Choice, the driving force behind the embodiment of transformations

Let's start by recalling that the notion of choice is fundamental when it comes to human behavior.. Indeed, when we act, we choose to perform one behavior over another and this happens so quickly that we are, most often, completely unaware of it. For example, when you choose to cross the street here instead of there or when you pick up your phone instead of continuing to read, you always select one option (at the expense of another). Thus, in order to manage change effectively, it is necessary to take into account the concept of choice.‍

This choice is influenced by the environment in which the options are presented, as well as by the options themselves.. This is what Richard Thaler and Cass Sunstein call “the architecture of choice.” According to these two Nudge specialists, it is possible to encourage individuals to adopt a certain behavior by changing the context of the choice, for example by changing the number of options that are presented. Obviously the changes made must be beneficial for the individual, that is to say encourages him to choose a behavior that he initially interferes to perform. In a context of transformation, how do you create an effective architecture of choice?

The absence of options leads to a passive choice (by default)

As mentioned above, we spend our time deciding (i.e. choosing between several options to determine behavior) both in the private and professional spheres. It is therefore quite true that your employees lack the time, and especially the mental space to make choices relating to their professional development. And since they are too often subject to operational pressure and urgent situations, you want to help them by presenting only one option, such as a list of behaviors to adopt as part of the ongoing transformation.. But it comes down to a passive choice: yes or no, often with a high dose of no, influenced by the status quo bias or the aversion to change.

The complexity of the options leads to a partial (simplified) choice

Keep in mind that our cognitive resources are limited. If the number of options to choose from is too large or if they are too complex, the brain will have too much to process simultaneously, which will lead to cognitive overload. In fact, the more complex the choice, the less likely we are to think about it. This is what happens when faced with an extended training catalog or an overload of calls for volunteers for this or that program.. We will then tend to simplify things, by deciding to choose “nothing.”

Presenting a few relevant options leads to an active (engaging) choice

In the two previous cases, the probability that behaviors will not change as part of your transformations is high. In fact, only 34% of organizational transformation projects are successful according to a Gartner study conducted in 2018.‍

The ideal architecture of choice, the one that leads to active choice, consists in the fact that the options presented are few and simple to understand. In everyday life, this would be like asking a friend to go to the movies or to a restaurant: both options should suit him in theory, since you had planned to go out. However, presenting two clear and appropriate options allows your friend to be more motivated to take action. In the same way in an organizational context, when the employee establishes the reasons for his choice, he acts of will and positions himself as an actor in his own development, provided that the options of choice are adapted to his operational reality.
That is why the options are ideally customized to the individual. This will save him the step of having to make the connection between the option and his own situation. At scale, this is made possible by learning algorithms that make it possible to take into account a large number of different situations.

‍The eDoing Fifty Solution uses this principle to solve the problem of taking action in training and transformations.. It recommends a personalized selection of micro-actions to each employee and then guides them in their implementation. Transformations thus pass from top-down communication to an incarnation by each and according to each.
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You know how important it is to succeed in organizational transformation. And to be successful, it must be embodied by your employees, who really change their behaviors. To encourage this behavioral change, some modifications to the architecture of choice can be very effective. As described above, you should avoid encouraging employees to make a passive choice (by offering an absence of choice, or too many choice options) and favor active, simple and personalized choices.