisations.

And what about applying this yourself? Whilst we might not be in complete conscious control of the process of social modelling, our brains take the shortcuts before we even know it; we can choose who we have around us who are likely to influence us. In 2009, do you want to be more happy or more depressed? More successful or more lazy? Whichever you prefer, think carefully about who you have around you – they might be more influential than you think!

Talk to us at Changeworks to find out how we use traditional and new media as well as behavioural change techniques to turn around performance and communication in organisations: info@changeworkscom.co.uk.

I am in the middle of a Viral Change project for a large organisation and, as part of this process, I am talking to employees. I prefer to call these ‘thinking workshops’ rather than focus groups, because I think that the latter term has become cliched. And without encouragement, people perhaps may not think deeply enough about what we ask them.

On that point, I would highly recommend a book that I am reading: ‘Marketing Metaphoria’ by Gerald and Lindsay Zaltman uncovers the deeper metaphors that work behind our deeper thinking.  Zaltman has developed an innovative process for depth interviews and focus groups to elicit people’s unconscious layers of thinking.  You can watch a video of Zaltman talking about this process, with a live example at HBR’s site.  There is also a ‘mock’ written case study to illustrate Zaltman’s point about the risks of failing to think deeply about what consumers are saying.

Whether we are planning internal or external communication, marketing principles apply. However, most marketing practice is based on outdated or incomplete knowledge of how the mind works.  By studying disciplines such as cognitive and behavioural science we can augment and enhance our marketing tools significantly and far apace of our competitors.  But more importantly we can add significant value to our clients in our change communication with them.

I love Zaltman’s book because it is about understanding the deeper structure and meaning behind the words that customers use, and using this to produce deeper level and higher quality managerial thinking. As a coach, I am fully aware of the importance and significance of metaphor in the change process.  For me this book gives me lots of ideas as to take this approach overtly into focus groups and depth interviews as part of a research process for internal change.

Whilst the book relates the concepts to brands and brand development, but there is plenty of application in developing internal communication programmes and certainly in change management.

But remember, deep thinking is hard work: have you got the courage to face the deep?

Communication is often more about what we do than what we say. When it comes to behavioural change we communicate more effectively by living and breathing the behaviour that we want to see in others. Albert Bandura, a leading social psychologist, has spent his entire life proving this.

Bandura proposed that people learn by observation, rather than by taking direct action and being given rewards or punishments. Back in the ’60′s, when he was doing his research with the Bobo doll experiments, his opinion was sidelined but through a lifetime dedicated to proving his theory in every conceivable field he has become the leading proponent of the role of social modelling on human motivation.  His model stresses the importance of cognition and self regulatory/self reflective processes in adaptation and change in human beings.

Bandura’s theory has been used in everything from phobia cures to social transformation.  And it is certainly useful to consider in organisational change and change communication. A pivotal concept is the influence that positive role models have over the behaviour of others; particularly when those role models are considered to be ‘people like us’. This is also highly motivational in application because it essentially gives people control back over their choices concerning behaviour and action. This is highly empowering giving them the self efficacy where they will believe (or come to believe) they have the ability to influence and change things by changing their own behaviour.

Positive role models can be used to overcome established norms and culture and new behaviours, attitudes and beliefs will ensue, which will ultimately result in a tipping point in cultural change. This is by no means recommending a ‘brain wash’ approach, because it is critical that people have a choice in change. However through modelling a variety of behaviours, both good and bad examples, and influencing and rewarding the right behaviour, individuals can find their own path to the end journey.

Certainly Bandura’s theories are useful when applied to the Viral Change approach.  In particular, by sharing the stories of those who have struggled with change and bringing their journey through the process of struggle to successful change to life, others can see that ‘people like me’ have had their own challenges and this encourages them to persevere. This sharing of experiences and journeys instills the belief that people have the efficacy to overcome their own challenges.

Here is a interesting broadcast on BBC Radio 4′s Mind Changers programme talking about the work of Bandura and how his theories and principles are being used in mass communication, such as Radio and TV, to produce society-wide changes based on social modelling and thereby bringing about dramatic changes to global problems.

Talk about this topic through commenting on this article.

Whilst managers are important in the communication of change and in modelling behavioural change, they also play a criticial role in opening up dialogue within the organisation.  Managers do not always have the coaching skills to open up coaching conversations, even less so to encourage those crucial conversations (instead of shying away from them). If managers can be coached to open up such organisational conversations, dialogue, involvement and engagement will follow soon enough.

Coupled with this, viral change is an innovative and highly effective new approach to managing behavioural change in organisations.  Essentially, a small set of non negotiable behaviours are defined and a process to encourage and spread these behaviours is adopted. These behaviours are imitated, endorsed by a small network of people, and this spreads new ways of doing things, quickly and effectively.  Its strength lies in peer to peer networks, supported by dialogue and conversation, to create sustainable changes and spread and internal ‘infection’ of success.

The approach, masterminded by Leandro Herro, relies on the organisation behind the org chart.  75% of work conversations occur in the social networks and collaborative space that are active behind the scenes.  And relies for its ‘infection’ on the small number of people who have LOTS of connections (we all know one of those).

Coupled with use of metaphor, storytelling, logical levels of change and other tools, this is truly a powerful way of changing culture in a positive (and almost fun) way within a few months (honestly).

You can find out more at the Chartered Institute of Public Relations internal comms conference.  Go to our facebook event:
http://www.new.facebook.com/event.php?eid=37381415459

Or the CIPR’s event page: www.cipr.co.uk/internalcomms

Watch and listen to Leandro Herrero on Youtube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0pNsgyFJNYU

Or visit Leandro’s blog: http://www.viralchange.net/

And let’s open up debate, argument, dialogue, share you approaches, thoughts to open up conversation about this topic.  Email me on sue@changeworksblog.com or simply post a comment.