Switch - Chip Heath [87]
Action triggers are not foolproof, of course. Teens with a serious smoking habit, for example, did not reap any benefit from setting action triggers to quit smoking. Their nicotine-enhanced habit was simply too strong.
But even though action triggers aren’t perfect, it’s hard to imagine an easier way to make an immediate change more likely. A recent meta-study that analyzed 8,155 participants across 85 studies found that the typical person who set an action trigger did better than 74 percent of people on the same task who didn’t set one.
Instant habits. This is a rare point of intersection between the aspirations of self-help and the reality of science. And you can’t get much more practical. The next time your team resolves to act in a new way, challenge team members to take it further. Have them specify when and where they’re going to put the plan in motion. Get them to set an action trigger. (Then set another one for yourself.)
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How Can You Get Workers to Respect a New Safety Policy?
SITUATION Patti Poppe is a department manager in the General Motors automotive plant in Lordstown, Ohio, and she is struggling with how to roll out a new safety policy. Her department, composed of 950 people, is responsible for welding big pieces of metal onto the skeletal car frames. The work can be dangerous. The edges of the metal are sharp when they come off the presses. If a worker puts his hand on an edge and leans against it, the metal will slice his hand. For that reason, gloves and protective clothing are essential. Also, welders wear goggles, but they are sometimes hurt when sparks fly into their eyes from the side. So the new policy prescribes goggles with protective side shields. The old safety policy was complex and filled with exceptions—for instance, a worker driving a forklift didn’t have to wear safety equipment. Poppe says, “Everyone thinks they fall under the ‘this doesn’t apply to me’ clause.” She is determined to get everyone to take the new policy seriously. (This was a real situation.)
WHAT’S THE SWITCH AND WHAT’S HOLDING IT BACK? Poppe wants the workers to protect themselves from lacerations and sparks. There are three potential barriers. First, the complexity of the old policy may have deterred some workers from embracing it. Remember that what looks like resistance is often a lack of clarity. Poppe needs to script the critical moves. Second, in any safety situation, a “macho” vibe often comes into play. That’s an identity problem. If it seems manlier to ditch the goggles than to wear them, then the Elephant will resist. Third, social pressure is working against safety, because of the “this doesn’t apply to me” sentiment. Poppe needs to flip that social norm. Also, might there be ways to use the environment to cue the right behaviors?
HOW DO WE MAKE THE SWITCH?
• Direct the Rider. 1. Script the critical moves. Poppe threw out the old complicated policy and boiled down the new safety policy to two specific behaviors: (1) Everyone is required to wear hard side shields and safety glasses. (2) No one can expose any bare skin (no shorts or short-sleeve shirts). That’s it. Then Poppe found a way to make these rules very concrete. At an all-hands meeting, she hosted a safety “game show.” A worker was called onstage to be the contestant; he was asked to assess whether a series of models was in compliance with the new safety rules. Some of the models violated the code in subtle ways, such as wearing safety glasses with one eyepiece missing. She invited audience members to help the contestant, and they shouted out answers, thereby rehearsing and absorbing the new behaviors expected of them. 2. Point to the destination. Poppe worried about rationalization, the excuse that “this doesn’t apply to me.” So she created a B&W goal to eliminate the wiggle room. If you were in