Why people don't change their behaviour

Discovered today: an interesting note on influencing skills.

People do what they do because that's what they know how to do, and because it has worked for them in the  past.  Thus, for people to stop what they are doing, their current behavior patterns must first be disconfirmed.  They must conclude that their current behavior no longer serves them well.

In this same vein, it is absolutely crucial to recognize that people don't oppose change because some new state of affairs promises to be worse than an existing one.  Instead, they oppose change because the existing situation is known and certain, whereas the new situation is unknown and uncertain.

No one knows what the future holds.  It might be better, it might be worse.  When people are asked to change, they're typically asked to swap a sure thing for a maybe, a known for an unknown.  Most people are reluctant to make such a trade -- except when current conditions are seen as so bad that anything else must be better.

These words are by Fred Nickols, whose work on problem solving is thorough, sensible, and inspiring. He should be much better known.

Fred has generously posted a huge amount of useful material on his website.

Google his name or go straight here to find out more.

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