Switch: How to Change Things When Change Is Hard

Switch takes an ancient metaphor that Jonathan Haidt uses in "The Happiness Hypothesis" and elaborates on it for an entire book. Using plenty of real-life examples and up-to-date research references, Chip and Dan Heath provide a pattern that can be readily followed to help people and organizations make changes -- in themselves, their places of work, an industry or in entire countries.

The Heaths' focus on one aspect of human nature that we all share and we all sometimes struggle with in a way that is very accessible and relate-able to anyone. They've reduced a complex behavioral phenomenon to basic outcomes without getting bogged down in all the intricacies of the behavior or the root sources/causes of the behavior.

You will be able to immediately apply each piece of the book as soon as you read it, whether to yourself, a loved-one, in your place of work or with clients. You will better understand why appealing to the thinking without appealing to the emotion is an exercise in frustration -- and a much longer route to take -- rather than dealing with both. You will better understand how to leverage the thinking (intellect, logic, reasoning, etc.) to help move the emotion in beneficial ways. And, you will better understand what differentiates successful from unsuccessful appeals for making changes.

Forget the following notions:
- People don't want to change.
WRONG.
People make changes all the time.

- Dealing with people on an emotional level is demeaning and over-simplifying complex matters.
WRONG.
Nearly every move we make ultimately gets checked against our emotional response to our decisions, whether we realize it or not. Not dealing with people on an emotional level as well as the "intellectual" level can be traced to most conflicts and failures.

- Will power is enough to make long-term changes. People who can't stick to a change are simply lacking the discipline to exercise their will power.
WRONG.
Will power alone can only make very small, short-term changes at best. Will power has a very small supply, takes a while to replenish, and can only "fool" emotions for a short time. Meanwhile, the emotions have a nearly inexhaustible supply, are constantly replenishing and are "active" whether will power is being applied or not. Long-term change is only attained when will power is used to make small, frequent, consistent changes to allow the emotions to align with the desired outcomes.

Best of all... Switch gives keys to doors I (and probably many other readers) stopped trying to open.

An interesting book and I definitely enjoyed it. The authors answered questions that I was thinking while I was reading. Very intuitive and thoroughly written. I would definitely recommend this book if you are looking to make a change.

So many applications in life, not just business. I've already started using some of the techniques at home with my husband and kids, unbeknownst to them. I'm doing the same at work. I'm a technical program manager and getting projects initiated and executed is so difficult. I'm always fighting against scope creep. I'm using this book for a new framework and approach to everything I do at work. It's my 2011 path to success.
I read a lot of non-fiction and this one is EXCELLENT! I highly recommend it. I'm into my second reading right now and taking notes this round.

I haven't read the Heath brothers' first book, so I didn't know what to expect. For full disclosure, let me say that I saw a promotion to get an advanced copy of the book for free, filled in my contact information, and was selected (apparently along with 10,000 other people) to get it. So, I didn't pay for the book. I've since bought the book to give to an executive at the university where my husband teaches. And he's giving it to other executives.

The book is a great read but more than that, it's inspiring. The Heaths tell stories of people who successfully changed situations and weave the stories into a series of principles that anyone can use to implement positive change. The story that stands out takes place in Vietnam; it involves solving the problem of malnutrition in children there. I won't say more, except that it will warm your heart.

Of course, the practical principles that the authors derive from the stories are what you'll be able to use to effect change in your own life or organization. If change is important to your success, I highly recommend this book. Like me, I think you'll start giving it out to others.

I've been a change management consultant to Fortune 500 companies for about 20 years, including 5 years with one of "the big four" firms. Of all the books I've read, this is the one I recommend to people when they want to learn about change management. It's not a typical "how to" book. Instead, it's an entertaining read full of incredibly useful principles that are easy to remember. I often find myself thinking about how to "motivate the elephant" and "lay the path". The principles apply in all sorts of various contexts too.

Very interesting concept using an elephant and person and a path to help you understand will power or rather, how to make change happen. Lots of interesting examples in all different lines of business settings as well as personal, like eating.

Switch is a great book -- one or two levels above the usual pop-psych, pop-business improvement books. The elephant/driver/pathway paradigm is very useful in helping rethink relationships from spouse to boss to clients (congregants, in my case).

You know what I really like about Switch -- it includes intellect, emotions and gut reactions in its analysis, and suggests simple solutions to huge problems. The examples are also very helpful.

This book offers a number of powerful behavioral tools to use in difficult situations. Several reviewers touch on the strong points of this book already. I concur with almost everything good that's been written about this book. One of the strengths of this book is the interplay between stories, discussion of science, and "clinics" where the reader is invited to go along and try to solve, with the authors, the protagonist's problems. Using a behavioral approach does indeed lead to significant changes. For a couple stuck in a negative rut this book would be great. Women suffering from domestic violence who find it very hard to leave the abuser, on the other hand, could find the wrong kind of encouragement in this book. It is precisely because they focus on the "bright spots" that they stay, often with fatal results.

Then there is the guy who used drugs in Viet Nam and to use the language of the 12 step movement, when he comes home, he essentially pulls a "geographic". People who's drug abuse falls away as easily as is described here are not addicts. Addiction is a brain disease. Animals who are addicted will die of thirst with free access to water because they can only access either the drug or water not both. Those suffering from real addictions are not helped by looking at the bright spots, tweaking the environment or even pulling a geographic. Attention to people places and things are definitely part of recovery. But before the problem can be addressed, it must be admitted. Half measures are of no avail. Too often have I seen the parents and spouses and children tormented with false and toxic hope to let this one pass without a comment. Nor are most are not helped by an incremental approach. There is a caution that these approaches might not be enough for teens addicted to nicotine. This of course carries the implication that the approaches described might work in adults suffering from nicotine or other addictions.

The authors are making their sales pitch so emphasis is not placed on cautions or concerns. The caution needs to be louder and clearer. The authors don't want us all to leave thinking this book solves all problems and if it doesn't its because it was misapplied do they?

If you are looking for a book on change management, look no further. I read it and then shared it with the leaders who work for me. It has literally changed how we approach what we do everyday. The book is written in an easy to follow format that is pretty lighthearted and provides a lot of examples that are very relatable

I appreciated that this book used story-telling and analogy to provide ideas on how to motivate others (or ourselves) to change. The elephant and rider analogy resonated with me and now that I've heard that analogy I now see it appear in everyday situations in my work and personal life. The book provides practical advice and delivers it in an interesting and memorable way.

The Heath Bros along with Gladwell and a few others are my favorite authors. Very detailed analytical work with the theory, practical application and story for every lesson. Beautifully laid out gents.

Derrick Lawson

I really enjoyed reading this boo. I think it helps you to understand better why most people are resistant to change and how to deal with it. It is worth reading whether you want to change something in your personal life, family or your work place.
It uses lots of good documented examples that makes it even easier to relate to.
The authors are witty and entertaining.

Lots of clearly presented short stories to illustrate three key ideas to understanding what you can work with to accomplish a change -- in your home relationships, work and business situations and even cultural shifting. The rider, the elephant, and the path. Very empowering. Should be taught in all high schools.

This was excellent and with great insights for understanding change and causing (in ones self and in others) and fantastic methods of putting the right context in place to encourage changes. Absolutely a great book. Thanks Chip and Dan.

This brother writing duo writes with great clarity and uses great examples to illustrate their points. I've read Decisive, made to Stick and Switch from these two, and they are all better than most of the shorter articles that you might have seen published by this team. Heartily recommend.

Chip and Dan Heath have compiled some compelling evidence of the way humans process changes. Their intention is to provide helpful ideas for implementing tough changes in a variety of professional settings. The book concedes that humans are universally resistant to change. This is what makes big shifts in procedures, policies, options and other work-related routines so difficult to accomplish. But while people balk at the idea of change because of their emotional reactions, the authors believe that, if approached correctly, the same emotional connection can have the reverse effect and actually push the change forward.

The authors have created an 'elephant and rider' metaphor to describe the role of emotions in decision making. The elephant being the emotions, big and powerful and hard to tame. The rider being puny, logical thinking that can't do a whole lot to direct the elephant where it doesn't already want to go. The Heaths provide a formula that supports change by engaging the emotions of the stakeholders.

The anecdotal evidence is plentiful in this well-spoken accounting of change victories, but I felt the message could have been presented in one third of the pages. The Heaths' 3 basic directives: direct the rider, motivate the elephant, and shape the path. These are presented with overwhelming explanation in the first 80 pages. The following 200+ pages did not provide much added value.

However, I greatly appreciate the perspective provided by the authors on this tough topic. Any supervisor should take the time to read this book to gain a new appreciation for the actual process of changing a workplace routine.

I will personally use this method for presenting and supporting change in my work. I'm excited to develop clear goals and find ways to ping the emotions of my colleagues to get them on board with technology changes in our building.

A must read book for all! The three concepts are clearly defined. It opened my understanding of the human behavior and a new way to confront all kind of situations. Highly recommended to parents, teachers and working people who are looking to implement a change.

This is my third Heath book now and the consistent thread through them all is their simple approach. They identify a problem that we all have and then give incredibly practical ways to overcome it. I come back to the one sheet summaries they offer all the time.

This is my third Heath book now and the consistent thread through them all is their simple approach. They identify a problem that we all have and then give incredibly practical ways to overcome it. I come back to the one sheet summaries they offer all the time.

I purchased this book because someone in our book club suggested we read it. I have read many books on change management in the past, but most of them are lacking the human side of the equation, and it is the human side that carries us forward, as these authors so expertly explain.

This book will provide you :
1. Great insights based on scientific research to understand what are the forces that keep us away from changing!
2. Easy to understand methodology to make action plan which will bring our efforts to change in success!

Book is very easy to read and it really drags you into its content and examples. I couldn't stop reading it, until I come to the end. During reading I contemplate a lot about things I read, finally understanding why some of my previous change efforts failed. Also book was very motivational so during time I was reading it, I started and finished successfully some changes in my everyday life. So no matter if try to make a change in your personal or professional life this book is must read before you start!

The promise in the title simply reflects in the content...
This book really helps, it brings you in the problems and brings you out everytime with a clear and tested solution.
It doesn't tell you how to solve YOUR problems, it walks you through problems of others which found a solution.
In each of those problems there is a piece of your.
Before the end of the book you will have solved at least one of your problems BY YOURSELF, but much faster than without the book, leaving more space for other problems and limiting the space for misunderstandings and unpleasant side-problems.

This is a great book - insightful while being practical and directly usable. Helpful in business, but not 50% fluff like most books.

It literally kept me up all night thinking after I read it (admittedly, I was on an overnight flight at the time).

The insight that really stuck with me was focusing on what's working, rather than what's not, when trying to change, and that big problems are seldom the right place to start when trying to bring about positive change.

I thought the Heaths' model of Direct the Rider, Motivate the Elephant, and Shape the Path was a bit awkward. It seemed to me that they found a bunch of information on directing change and then stuffed it into a methodology that they could use to write a book.

That being said, I thought the content of the book was fantastic. I greatly appreciated that it was based on research rather than based on the author's opinions. In sharp contrast to many business books I read and think "yeah, but what am I actually going to DO with this information?", this book provided me with a great deal of fascinating learning that I was able to quickly apply.

I began reading this book as required for supplemental reading for a course in Organizational Development and became engrossed in it! I highly recommend it to others interested in implementing and sustaining change efforts. Based on the "Happiness Hypothesis" developed by John Haidt, the change model outlined by Heath & Heath is easily applied by novice and experienced change managers alike. The change model is relatable and motivating and can be applied to personal or organizational change. The use of real-life examples make this book an interesting, easy read.

Originally this book was required for me to read as part of a college course. I had no idea what it was even about. Hard to get into at first, but it got good fast. If you need help with change for yourself or anywhere else, read this.

Going to buy this book for everyone in my family

In Switch, Chip and Dan Heath hit another home run. Using the same storytelling techniques that advocate for teaching they walk you through the processes of making lasting change. If there is a more compelling topic I'm not aware of it.

Another good book from the Heath brothers. I bought this after reading their Made to Stick book, and while this book is not quite as good, I would still recommend reading it if you're looking to make changes in your environment whether it be at home or work.

Great book about 3 aspects of change: Logic (the rider) / Emotion (the elephant) / and the Path (the situation). Talks about how to use each to affect change.

Gives lots of practical advice & techniques, including how and when to use them. Also stories of people using these techniques. Plus the studies where the knowledge came from. It's not just the author's opinion.

Very enjoyable read.

I happened to stumble across this audiobook and thought it would contain the same information I've seen in other books on "change", but because I saw how well it rated with so many reviews I figured I had to check it out. To my surprise, this book contains many useful examples and explanations of why the change worked in the example.

Recommended by my counselor, it has already helped me change some of my own ways of doing things. Just understanding the rider, the elephant, and shaping the path make all the difference in the world in how people can make changes.

From societal change to familial to personal, Switch gives a clear, cogent, and actionable analysis of making successful changes. You can take this book in bite-sized pieces, if you want to dip in on occasion. Even if you do, you will still be rewarded with plenty of insights on how to shape your own behavior and that of others.

The rider and elephant is a good comparison to the emotions and the common sense person. The description of a clear goal and how to achieve it is great. I do feel, especially here at Christmas, froozen by too many choices. It helps you figure out how to unfreeze yourself and make progress daily.

The book started with examples and behavior analysis that I could relate to. As the book progressed, I found the examples to create a "too much" information to decipher what I was hoping to gain by reading it. I found myself just wanting to finish the book, and left with too few answers. However, I did find some "bright spots" that I may incorporate.

This is an awesome book about the principles of great storytelling. When I paired this book with Simon Sinek's TED Talk "Start with the Why", I had an awesome recipe for telling convincing and motivating stories.

First time to try syncing reading and listening together.
The two were about the same cost as the book. I enjoyed the book content and have not decided on the media I will choose in the future.
I am new to Kindle so still learning.