Imagine yourself sitting on a seesaw with his 3,000s, says Mathijs, looking happily and clearly into the camera. So there are approximately 1,500 people sitting on one side and 1,500 on the other side. According to the normal distribution: 95% of the people sit within two-thirds of both arms of the seesaw. At the ends, the real change agents are on one side and the notorious opponents are on the other. Far too much attention is then spent to the vocal opponents. Then all change communication comes into an atmosphere of terminal seriousness. That really doesn't make the seesaw move. Movement requires positivity, lightness and playfulness without infringing on the real message. That is what you bring through serious gaming, change communication and workshops, in which you can feel and experience the new reality.
All kinds of interventions that have to be well timed. Sometimes a customer is completely committed to an appealing intervention, but the timing is not yet right. The willingness is not yet there. The company is still one or two phases back. Then you are a better partner by talking to the customer about their strategy, the desired behavioral change and where the resistance lies. Sometimes it turns out that the change team is not well organized, or that restructuring is necessary before all kinds of interventions have a chance of succes.
“The danger of experience is that you think you know.”
Over the past year, the power of the right question came to the forefront in all kinds of ways for Mathijs van Duurling, not only in his curiosity to understand client organizations. “I was confronted with against the dark side of my fast mind. That helps to form an opinion, but not to change my opinion. I notice that I now consciously continue to readjust the 'picture' that I have made in my head. This is the danger of experience. That you think you know. I have also noticed this as a director at Frisse Blikken: Asking the question means that the dialogue continues. I am now more aware that my quick opinions sometimes stop the dialogue. That doesn't help me hear new things or confirm my colleagues' contributions.
An important design principle for culture change is to have an early dialogue about how influenceable culture is. I start that conversation almost immediately. Also to manage expectations, because as an agency we have a reputation for being able to effectively achieve behavioral change. There are important realities that cannot be changed, such as market developments or the political context. The behavior of individuals can also only be influenced to a limited extent. The leadership behavior of senior leaders is very decisive, but we cannot determine how an individual experiences our interventions. If your child is sick at home than a workshop will have an entirely impact than for someone else who can be completely present in the workshop. People's personal situations have a huge influence on their ability to change at a given moment.
I recognize this from my own experiences in recent years. On a personal level, those were not my best years. I suddenly lost two good friends in a short period of time. Then you are not looking for a glowing change story. I was surviving and also learned to prioritize my family more. I also gained more empathy for people who are experiencing something intense in their private lives. And more awe for life and what cannot be changed.
“Come on Mathijs, we have to get to work”
At the same time, these senior leaders have a major influence on a change program. I experienced this firsthand in one of my first assignments at Frisse Blikken. The director there created a shocking fear based culture. On the one hand, super demanding and at the same time recklessly burning people down when something went wrong. It ensured that no one easily took responsibility and, if that happened, delegated it downwards rightaway. There was endless talk about the structural change, while hardly anything changed in behavior. I also came across the exact opposite, where one of the top 50 senior leaders of one of our customers opened his PowerPoint and said: "come on Mathijs, we have to get to work". Out of nowhere we were designing a workshop in half an hour. Then you know that your culture change interventions are fully supported. It also confirms that it is possible to maintain an entrepreneurial spirit in a large company. I find that really inspiring. Then the next question is how to continue to stimulate that culture in a large and fast growing organization.
“Create the confirmation bias!”
It is hard to know whether you have achieved something in the field of collective behavior change, because the effect of your interventions cannot be attributed 1 on 1 to your interventions. I recently saw a great Tiktok that was about changing behavioral patterns in relationships. And that you need five positive experiences to neutralize one negative experience. The five positive experiences lead to a confirmation bias. They suggest that you all get into a virtuos circle. You can do something about this in communication, but at the same time you must also continue to paint a realistic picture.
“Losing my religion”
Is it possible to stay in that virtuos circle at home with two growing children? Hahaha, usually yes, but if one of my boys doesn't want to go upstairs after asking six times in the evening and lies on his back and shouts: 'I can't walk anymore'. Well, then I sometimes lose my positivity.
