The "Ketchup Effect" for Change Sets in at 30 Percent
Jeppe Vilstrup Hansgaard
CEO and Founder of Innovisor, a Boutique advisory in change, Wingman to leaders on change journeys , Author, Speaker, Proud dad of 3, Organizer of King&Queen of Javelin, Triple Jump and 800m
Have you ever fought hard to get ketchup out of the bottle? You know, where you shake the bottle violently, you bang it, and you might even shout at it... and nothing happens?
I have. Too many times.
Like a Tsunami of Ketchup
Then suddenly the ketchup flushes out. Like a tsunami of ketchup. Flooding your spaghetti or your French fries? Really fast - and there is no way for you to stop it. You have no control.
In Denmark we call that exact moment the "Ketchup Effect". Or I should say, we used to call it that. Danish ketchup bottles are now of plastic – not glass – and plastic bottles do not lead to ketchup tsunamis. In France and Italy, however, where I have been vacationing the past few weeks, they still have glass ketchup bottles… and I can testify from own experience… the ketchup effect is still very real.
Embrace the "Ketchup Effect" to Succeed with Change
It is the "Ketchup Effect" moment, you must aim for, when you lead change. Especially, if you have limited time and resources. It requires laser focus, and that you work with the right people.
So what am I talking about?
The “Ketchup Effect” moment for change is where a large majority in the organization suddenly believes in what you are believing in. The moment where there is no turning back to the old way of doing things. The moment where the new ways of working has been adopted by the majority.
The moment where people resisting your change are the "lonely nuts"
The moment where people resisting your change are the "lonely nuts"... and nobody wants to be that.
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30% is Needed for the "Ketchup Effect" to Happen
So how can you get to the "Ketchup Effect" during change?
Behavioral change and epidemiological studies have revealed that getting a critical mass - typically 30% of a population - to support you is key.
The reasons are many, and includes:
The Right 3% of People is the Shortcut to the 30%
The short cut to getting to the 30% aka the "Ketchup Effect" is to mobilize and embrace the right three percent of your employees and let them make sense to and and transform the mindsets of their colleagues.?(Read more about this approach under #ThreePercentRule )
I recommend this classic less than 3 min video with Derek Sivers, if you want to see a real life example of the Ketchup Effect: Link
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CEO, author, highly interactive keynote speaker, trainer, consultant, web seminars and online learning on matrix management, virtual, hybrid and remote working, and finding purpose and engagement in a complex world.
2 年Nice metaphor :-) If 30% were enough and it would then happen organically most change would be easy. The hard bit is the laggards isn’t it? What is your experience?
Author—“Shifting: How School Leaders Can Create a Culture of Change” / “Getting Unstuck” podcast host / Leadership coach
2 年Hmmm, I wonder about absolutes like "30%" and "critical to get to fast." (Remember 70%?) Leaders might start to waste energy focusing on resisters instead of the change itself, internal and external customers etc. There are so many variables that can affect the pace and acceptance of change: the age and experience of the staff, how many "changes" they've had to support in the past, and how the leader approaches the change from the start. The real questions to me are "Is there a carefully articulated 'why' for the change — one that speaks to customer benefits?" and "Have staff had an opportunity right from the start to help inform the change — or is it simply being handed to them?" There will always be resistance to change, and no amount of cajoling/explanations alone will change them. What gets resistors to come along is that they see their colleagues participating, and most importantly, they see results. And results don't have to be one big thing at some imaginary end of the change process. Results can be structured to be achieved incrementally. "Let's get here first. And then here. And then there." Thanks for tagging me, Charlotte Wittenkamp.
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2 年Jeff Ikler, Leanne Gordon - I though you might like this.
Head People & Organizational Capabilities I Learning & Talent Catalyst I Organizational Psychologist | Executive Coach
2 年Mira Niederer
Enabling accelerated transformation at scale | Strategic Account Director @CoachHub | Podcast Host "TransformationUniverse" | Speaker (i.e TedX)
2 年A (fun) must-read for anyone working on transformation and change projects. Thanks Jeppe Vilstrup Hansgaard! Thorsten Schaar, Tobias Krueger, Daniel Ullrich, Jule Deges, Roxane Rath, Sandra Dax, Sylvia Scherer