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Switch: How to Change Things When Change Is…
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Switch: How to Change Things When Change Is Hard (original 2010; edition 2010)

by Chip Heath (Author), Dan Heath (Author)

MembersReviewsPopularityAverage ratingMentions
2,892674,807 (4.05)17
Provides a tangible, workable framework for how to effect cultural change when one has limited resources, time, or other constraining factors.

An interesting anecdote: When I started this book, the very beginning references a study by a particular researcher. I recognized the name immediately, as someone who (after the publication of this book) was found to have flat-out made up the data used in his groundbreaking studies. I wonder if that includes the one cited, also? But we may never know. ( )
  jarlalex | Nov 28, 2020 |
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This book followed Drive pretty quickly on my reading list. Switch was more applicable to my everyday work because I had specific habits of teaching that needed to change. The tips given by Chip and Dan Heath were actionable, measurable, and accomplishable. Much more applicable than bigger ideas about motivation in other books on the same topic. ( )
  ohheybrian | Dec 29, 2023 |
How to engineer change—a refreshing shift in my perspective after writing a book about how to navigate change.

A clear explanation of the aspects involved in change—reason, emotion, the path, with illustrations of successful applications of wisdom that takes these aspects into account. Illuminating and educational read that kept me engaged throughout. ( )
  rebwaring | Aug 14, 2023 |
A good new year book. I found the concept of bright spot thinking/problem solving to be particularly interesting, could be very useful at work. ( )
  beentsy | Aug 12, 2023 |
As in almost every case, the contemporary American approach to well-known topics relate to (not only) organisational behaviour is the one of focusing on a few, powerful metaphors and using them to refresh old concepts. This book is no exception: here the topic is change management, the concepts are the role of clear objectives, motivation and environment and the metaphors are "the rider", "the elephant", "the path". ( )
  d.v. | May 16, 2023 |
Switch has just the right balance of background and tips for a practical book. These two factors combine to generate a framework for causing change that is easy to remember, yet thorough enough to feel like it will be effective. This book is definitely going on my shortlist of leadership and communication books to read again. ( )
  eri_kars | Jul 10, 2022 |
What problem does this book attempt to address?
When people are unsuccessful at implementing change in their personal lives or in their organizations, they may be lacking the necessary components found in most successful changes. The book lays out what these components are, the different techniques for recognizing and implementing them, and how to use them together to greatly increase the probability of managing a change successfully.

Content
· Concept explanation: Exceptional concepts, average explanation
· Related stories: Many
· Data references and studies: Average
· Charts and graphics: One
· Practical application: Average

Writing Style & Presentation
· Tone: Laid-back
· Organization: Average
· Flow: Average, at times confusing.

It is apparent that the authors spent a great deal of effort to provide extremely high quality content. The concepts themselves are very well thought out and all their main points work together harmoniously. While research studies and references to other works are present, the book focuses prominently on a wide array of stories of individuals who successfully implemented a change and why they were successful.

I assume the reasoning behind providing so many stories is that if the reader is stuck in their own change situation, they will find one or two that really speak to their situation and help them. However, I found that the amount of detail and the overall number of these stories began to make it more challenging stay on track. The main points sometimes felt mixed up together. This is fine after you learn the concepts and you are practicing recognizing them, but it makes it more difficult when you are first learning. I think that shorter snippets of the stories with emphasis just on the main point of that section would have been a more effective way to present the information.

Tangentially, many of the chapter sections start with a story, without first giving the reader a hint as to what they should be paying attention for. The amount of background and details provided for each story made me question what the purpose of the story was until I got to the end and they explained it. I don't know if there were just too many stories or if the presentation was the reason it felt that way. All the stories did provide value. There were none I felt that shouldn't have been included based on utility. Again, the high-quality of work that went into this book is quite apparent. That being said, it is possible to have too much of a good thing.

Lastly, there is one chart at the end of Part 3 that lays out all the concepts in one place. This was extremely helpful. I think building this into the other two parts would have helped with the organizational feel of the book.

Bringing It All Together

One thing done extraordinarily well in this book is having all three main points work together cohesively. This was not just three random pieces of advice that were put in the same book. These pieces took one change theory, broke it down into three concepts that built off each other, and then took those concepts and broke each one into actionable steps. I was very impressed by how well this was done.

As I addressed earlier, one thing that could have been done better was the presentation of the material.

One main thing I took away from this book was that although the changes people are trying to implement may seem wildly different depending on circumstances and goals, this change theory underlies all of them. If you are struggling with an ineffective change, it may require a lot of brainstorming and trial-and=error, but making sure you have a solid foundation is half the battle.

Favorite Quote

“What's working and how can we do more of it?"

Overall Recommendation

Overall recommendation: 4/5

Who I would recommend this book for: Someone who has been trying to implement an organizational change but has been unsuccessful or met with resistance thus far.

Who I wouldn’t recommend this book for: Someone looking to make a change in their individual life or habits. Not that this book would make it harder to change, but it would probably be better in conjunction with a book that is a little more hands-on, such as Kerry Patterson's book Change Anything. ( )
  Elizabeth_Wells | Nov 30, 2021 |
Just ok. The research already seems a bit dated. ( )
  readingjag | Nov 29, 2021 |
Decent work. The problem was that I had heard many of these stories before and a lot of that same methodology is used in The Influencer which I liked better. Whichever one you read first you will probably like the best. ( )
  OutOfTheBestBooks | Sep 24, 2021 |
Some useful concepts. ( )
  SeekingApatheia | Apr 13, 2021 |
Pretty decent for a book I read for work (I tend to think of this kind of nonfiction with distaste). The framework laid out in this book is simple and pragmatic, and the book is full of useful real-world examples demonstrating the principles is puts forward. It's not a beach read exactly, but if you're trying to find better ways of driving change in an organization, I think it's worth a skim. ( )
  dllh | Jan 6, 2021 |
So many managerial books assume that you have everything you need to succeed (authority, budget, motivated employees, etc) other that what they're about to tell you. Very few of them even attempt to help you when you aren't in a position of power, and don't have the time, the cash, or the help, to accomplish what you want. Switch isn't one of those books.

Here, the focus is on being aware of what you do have, as well as thinking laterally - how can you accomplish what you want when it _isn't_ easy (see the subtitle). It mixes in a number of real-world stories that will stick in your mind showing what others have done.

If there are any downsides to this book, it's that I'd love to see even more examples and be given more of the cognitive toolkit to apply this broadly (but how much of a downside is it that a book is so good it leaves you wanting even more?). As it stands, you have to put in some work to really integrate this into how you think about problems, but it's effort well invested. ( )
  patswanson | Dec 22, 2020 |
Practical, straightforward advice with great examples to illustrate the ideas. This book is perfect for anyone that wants to change anything in their life, and finds that change is hard or even impossible to get to happen. I'm putting the ideas in this book to use immediatly. I only wish I had read it sooner! ( )
  pedstrom | Dec 22, 2020 |
Provides a tangible, workable framework for how to effect cultural change when one has limited resources, time, or other constraining factors.

An interesting anecdote: When I started this book, the very beginning references a study by a particular researcher. I recognized the name immediately, as someone who (after the publication of this book) was found to have flat-out made up the data used in his groundbreaking studies. I wonder if that includes the one cited, also? But we may never know. ( )
  jarlalex | Nov 28, 2020 |
Looks at what is involved in making changes in human behavior. ( )
  addunn3 | Sep 21, 2020 |
I registered a book at BookCrossing.com!
http://www.BookCrossing.com/journal/10527354
  slojudy | Sep 8, 2020 |
Change is hard because the emotions are more powerful than logic.
Trying to change by will power alone will not work because willpower is exhaustible.
Change is most effective when both logic and emotion are involved.

I found it a bit annoying that he used nonstandard terminology
Rider=logic
Elephant=emotion

it seems to be based on sound principles and knowledge of how the human works.

I listened to it as an audiobook that my wife bought. She liked it so much that I bought her a hardcover edition.
( )
  bread2u | Jul 1, 2020 |
So this is the first of the books I had to read for my training this summer. I have to say that "Switch" was my favorite just because it really gets down into why change is hard for people and organizations. And it shows how small changes can build into such big successes. I am at an organization right now going through some upheaval since our boss was let go after our employee feedback survey and overall morale dropped over three years. Of course looking back now and after completing my training I can point out where things went wrong. Ignoring feedback from employees, refusing to adjust to others and listen, having "process" improvements every couple of months and not sticking with one approach, etc. It's no wonder I was full of stress and would wake up grinding my teeth.

The book really focuses on what is called the elephant, the rider, and the path. And that the elephant for many of us are dealing with emotions. The rider is supposed to be the rational part of yourself. And the path is where you want the elephant to go. Well you would think that it would be pretty easy to steer an elephant right? Nope. It's really hard. In fact it takes a lot to control the elephant so that you can get to the path you want to go.

The Heath's do a great job of putting in a ton of case study work in this book that I found fascinating. My favorite was of the man given a finite amount of time to improve nutrition and pretty much solve hunger in I believe it was Thailand. And then him realizing after studying mothers in some villages how they were able to make sure that their children were fed and not suffering from malnutrition. He had those mothers show the other mothers and from there all of this knowledge was passed on. It seems like such a small thing, but it wasn't.

I have dealt with some employees this past year that I want them to get on the path and I know it's my job to keep control of my elephant so that I don't show frustration or impatience and have to clearly show them why the path in the end will be worth it. It definitely helped me rethink some things and how I interact with others. ( )
  ObsidianBlue | Jul 1, 2020 |
Easily one of the best books I have ever read. Accessible, entertaining, provokitive and ultimately actionable on a variety of levels. Want to change aspects of your work, your relationships and/or your personal life? This book would be a great guide. I bought this book and am having my staff read it. Oh and if you haven't already read: [b:Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die|69242|Made to Stick Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die|Chip Heath|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1333579841s/69242.jpg|1472304] read that one too. ( )
  Skybalon | Mar 19, 2020 |
I'm pretty sure these kind of books are made on an assembly line. ( )
  graffiti.living | Nov 20, 2018 |
All the interesting bits of [b:Nudge|2527900|Nudge Improving Decisions About Health, Wealth, and Happiness|Richard H. Thaler|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1255616605s/2527900.jpg|2535409] and [b:The Paradox of Choice|10639|The Paradox of Choice Why More Is Less|Barry Schwartz|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1166254436s/10639.jpg|1157840], plus interesting bits of books I hadn't read yet (and might never have). A good synthesis of what keeps people -- and therefore businesses -- from making changes to their habits, with a clear, memorable hook. An enjoyable (!) business read. ( )
  akaGingerK | Sep 30, 2018 |
really good ideas for how to approach problems ( )
  margaretfield | May 30, 2018 |
I read this book for two reasons. First, it was a selection on the 2014 Air Force Chief of Staff Reading List, and second, a coworker recommended it. As a management engineer, change is my job, or I should say, getting people, functions, and businesses to change is my job, and I’m interested in books like this and how I can apply concepts and ideas presented. There were some interesting theories and notions in this book, but it is highly repetitive and somewhat tedious.

“Switch” suffers from three main problems. First, it focuses on techniques to facilitate change in organizations and individuals, and while it occasionally cites interesting work in cognitive and social psychology, the justification for the techniques is anecdotal: “Technique X worked at company Y in particular instance Z, and so it’s obviously a valid technique that’s always applicable.” There’s no attempt at any sort of rigorous scientific testing of such a claim. For example, the authors claim that you cannot focus on why a proposed change is failing to take hold, but must instead identify the pockets where change is working, figure out why it works there, and then emulate the successes elsewhere. They describe several case studies where this approach has led to successful change, including a project to improve childhood nutrition in Vietnam, and an intervention with a misbehaving ninth grader. Finding the bright spots is a good thing to do, but the hypothesis that it is always the best approach, that it will always trump analysis and correction of failure, is simply ludicrous. Anyone trained in the proper use of the scientific method will want to scream at instance after instance of this type of claim without support.

The second problem with “Switch” is the use of overly-cute language. The book’s central claim is that effective change requires three things: engaging the rational, data-driven perspective of the people who must make the change; ensure they have an emotional stake in the change; and make the change process as easy as possible for them by manipulating the environment. To describe this triad of requirements, the authors use a metaphorical rider (the rational perspective) on an elephant (the emotional component) moving down a path (the change context). They use this metaphor in paragraph after paragraph, until their message is drowned out by the cutesy language. This pervades the book, even beyond the rider-elephant-path triad. For example, near the end of the book, where they’re describing how to keep change momentum going, they talk about positive reinforcement, and provide the example of a monkey trainer who rewards her charge with bits of mango for each small action she performs correctly. A page or two later, they proclaim “If you want your boss or your team to change, you better get a little less stingy with the mango.” Seriously?

This book is about twice as long as it needed to be to convey its key points, but “Switch” does contain some common-sense approaches to effecting change. It presents some reasonable change strategies, and having them in one’s change-management toolbox is a good thing. But surely there is a way to present them without using silly, repetitive language, and without claiming that these are the only effective ways to create change. ( )
  ssimon2000 | May 7, 2018 |
I heard about this book from one of the speakers at the Save the Children Action Network advocacy summit in DC last month, and snatched it up on Overdrive as soon as I could. The number and variety of specific examples were good. I was *this close* to finishing this morning when I stopped to set up an experiment inspired by the book. Wish me luck! 😉

P.S. When I matched my audio bookmarks with the Kindle/print, I could see how poorly the book is written/edited. As I enjoyed the content, I'm glad that I read the book by ear. If I had read the print edition, I'm not sure I would have finished the book. Yikes! ( )
  joyblue | Apr 10, 2018 |
This book took me about 6 weeks to read, which is almost unheard of for me. I definitely needed to read this book in very short doses. I also altered my reading schedule several times to get my daily reading for this book in with confidence.

Despite all of that, I still really enjoyed the book. I found the focus on different aspects of individual and/or organizational change intriguing and easy to identify with. I enjoyed the use of scientific studies to support ideas the authors brought forward (as a scientist, I love when credibility is improved this way).

I would recommend this book to individuals looking to take action steps for making change. I believe change begins with your mindset, and therefore this book isn't right for someone who has not already decided and dedicated their mind to change. ( )
  startwithgivens | Mar 21, 2018 |
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