Switch By Chip And Dan Heath

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Switch by Chip and Dan Heath

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Introduction

Switch, by Dan Heath and Chip Heath, is a book that teaches us how to deal without

rational and emotional differences. Also, the book teaches us how to react to different the

situations that are not only easy but also hard. Dan Heath and Chip Heath focused their text in

the change, claiming that change is an easy aspect of our organizations. However, the author’s

asserts that by far, change is one of the hardest aspects of our lives regarding the situation of the

change and the reason for the change. Throughout the book, the authors use different examples

such as a rider and an elephant being in the emotional and irrational side. The book review paper

analyzes the book, Switch, by Dan Heath and Chip Heath. The paper further relates the

discussion in the book with the current organizational changes.

Summary of the book

Throughout the Switch, Dan and Chip use the instance of a Rider and an Elephant. The

authors claim that the Rider and our emotional side is our rational side. According to the authors,

our emotions can be overwhelmed by our rational thought. The Switch is a text that speaks itself

to the processes of change that manage different aspects. For example, the authors use different

aspects that motivate the elephant and direct the Rider. Also, Switch plays around with our

psychology behind its thesis available. The book determines the essential psychological conflicts

that can disrupt a complex business team or lead to poor choices within the organization. The

authors make their points in the book by the adoption of narrative technique, yet the narrations

are based on the scholarly sources.

The authors used three surprising aspects of change. What seems like a person’s

predicament is often a circumstance problem (Dan & Chip, 2010) is the first aspect discussed in

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the book to reveal the essentiality of change. The book considers the change in every

organization, societal, and individual’s level. The authors tell us that all changes that involve

efforts contain something in common. Besides, Dan and Chip affirms that for anything to

change, whether in an organization or society, someone has to apply an effort to initiate the

change. However, there were some questions that seemed tough for the authors solve. For

example, the question of how to get a person to start behaving or reacting in a novel way is the

hardest aspect of identifying the change in our organizations and society. Dan and Chip

explained that in our lives, we are required to embrace or accepts changes, not only novel homes,

novel technologies, but also novel duties in the different organizations. Dan and Chip claim that

their explanation is essential for individuals, society, and organization to realize the essentiality

of change and make a step of changing.

Dan and Chip went ahead to tell us that what seems like laziness is frequently exhaustion,

and this is the second surprising aspect depicted in the book (Dan & Chip, 2010). For example,

when we make an attempt to stay away from fattening foods, our minds will get exhausted, thus

leading us to surrender the change that we have exposed in our health. Thirdly, the authors assert

that what seems like resistance is frequently the lack of charity. Dan and Chip use a Rider to

explain the aspect. For example, Dan and Chip say that if a Rider is not sure of the direction to

take while moving, the Rider tends to lead in a circle.

Relationship between the book and the current organizational change

Dan and Chip agree in their text that directing a Rider is not an easy task. For example,

most of the times, elephants seems to disagree with the Rider’s suggestion, thus making it

difficult to follow the right path. Also, the mind and heart disagree with some opinions (Dan &

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Chip, 2010). In the book, a Rider is depicted as a planner and a thinker and can plot a path to a

good future. In the book, the Rider has a dangerous weakness, a propensity of spinning his

wheels. The Rider likes to analyze, and the analysis always directs the Rider to problems rather

than directing him to a blighted spot (Dan & Chip, 2010). This part of the book can be compared

to the current organization change. Our organizations experience different difficulties to change.

For example, either a team or stakeholders can disagree with an opinion or decision in the

organization, thus posing a difficult task for the organization to change. According to the book,

the Rider was unable to proceed with the structure of the path since he had no idea about the

right path. The situation can be compared to the factors limiting the organizational change. The

existence of hundreds of organizational structures causes many organizations are not

experiencing change. Even if the organization makes the wisest choice, every structure can be

rigid. Any rigid organizational structure often fosters a kind of a tunneling vision. Currently, in

an organization, certain team of people only listens to specific individuals, and particular

departments only work with a particular department, thus making change a difficult aspect to

achieve in the current organizations.

Moreover, at the very end of the Blight spot chapter, Dan and Chip gave a list of twenty-

four words of emotions claiming that six of the twenty-four words are considered positive (Dan

& Chip, 2010). The authors assert that many people are focused on the negative aspects than the

positive aspects. Many people consider negative aspects since they fear the results of considering

the positive aspects. The explanation is currently seen in the current organizations. For example,

most organizations do not experience change because the stakeholders in the organization a

mentality of fearing for unknown. Fewer organizations understand the need for change and its

results. Also, the stakeholders in the organization fear change since they are influenced by the

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peer pressure. Such teams in the organizations are required to understand that whether they are

extroverted or introverted, they are still creatures that may demand change. Such teams may

resist organizational change so that the interest of the team can be protected. This can be the

employee resting organizational change to protect the other co-workers and managers can resist

change so that their work-group can be protected. Such team may resist change because of the

fear they developed in their mind of losing a job or job status and fear of trust and failure.

Dan and Chip tell us that our rational thought can be overwhelmed by our emotions since

we rely on the rational behavior just as different people in different organizations do in their

organizations. Therefore, the authors claim that there are many ways that we can take to make

changes in our society and organization rather than fearing to make the change. When we read

the book, we realize that our organizations need to adopt change due to various reasons. For

example, our organizations need to adopt change due to the increasing competition from other

organizations. Also, the developing technology can be the reason for the organization to change

due to the evolution of machines that need trained individuals in the organization. Organizations

require changing only if it needs to grow and the growth of an organization is connected to the

change of the organization. Government regulations can lead to the change of an organization

since the regulations have different impacts on an organization.

Conclusion

The theories depicted in the book, for example, the depiction of the bright spot, growing

your people, tweaking the environment, building habits, resisting or shrinking changes, and

understanding the point of destination are essential theories than can help me in changing an

organization. The theories can be adopted by my organization by realizing the destination of my

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organization, understanding the environment, and knowing the reason to accept and resist

organization. I, therefore, recommend different managers in different organizations to read the

book, Switch by Dan Heath and Chip Heath, because the text provides a different reason for a

need for change. The book teaches us different ways of dealing with emotions and taking the

right decision and path to realizing any change. The managers need to understand the book so

that they can appreciate the need for the organization to change, rather than resting the change of

an organization. The book teaches different business minded people different steps that need to

be adopted so that they can achieve different goals. For example, Dan Heath and Chip Heath say

that when we take small steps, we will get farther than we take giant steps since giant steps are

overwhelming. Dan Heath and Chip Heath conclude in the book by telling us that after we have

made the first step, we are required to realize the step and celebrate the step (Dan & Chip, 2010).

Therefore, the book is the best guide for the people who would like to understand the need for

change.

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Reference

Dan, H. & Chip, H. (2010). Switch: How to Change Things When Change Is Hard. Business &

Economics. Crown Publishing Group.

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