Riding Elephants to New Ground

People want change to happen, but at the same time many worry about the consequences of disturbing the status quo. We are like an elephant and its rider, said professor and psychologist Chip Heath. The rider represents the rational side of our brain and appears to be in charge of the elephant, which represents our emotional side.

"If there's ever a disagreement about direction, the rider won't win the battle. The elephant has a 6-ton advantage."

Heath, the Thrive Foundation for Youth Professor of Organi-zational Behavior at the Stanford Graduate School of Business, was speaking to managers of nonprofits at an institute sponsored by the Stanford Social Innovation Review and the Association of Fundraising Professionals. He was summarizing ideas in his 2010 book Switch: How to Change Things When Change Is Hard, which he coauthored with his brother, Dan, senior fellow at the Center for the Advancement of Social Entrepreneurship at Duke University. Their 2007 book, Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die, was retired from the BusinessWeek bestseller list after two years.

In their new work, the Heaths examine how organizations and communities can create change. First, "direct the rider," Chip said. That means providing clear direction so that people start imagining how the change could work rather than getting mired in overanalysis and debate about whether change should happen. Second, "motivate the elephant" to go down the path by helping people feel that change is desirable and that they are capable of making the change.

Stanford Business magazine

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Riding Elephants to New Ground