To keep up with the constant change and complexity of the workplace environment, organizations are being forced to evolve. In fact, 85% of senior executives say that the number of “change” projects they’ve experienced has increased significantly in the last five years. For one in four of them, the volume of these projects has increased by more than 50%.
When change initiatives succeed, the benefits to productivity and revenue are undeniable, but these positive outcomes are the exception, not the norm. Current estimates show that change is only considered successful 31% of the time, meaning that 69% of the time, the investment is largely unreturned.
What this suggests is that the biggest challenge may not be in deciding what to change or when to change, but in how to change. However, understanding one nuance about the brain, and how it compels people to change their behavior, can enable organizations to bypass this challenge every time.
Change is hard. Change at scale – even harder.
Embarking on a change program is complex and resource-heavy, but worth the effort. Research shows that well-managed projects are 65% more likely to stay on schedule, 71% more likely to stay on budget, and 88% more likely to meet their objectives. Revenue is also positively impacted: When change management effectiveness is rated favorably, companies experience 2.6 times more revenue growth than companies rated below-average.
However, the challenges faced by organizations can occur at all stages of a change initiative. It begins with the struggle to secure employee buy-in, which is increasingly more difficult due to overwhelming reports of change fatigue, and continues through successfully rolling out the initiative and firmly embedding new behaviors. In fact, ‘change fatigue’ has become a leading cause of work-related stress and is likely to have a negative impact on performance.
Why is change fatigue so common, and so ruinous for organization-wide initiatives? It’s due to how the brain perceives them: as a threat. Research shows that when we’re faced with the unexpected, a need to adjust course or do something new, our brain’s salience and warning network engages. This is a set of brain regions that include the limbic system and amygdala, and the reaction effectively hijacks cognitive resources from our executive control regions such as the prefrontal cortex, making it difficult to function well – and more importantly, less likely that we will lean into change or try a new behavior.
Even if we consciously recognize the change is for the better, in other words, our stability-loving brains prefer to keep things as they are. As a result, individual avoidance turns into teamwide disengagement, so the initiative fails.
Reduce the threat of change with positive social pressure
Leaders can offset the threat of change by designing the initiative to compel action, as opposed to mandating it. While it may seem counterintuitive, making something compelling can reduce the perceived threat. By activating key several motivational drivers, you can encourage more people to choose engagement rather than feeling forced into compliance.
One effective approach to this is to add positive social pressure. As humans, we are incredibly sensitive to what others are doing around us, and we often follow suit. For example, research shows that norms have a powerful impact on our behavior, even when we’re not consciously aware of their influence.
In one study, household energy consumption drastically reduced when residents were presented with a message such as, “99% of people in your community reported turning off unnecessary lights to save energy.” Surprisingly, this intervention was more effective than messages highlighting cost savings for the consumer or environmental protection.
Separate research shows that people naturally focus more on the behaviors of people with higher power or status. For managers or leaders, this means that they have an outsized ability to influence their team. Ultimately, a leader’s behaviors are often the deciding factor in whether the change initiative is successful or not.
Organizations can use these insights to make change programs feel more urgent. In particular, the “messenger” is key: Individuals with status or power, such as a manager or a highly respected team member, can amplify the effect of social pressure without making it feel mandatory, simply because people want to look good in front of them.
Measured impact of social norms through leadership action
How effective can leaders be in driving change? For the last 26 years, the NeuroLeadership Institute has worked with more than two thirds of the Fortune 100, helping to transform their culture and leadership – driving change effectively and quickly. Importantly, we’ve measured the impact of this work, collecting tens of thousands of data points along the way. These data reveal that when managers actively engage in or regularly use language for target behaviors, their direct reports are more equipped to apply the target behaviors.
Across our experience, the numbers are striking: when managers frequently discuss key concepts like “growth mindset” or “SCARF” (our foundational model for engagement) their direct reports feel significantly more prepared to engage in key behaviors. For example, our data shows that when managers increase the frequency they discuss these concepts, their employees feel 15% to 25% more “equipped” to apply new habits based on the concepts. The data reveals a remarkably strong connection here, which tells us that a leader’s voice isn't just a 'nice to have', it is an incredibly powerful driver of team agility.
How to boost your leaders’ social norm power
Getting your leaders bought in is essential. Ultimately, buy-in and our intention to engage in one behavior over all others stems from which behavior the brain ranks as the highest priority. The ranking is done by the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC), a part of the brain referred to as the “why” network, evaluates potential future behaviors and helps us to act on the future behavior with the highest immediate “value.” So, to increase the likelihood that your leaders role model the target behaviors, you need to increase the value of those behaviors, using three key tactics:
Create the “why”
First, directly link the target behaviors to their team’s goals and targets. Don't just tell them what to do; clearly articulate why engaging in the new behavior will directly benefit them or their team. For instance, when you connect the behavior to a key team deliverable, show them exactly how this new action will fast-track their progress or dramatically improve a key performance indicator. This clear connection raises the behavior's priority, making them genuinely want to engage and role model it.
Leverage the power of shared goals
Second, unite leaders around a shared vision of success that includes their active participation. Bring people leaders together as a cohesive team with clear expectations for what success looks like and how they'll actively champion it. In fact, creating clarity around the shared goals in a way that generates the same picture of what success looks like across all leaders is shown to synchronize the neural activity across their brains, and is the foundation of shared understanding. Reinforcing the sense of team or “in-group” across all of leadership will increase their motivation to act in service of the team’s mission.
Make it easy
Finally, make the target behaviors effortless for leaders to integrate into their existing routines. People are generally overwhelmed and stretched for time, so new behaviors must anchor to what leaders already do daily. For instance, create example if-then plans (“If we're stuck on a problem, then I will ask 'What would we try if failure wasn't an option?”), provide simple behavioral scripts or conversation starters, and identify specific moments in their calendar where the new behaviors naturally fit. When behaviors feel like natural extensions of existing habits rather than additional tasks, adoption becomes automatic.
The bottom line
As much as our brains prefer things to stay the same, organizational change doesn't have to feel like a threat. By prioritizing leadership buy-in and simplifying target behaviors, talent teams can bypass the brain's alert or threat systems and tap into the powerful influence of social norms. The data is clear: When leaders lead the way, the rest of the organization follows. Don’t let your next initiative fall into the almost 70% that fail; give your leaders the tools to make change stick.
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