You gotta believe!

I think the power of belief is under-appreciated in business. When I say that belief determines behavior, or at least strongly influences it, many people agree with me in areas outside business, especially in areas like moral and religious reasoning. But not at work. Why? Do people suddenly change when they walk through the doors of companies across the country each day? In some ways they might, as in how they present themselves to colleagues as opposed to their friends outside work. That's external, and I'm talking about the internal, the feelings people have about the company they work for, the work they do and what it means to them. A person who believes in his/her company and its leadership will be far more effective and productive than one who does not. This has huge implications in a number of ways, one of which is change management.

Every company I've ever consulted with, worked for or talked with wants to implement change somewhere. Sometimes they confuse change and improvement, but that's another topic. Everyone agrees that most change initiatives fail in full implementation, and there is no shortage of books and articles on why. There are lots of good reasons but I want to address only one, that of belief. Stuart Chase wrote: "For those who believe, no proof is necessary. For those who don't believe, no proof is possible." Belief is something you feel deeply, so much so that appeals to logic and reason alone will not sway you. Yes, beliefs are tied closely with feelings, and that should not surprise anyone nor cause them concern. Beliefs are felt and acted upon, not just in living rooms but in cubicles and board rooms.

I was watching a video clip of John Kotter today, who as you should know, is a leading authority on organizational change. He said something very interesting that ties into this discussion. Kotter said his reasearch found that helping people change had less to do with showing them analysis to change their thinking to change their behavior than showing something of truth that hits their feelings that changes their behavior. It surprised him and he said that this sure wasn't what they taught him in his MBA program! What this means to me is that belief and feelings are intertwined, and if you can change those, behavior will follow.

In my own work I've found this to be true. I've even seen it proven in IT, whose inhabitants are usually considered reflexively analytical and logical, and disdainful of feelings and beliefs. Not so when it comes to organizational change. Don't be afraid of dealing with belief and feelings. When you do, people respond and behavior change has a better chance of succeeding. Do this regularly and you'll develop a culture where people will do whatever it takes to make the business succeed, simply because they believe so strongly.