Change Doesn’t Have to Be a Marathon: Take a Curiosity Walk Instead

Have you ever felt like organisational change feels like running a marathon blindfolded? New ideas get bogged down in endless meetings and planning, only to fizzle out before they ever reach the finish line. Why is this? While getting buy-in is important, the bigger challenge might be overcoming the fear of the unknown. What if, instead of a daunting marathon, change could be more like a curiosity walk?

The truth is, buy-in for change might not be as difficult as we think. Research suggests people are often more receptive than we realise. The bigger challenge lies in overcoming the fear of the unknown. We cling to the familiar, even if it’s not working optimally.

Making Change Feel Like a Walk in the Park (Almost)

Collective resistance is often due to organisational inertia, the tendency for organizations to cling to the status quo. While gaining buy-in for change is crucial, research suggests people may already be open to new ideas. The challenge lies in overcoming the fear of the unknown.

Here’s the key: familiarity breeds comfort. This is where the concept of the “Mere-exposure effect” from social psychology comes in. Studies by Robert Zajonc showed participants favoured things they had seen before, even unconsciously. This suggests that exposing people to a change beforehand can significantly reduce their apprehension.

Think of a change initiative as a new walking route. Wouldn’t you feel more confident venturing out if you’d at least glimpsed it on a map or heard someone describe it?

For instance, when I first encountered the Mastery Transcript Consortium, a skills transcript that would replace traditional school reports, the concept was intriguing but unclear. Repeated exposure through specific examples like this:

An example Skills Transcript from Learning Creates

and this:

The Personal Capacity Transcript from St Andrew’s Anglican College

helped me to grasp the idea and eventually become an advocate.

From Fearful to Curious: The Power of the Curiosity Walk

Think of a change initiative not as a marathon into the unknown, but as a curiosity walk on a familiar route with a slight detour. Just like repeated exposure made the Skills Transcript concept click for me after encountering specific examples, small exposures to a change can spark curiosity and a desire to learn more. As Eli Broad, American businessman and philanthropist, said, “…curiosity can be contagious, as can exposure to new ideas.”

Leaders who want to overcome inertia must address fear. Taking action and fostering an orientation towards continuous improvement are essential (Fullan, 2010). Leaders can’t wait for success, they must “kick-start it” (Fullan, 2010, p.30). This is where curiosity comes in. As Diane Hamilton states, “The more curious we are, the more we come to know. The more we know, the less fearful we become.”

So, how can leaders create opportunities for small exposures to changes? Here are some strategies:

• Pilot programs: Implement the change on a small scale before full rollout.
• Informational sessions: Explain the change in detail, addressing potential concerns.
• Success stories: Showcase how the change has benefited others through sharing articles and videos.
• Go visiting: Take a team to visit other organisations implementing the changes.

By sparking curiosity and familiarity with the change, leaders can move their organisations beyond inertia and towards a future in which people don’t just ‘get onboard’, their curiosity is driving the change.