Executing Change with Nudging
Have you ever heard of the name Ignaz Semmelweis?
Most people haven't, even though we're all familiar with his work. He was a Hungarian physician who demonstrated that childbed fever (puerperal fever) was contagious and could be minimized by medical personnel using the appropriate hand-washing procedures.
It seems like Dr. Semmelweis was headed towards medical fame and history, right? Unfortunately, when he gave a public lecture on his findings, he was met with hostility from the medical community. His discovery conflicted with exisitng medical knowledge and leading medical experts such as Dr. Charles Meigs: “Doctors are gentlemen, and gentlemen’s hands are clean.” [1]
Some even went as far as to say that washing hands between patients would be a huge waste of their time, even if he was right. Semmelweis eventually suffered a nervous breakdown and was committed to a mental institution where he died in 1865.
While not every new idea faces the bitter end that Semmelweis did, people can be reluctant to accept new ideas that change their established views.
The Nudge Technique
Maybe if Semmelweis had worked on his nudging technique, history might have turned out differently. Instead of simply telling his colleagues that they were wrong, he could have explained the situation and provided them with the facts to support his theory, but allowing his peers to arrive at his conclusion by themselves. Here are some simple tips to help you:
- Don't make announcements: Instead, create brainstorming sessions or other group meetings, and then invite the group to come up with a solution while guiding them towards your conclusion.
- Plan ahead. Prepare for comments and concerns about your idea and have multiple solutions available. “A nudge is any aspect of the choice architecture that alters people’s behaviour in a predictable way without forbidding any options or significantly changing their economic consequences.” [2]
- Beware of Confirmation Bias: “A predisposition to accepting information that confirms one’s opinions or conclusions rather than information that is contradictory.”[3]
The Problems
- People resist change.
- Some may be offended or threatened by change to their established methods.
- Any new idea, no matter how logical, needs to be thoroughly prepared and presented.
Preparation
- Work out a simple, but complete explanation ahead of time. Numbered steps, providing examples, and illustrations are crucial in getting people to understand your concept.
- Utilize the technique of nudging. People are always more willing to accept an idea if they believe they had a part in creating it.
- Play the devil’s advocate. Brainstorm all potential problems and pitfalls that others may put forward. Prepare answers for any situation.
- If possible, give a practice presentation to colleagues or friends. Ask them to be a hostile audience so you can practice remaining calm while explaining your idea patiently.
- Believe in yourself. Confidence shows; if you believe in your idea and you have prepared ahead of time, you provide yourself with the best chance of success. If you seem unsure of yourself, or haven’t done the homework, people will pick up on it.
[1] Wertz, Richard W.; Wertz, Dorothy C. (1989). Lying-in: a history of childbirth in America. Yale University Press. p. 122.
[2] Kim Ly, Nina Mažar, Min Zhao and Dilip Soman (2013). A Practitioner’s Guide to Nudging. Rotman School of Management, University of Toronto. p5
[3] Kim Ly, Nina Mažar, Min Zhao and Dilip Soman (2013). A Practitioner’s Guide to Nudging. Rotman School of Management, University of Toronto. p17
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