Why We Are Approaching Change All Wrong – And What to Do Instead

Most change initiatives fail because they focus solely on technical aspects like planning, roles, and measures, while neglecting the human element – particularly the need for people to understand why changes are happening and to feel heard throughout the process.

Jeffrey Wetherhold is a behavioral scientist who’s built his career around organisational change management. He transitioned from behavioural science to community health, and now runs his own change management consultancy.

This conversation will help you

• Better understand why traditional technical change management approaches often fail
• Recognise and address the most fundamental barrier to organisational change
• Move beyond labels like "resistant" or "averse" and focus on different perspectives

Episode highlights

• [00:07:46] Understanding change management
• [00:11:21] When change feels weaponised
• [00:13:04] Overcoming resistance to change
• [00:15:05] Mmotivational interviewing.
• [00:17:47] Where to begin having the change conversation
• [00:23:12] Caught in the middle
• [00:27:01] The hierarchy of needs
• [00:30:30] What you can do today
• [00:32:44] Jeff's media recommendations
• [00:34:23] Takeaways from Dan and Pia

Links

• Connect with Jeff via LinkedIn
• How Minds Change: The New Science of Belief, Opinion and Persuasion, by David McRaney
• Build Something Better – The Raw Signal Group newsletter
• Track and improve your team performance with Squadify
• Leave us a voice note