The Association Blog

This fifth and final strategy in our series on implementing change is often the piece that most organizations miss

In his keynote presentation at The 2024 Annual Conference, Dan Heath delved into a five-part framework on how to implement change in organizations. The following fifth and final strategy completes the framework: Tapping Motivation

The most powerful kind of change, shared Heath, is the kind we don’t have to force. It’s the kind that takes off because people want it. Not because we’ve persuaded or pushed, but because we’ve stepped out of the way and let it happen.

This is motivation-led change. And it’s often the piece most organizations miss.

We get so good at charting the “smartest” path from point A to point B, using data, logic, and analysis, that we forget to ask fundamental questions: What do people already care about What if we started with the energy that’s already in the room?

Because when people are motivated, they move faster. They problem-solve better. They stick with it.

A Brazilian Hospital’s Motivation Reset

To illustrate the strategy, Heath shared the example of a health system in São Paulo that was facing high rates of burnout and disengagement. One member of a “Joy at Work” cohort—a woman named Vanya—zoomed in on a leverage point hidden in the data: only 40% of team members believed they had any influence in local decisions that affected their work.

She could have tried to campaign for more engagement through emails or policy changes. Instead, she got curious.

She hosted a “What Matters to You?” activity, asking team members two simple but profound questions:

• What gives you a sense of joy and purpose at work?
• What blocks that joy and purpose?

People filled entire walls with sticky notes. Then came themes. Then came votes. And out of that vote was revealed the top pain point: scheduling.

Nurses wanted three 12-hour shifts instead of the 6-day, 6-hour system. And even though administrators had historically resisted the idea, Vanya had already done the work to bring them along.

The administrators agreed to implement the change—and it worked. Nurses were happier. Patients were, too — because fewer handoffs meant more continuity of care.

The team even built a simple visual to track progress: orange and white ping-pong balls in a bin. Orange meant “my voice wasn’t heard today.” White meant it was. Over time, all the ping-pong balls in the bin were white.

In a matter of months, the percentage of employees who said they participated in decisions that affected their work jumped from 40% to 70%.

Follow the Energy

Motivation-led change doesn’t require a TED Talk or a company-wide overhaul. It starts with one question: Where’s the energy already?

In São Paulo, the energy was in giving people a say. There may be similar concerns about scheduling among veterinarians and field officers in your organization. Or the energy may be in giving frontline staff a voice and fixing their friction points. That may be a process or protocol that you continue to do “because that’s the way we’ve always have done it,” even though it may be wasting time and resources.

Let people define what matters. Let them highlight the blockers. Then stand back and support their momentum. It’s not just feel-good leadership. It’s the fast track to meaningful, lasting change.

Learn More

How to Change What’s Not Working, Part 1: Study the Bright Spots
How to Change What’s Not Working, Part 2: Ask the Miracle Question
How to Change What’s Not Working, Part 3: Target the Constraint
How to Change What’s Not Working, Part 4: Identify & Eliminate Waste