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Jonah Berger reveals how young professionals can implement their ideas - and thus change the world of work

2020-10-28T13:59:47.606Z


Newcomers to a company often have ideas of what could be done differently. But how do you implement them? Jonah Berger knows - he's into the science of change.


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Even those who are new to the job can help shape the working environment themselves

Photo: Ani Dimi / Stocksy United

Young people grew up digitally, many want to protect the environment and counteract social injustice - this also affects their career choices.

But what if you run into old-fashioned company structures in your first job that contradict all of them?

How can you help shape a company yourself?

Jonah Berger, 40, has answers to these questions.

As a marketing professor, he deals with the 

science of change

and examines how people can convince and influence others.

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Jillian Clark

Jonah Berger

 is a professor at the Wharton Business School at the University of Pennsylvania in the United States.

In March 2020 his book "The Catalyst: How to Change Anyone's Mind" was published.

SPIEGEL: 

Mr. Berger,

Your book is subtitled "How to Change Anyone's Mind", which translates as "How to Change Everyone's Mind".

Do you really think that is possible? 

Jonah Berger:

 While researching my book, I saw people fundamentally change their minds.

Democrats became Republicans and vice versa.

I spoke to leaders who influenced the attitudes of their employees and to employees who had convinced their superiors.

That showed me that even a profound change is possible - for everyone.

It just doesn't happen all of a sudden, not with the snap of a finger.

"People tend to do the opposite of what we want them to do"

Jonah Berger

SPIEGEL:

 But?

Berger: 

Change is a process, the principles of this process have to be understood first.

What makes people rethink their views and behavior?

It usually doesn't help to urge others to fill them with facts, reasons, and information.

They certainly don't change anything if we tell them to;

People tend to do the opposite of what we want them to do.

Rather, one should ask oneself why someone has not yet changed their mind, what is holding them back and why they are not being convinced.

It's like driving a car: someone gets in, wants to drive off, but nothing happens.

As a rule, accelerating does not help much - it is much more efficient to release the handbrake.

Recognize and overcome barriers

SPIEGEL:

 Let's assume I want to change my boss or a colleague's mind.

What hand brakes could there be?

Berger: 

Changing people's minds in a work context works the same way as with friends or parents.

Five barriers need to be removed:

First, the defensive attitude people take when we try to influence them.

Instead, we should get them to see for themselves.

Second, sticking to the status quo.

So we have to show why change is needed.

Third, the distance.

In order for people to change something, they need a point of contact that is not too far removed from the reality of their lives.

Also, fourth, we need to reduce uncertainty and, fifth, provide evidence to support our idea, such as positive examples from other companies.

"A change process must be broken down into small steps"

SPIEGEL:

 A specific example: I'm starting a new company and want to turn it inside out to be climate-neutral.

How can I achieve this?

Berger: 

Definitely not if you want to implement it immediately.

The executives in the company will be deterred and think: To become climate neutral is just too far away for us, it is too far away from how we currently work.

So you'd better start small and suggest a first step in this direction that is easy to implement - and so try to win over your colleagues to your climate-neutral approaches.

Only then can you move on to the next stages.

It is important to ask for less first, but not to be satisfied with it in the long term, but to ask for more and more.

A change process must be broken down into small steps.

Hierarchies are not an obstacle

SPIEGEL:

 And that also works for my boss, that is, for someone who is way above me in the hierarchy and who has a lot more experience?

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Title: The Catalyst: How to Change Anyone's Mind

Editor: Simon & Schuster

Number of pages: 288

Author: Berger, Jonah

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Berger: 

People in management positions often think they know better.

Also because you are younger, you may not trust your suggestions and think that something like that couldn't work.

I talked about this for my book with a newcomer to a job at a large bank in Poland.

He wanted to change how the bank treats its customers and thus improve the customer experience.

You should feel personally addressed and thus in good hands with the bank.

But his boss was of the opinion that this was not important to the customers.

So the young bank employee found out when the boss's birthday is, how long he has worked in the bank and where he is going on vacation.

From then on, the whole company celebrated his birthday and anniversary, and they even gave him a hat for his upcoming hiking holiday. 

SPIEGEL:

 How did that help him to implement his idea?

Berger:

 After a few weeks, the employee spoke again about personal customer loyalty.

When the boss reacted skeptically again, he asked how he had felt about the little attentions.

And the boss found that he actually felt that his colleagues looked after him and that he was in better hands in the bank.

Through the first-hand experience, he understood the employee's idea - and changed his mind, the idea was adopted.

This story shows that it is important to find out how leaders can experience what we want for themselves.

This is how we convince them.

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Source: spiegel

All news articles on 2020-10-28

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