Another example of Shaping the Path

The last few weeks, I have been talking about "sw!tch," a book that outlines strategies for changes that actually work.  These changes fall into one of three categories:  Direct the rider (the rational side of people); motivate the elephant (the emotional side), or shape the path.
Here's another education example that uses the concept of Shaping the Path.


Natalie Elder took on the job of improving student achievement in an elementary school that had the worst test scores in the state of Tennessee.  After taking some of the usual steps to address behavior issues that impeded learning--suspending students, involving pollice when egregious rule breaking occurred--she realized that these actions were not going to get the results she wanted.


She focused on changing the way the day started.  She and her staff became valets, greeting every student as they arrived; saying hello to parents who were dropping off their children, escorting all children to the cafeteria.  This simple change meant the day was starting at a better place for the students.  In the process, she created an environment that allowed children to be good.  Students who were previously seen as "bad" suddenly started acting like "good" kids.


Small, simple changes that can make a difference.  Sometimes we are so focused on the end game that we cannot see how small steps can make a big difference.  How can you address the needs of the riders and elephants in your organization?  How can you shape the path so that you have a better chance of actually getting the change you seek.

How to change the little things

I've just finished reading a fascinating new book about change, "sw!tch: when change is hard."  Rather than focusing on the difficulties of change, the book outlines strategies for small changes that can make a big difference.  The authors, Chip and Dan Heath, outline three main concepts to consider when working on change: The rider (the rational side of people); the elephant (the emotional side) and the path (the environment in which the change will take place).  The Heaths ask us to consider that the change has less to do with plans and more to do with people.  Like Bridges, "Transitions," "sw!tch" focuses on the behavior of the individuals who need to implement the change.  In "Transitions," Bridges talks about how you need to give people space to make sense of the change before they can embrace it.  The Heath brothers drill down a bit further, outlining strategies to use when considering big changes.

Several education examples are included and I will summarize them over the next few posts.  The first involves a third grade teacher whose first classroom is made up struggling first graders.  This teacher, Crystal Jones, wanted her students to see themselves as successes, so she announced that by the end of the year they would be third graders, not in the literal sense, but in the sense that their reading ability would improve such that they would possess third grade reading skills.  She started calling her students "scholars."  By the end of the school year, 90 percent of the students were reading at a third grade level.  Jones had used one of the strategies that addresses the rider:  she made the goal clear and humongous.  She created a giant destination postcard:  reading at a third grade level by the end of the year, a goal that was irresistible to her students.  By engaging their riders, Crystal was able to change the future of the students in her classroom.

Accentuate the positive

You've got to accentuate the positive
Eliminate the negative
Latch on to the affirmative
Don't mess with Mister In-Between
(Lyrics from a song made popular by Bing Crosby in the 1940s)

Positive? In today's competitive, supercharge environment, where there is no room for mistakes; no
time for do overs?

Well, it turns out that people are more productive when they focus on their strengths.  
Twenty-two percent of respondents indicated that they were likely to be disengaged when their 
manager primarily focused on their weaknesses. When their manager focused on their 
strengths, just one percent were like to be disengaged. (From Strengths Finders 2.0 by Tom
Rath).

If we expect our stakeholders to engage with us to solve the complex challenges we face, we need
to find ways to support, rather than criticize their efforts.

An interesting book

Policy makers, especially those in education, need to read this book:  The Social Animal: The Hidden Sources of Love, Character, and Achievement, written by David Brooks.


Here are two links that will give you a taste of the book: 


Brook's Tuesday, March 29th column in the New York Times: Tools for Thinking


Brooks's talk at TED 2011