In my career managing digital transformation projects and many hundreds of people, the ratio of time I’ve spent resolving people issues over technical issues is probably 1000:1.
A good understanding of people is fundamental to delivering any project –to say the least. But it took some time for me to see how to do that well on a large scale.
When I came across Insight Principles I realized we’d missed something crucial.
Let me back up just a bit. I had been delivering IT and digital transformation programs for a long time. For just as long I’ve applied many personality, emotional and system-based change management practices for overcoming resistance to the changes these programs introduce. But I hadn’t found what really worked.
I first learned the power of insight principles through trainings at the Division of Alcohol and Drug Services (DADS), a Santa Clara County government department.* I had heard about high rates of people overcoming addiction.
I attended trainings for trainers and I witnessed people using a new understanding of the human mind to walk away from addiction, regain their balance and start life afresh.
Overcoming bad habits. Taking on change with openness. Starting from a fresh perspective. The parallels to business were so clear.
These are the attitudes you dream of when you are trying to deliver successful digital transformation
I wanted to know the secret. As it turns out, it was no secret.
Insight principles is simply an understanding of how the mind works from the inside -> out.
As a result of this, I understood that the insights that lead to change have nothing to do with external factors. Yet, everything I’d done to manage change had been extrinsic.
This had a profound impact on me (and clearly also on the those recovering from addiction). But by “insight” I’m not necessarily talking about a huge AHA! moment.
Insight is simply fresh thinking.
This is worth reflecting on.
Consider what outside condition could actually stop you having a new thought?
This may sound simple, but it has deep implications.
As I began applying insight principles, I realized we generally tackle resistance from the assumption that people don’t easily have new thinking. That people are entrenched. That their behavior is caused by the circumstances.
Approached from this perspective, no wonder change looks so hard and why we don’t always achieve successful digital transformation.
No wonder extrinsic motivators don’t work.
Not that external approaches are worthless, nor conditions irrelevant, but to completely overlook people’s innate capacity for fresh ideas is to ignore the very source of change.
Why change the light bulb when the fuse is blown?
To me, it seems logical to bring anything that is a powerful enabler of new thought into change initiatives — be it successful digital transformation, operational excellence or any shift that requires people to change the way they work.
In the book “Invisible Power, Insight Principles at Work,” authored by my associates at Insight Principles Inc., there are many examples of resolving “intractable” business problems and shifting attitudes in individuals and teams.
I hope you’ll continue to explore how impactful insight principles can be. It’s my belief, the more we apply them the more successful digital transformation will be.
“Invisible Power, Insight Principles at Work” by Dr. Ken Manning, et. al.
*At the time, Santa Clara County DADS referred to this work as “Three Principles Services.”
About the author.
Elese Coit is a Large-Scale Change Consultant who helps organizations succeed at technical, system and process transformation. Elese Coit & Associates partners with companies undergoing change to build engagement and overcome resistance .
