Organizational habits are not the starting point, they are usually the end state!
Because habits are the output of a working change process… not the input.
And this is where people get frustrated, because they try to build a habit before they’ve created the conditions for it to stay.
(That’s like using the blunt end of a screwdriver to bash in a nail.)
In organizational change, we usually don't start with impulses or the automaticity of a habit. Change here starts higher up, with conscious plans and evaluations, and you just can't shortcut that part, because you have to run a routine long enough so that the cue starts doing the work for you.
We have to remember that routines run on effort and they require people to keep choosing the behavior, again and again, which drains mental energy.
Habits are the goal because they run on autopilot, freeing up attention and bandwidth.
So when I hear teams saying they need to build habits, I tell them this is a great end state, but not one we can do without fixing many other things first.
In terms of Meaning (one of the 3 conditions to sustain change in organizations along with Mastery and Belonging)... if the behavior doesn’t have meaning (if it hasn’t been internalized), you’re powering it with pressure and while pressure can work… it does not last long.
So the sequence you should be thinking about is:
-Meaning first (Purpose + Autonomy) -Then mastery, where we build the routine (doing it consistently, but it still takes effort and willpower) and then may come habit... which again also needs certain conditions, like fixes in the environment, system, norms and of course stability.
So if you are ready for the end goal, and have all the conditions in place... then here are some great books to get you over the line:
1. The Power of Habit Charles Duhigg 2. Atomic Habits James Clear 3.
Good Habits Bad Habits Wendy Wood 4. Tiny Habits BJ Fogg, PhD 5. Mindset by Carol Dweck (not about habits, but also great) 6.
The Craving Mind and Unwinding Anxiety Jud Brewer, MD, PhD 7.
How to Change by
Katy Milkman
Remember, if the organization is constantly restructuring habits are impossible to build.
If you’re trying to build habits right now, what’s factors are missing?