Creating change in behavior (culturally or individually) is a challenge for a variety of reasons. This blog has discussed the fact that people don’t fear change, they fear loss. We must also understand the behavior change is a process, not an event. This means that people trying to change their behavior (whether voluntarily or under duress) will follow a specific pattern or process.
There are three specific parts to this process:
- Step 1: You will see old behavior
- Step 2: You will see emotional behavior
- Step 3: you will see new behavior
The best illustration I can offer is a classic example coming from psychology graduate programs.
If we are thirsty, we are accustomed to going to a drink machine, putting in money, hitting a button, and getting the beverage we have selected. This is an established, conditioned pattern of behavior. What happens when we put in our money, hit the button, and nothing comes out?
Most people believe that “others” will punch the machine, kick the machine, curse the machine, etc. These are great examples of emotional behavior – which are Step 2 in the pattern. What close observers learn very quickly is that when a person puts money into a drink machine, hit the button, and nothing comes out, the first thing they do is hit the button again, usually repeatedly, often in disbelief that something has changed. This is an example of Step 1: old behavior.
Only then do you see Step 2: emotional behavior as described above. This emotional behavior is typical of what is associated with loss (in this case the loss of money or the drink that was expected but not received). This emotional experience is why most people fear (if not dread) loss.
Only after the emotional behavior (acting out against the machine) do you get Step 3: new Behavior (i.e., trying to get your money back, going to get your thirst satisfied somewhere else, etc.).
This is a pattern (Step 1: old behavior, Step 2: emotional behavior, Step 3: new behavior) we must learn and memorize if we are going to understand culture shift and behavior change. Why?
Most managers and leaders in a culture are uncomfortable when employees exhibit emotional behavior as a response to a new initiative a culture shift. Some culture leaders will actually back away from a new initiative when they see emotional behavior or believe it would be an error to push forward. When culture leaders understand this pattern of behavior change then they also understand that emotional behavior is what comes before new behavior, offering an opportunity to reward new behavior in the direction of the goal, the new initiative, and/or the new cultural norm.
When culture leaders understand that emotional behavior a step in the process of culture shift, culture shift can occur more smoothly and purposefully.
Keep cultivating your culture!
