Agreement Is not the same as action....
I know we all have done it... we all have sat in a meeting, where we all get asked and we all agree... but guess what, after some time, most things in the change we all agreed on have not happened.
This is one of the most common patterns I see in organizations... the gap between agreement and action.
See when it comes to the moment of action, something else ends up happening with people..
->They default to old habits -> They find workarounds ->They delay, avoid, or simply forget
So why does this happen?
Well, because agreement is a cognitive event and action is a behavioral one... and as such they are driven by very different things.
See, agreement requires logic/planning, but also takes into account habits/fear and the system/ social barriers.. all of these factors either make the agreement turn into action or not... and many times they are overlooked.
This is where a behavioral approach helps, because instead of assuming that communication and alignment will drive adoption, we look at what is actually stopping people from doing the new behavior
That means understanding: - What barriers exist at the moment of action - What habits are competing with the new behavior - Whether people have the skills, tools, and support they need - What the social environment is reinforcing
If your change initiative has plenty of agreement but not enough action, maybe it's time to focus more on the behaviors and the strategies that you actually need to remove the barriers... beyond communication or training...
Remember change is about behavior, and behavior requires a different set of tools to understand and change.
What is the biggest barrier to action you see in your organization?