INSIGHTS FROM NEUROSCIENCE

TO MOTIVATE BUSINESS

STAKEHOLDERS

Building Business Capability Conference, November 10, 2017

Kay Fudala & Cynthia Siewert

Change Consultants

2

Who we areAt Impact Makers, we are redefining business. Our passion is doing the right thing to create meaningful change for our clients and our community. We drive change through our teams of exceptional people, motivated by our mission and guided by our values. Success with us is a different experience, by design.

Kay FudalaLead Consultant

Cynthia SiewertLead Consultant

Key takeaways for today

Learn about the anatomy of the brain

Discuss how the brain responds to change

Learn practical ways to utilize this information to engage people

3

Who are Stakeholders?

A Stakeholder is any individual with an interest in the outcome of an organizational change. They maybe targets of the change, managers, leaders, project team members or other interested parties.

4

Stakeholder Engagement

Stakeholder engagement is the process by which an organization involves people to move towards a desired future state. This is achieved through the emotional commitment or involvement stakeholders make and their influence in the change. Effective stakeholder engagement lowers resistance to change.

• Why is engagement important?

• What do you do today to engage people?

• What do we know about the brain that informs us about how people can be engaged?

5

POP QUIZ: Fact or Myth

4. There are 86 billion neurons in the brain.

2. You only use 10% of your brain.

5. Your brain stops growing new cells in adulthood.

6

3. People are not “right brained” or “left brained.”

1. The bigger your brain, the smarter the person.

FACT

MYTH

MYTH

FACT

MYTH

The Three Brains

2: Emotional brain

3: Rational Brain

1: Instinctual brain

Source: MacLean, Panksepp 7

Insights about the brain

• No two brains are alike

• The brain is a connection machine

• It hardwires everything

• Hardwiring drives perception and is difficult to override

• The Surprise? The brain constantly creates new wiring

8

Do you see what I see?

“It deosn't mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in

a wrod are, the olny iprmoetnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteer be at the rghit pclae.

The rset can be a toatl mses and you can sitll

raed it wouthit porbelm.”

9

Destin rides a bike

10

Neuroplasticity

• “Neurons that fire together, wire together.” ~ Hebb’s rule

• Neuroplasticity refers to the brain’s ability to restructure itself in response to the environment through persistent training or practice.

• “Neurons that fire apart, wire apart.” ~ Corollary to Hebb’s rule

11

HOW CAN YOU OPERATIONALIZE THESE

INSIGHTS?

12

THREAT RESPONSE

Changing the default response

13

Inputs

Experiences

REWARD RESPONSE

Perceptions

Rational Brain

Emotional Brain

Instinctual Brain

The SCARF Model

• Brain-based model for collaboration and influence developed by Dr. David Rock and Dr. Jeffrey Schwartz defines five main domains (S.C.A.R.F.) that drive human behavior.

• “…the same neural responses that drive us toward food or away from predators are triggered by our perceptions of the way we are treated by other people” ~David Rock

TOWARD

Reward Response

AWAY

Threat Response

Status

Certainty

Autonomy

Relatedness

Fairness

14

Activity: Assess Your Stakeholders

15

Identify stakeholders to whom you can apply the SCARF Model.

OBJECTIVE

GUIDELINES

• Start to think about your stakeholder• Explore what’s going on with them• Don’t make assumptions

Our Stakeholder Personas

Status Steve

Certainty Seth

Autonomy Oscar

Relatedness Rene

Fairness Freda

16

Status Steve Threat Response #1 – Status: Relative Importance to Others

Desires• Relative importance, Authority

Behaviors• Challenging decisions, Correcting others,

Name dropping

17

Increase rewards by• Creating new connections• Playing down status• Creating shared goals, “in group” mentality• Promoting learning and improvement• Generating positive reinforcement

SCARF

Certainty Seth Threat Response #2 – The ability to predict future

Desires• Predictability, Stability

Behaviors• Detail-oriented, Wants to limit scope,

Doesn't have time for things like brainstorming

18

Increase rewards by• Providing clear plans and strategies• Establishing clear expectations• Providing structure in chaos• Focusing on short term goals

SCARF

Autonomy Oscar Threat Response #3 – Freedom of having choices

Desires• Freedom to make decisions

Behaviors• Stays within their silo or frame of reference,

Goes with the team’s plan

19

Increase rewards by• Not micromanaging• Giving choices, decision making capabilities• Negotiating norms• Listening, soliciting opinions• Providing ownership

SCARF

Relatedness Rene Threat Response #4 – The need for affiliation

Desires• Wants to be well-liked, Wants to agree with

others and find common ground

Behaviors• Silence, Lack of contribution to

conversations

20

Increase rewards by• Sharing personal stories• Creating buddy systems, mentoring or

coaching programs• Creating tribes or communities of practice

SCARF

Fairness Freda Threat Response #5 – Perception of equitable treatment

Desires• Wants answers she can understand, Wants

to understand the “why”

Behaviors• May have history with the organization, Lots

of “scar tissue”

21

Increase rewards by• Providing greater transparency• Allowing teams to establish rules, initiatives• Fostering self directed teams

SCARF

Activity: Assess Your Stakeholders

22

Identify stakeholders to whom you can apply the SCARF Model.

OBJECTIVE

DISCUSSION

• What did you learn about your stakeholder?• Write down one thing you are going to do tomorrow

Recap

Discussed the anatomy of the brain

Discussed how the brain responds to change

Discussed practical ways to utilize this information to engage people

23

“Human beings have an innate inner drive to be autonomous, self-determined, and connected to one another. And when that drive is liberated, people achieve more and live richer lives.”

~ Dan Pink, Drive

24

Resources Summary

• SCARF Model• YouTube Video

• NeuroLeadership Article

• Social Pain, Naomi Eisenberger

• The puzzle of motivation, Ted Talk by Dan Pink

• Quiet Leadership, David Rock

• Your Brain at Work, David Rock

25

Additional Resources

• Thinking Fast and Slow, Daniel Kahneman

• FOCUS: The Hidden Driver of Excellence, Daniel Goleman

• The Mind and the Brain, Jeffrey Schwartz

• The Brain That Changes Itself, Norman Doidge

26

Change Consultant/Speaker Biographies

27

Cynthia SiewertLead Consultant

Cynthia Siewert is currently an IT Management and Strategy Consultant with Impact Makers. She transitioned into her first Business Analysis role in 2004 and has been connected to the profession ever since. After several years of project-level business analysis work eliciting, documenting and managing requirements, she began leading Business Analysis teams and mentoring other Business Analysts. She has taken the skills she has learned in the field of Business Analysis and utilized them in other positions such as Program and Portfolio Management, Organizational Change Management and now into her current role as a consultant. Cynthia is serving as the President of the Central VA Chapter of the IIBA. She is passionate about the value Business Analysts can bring to an organization, both at a tactical and a strategic level and loves being part of the BA Community.

Kay FudalaLead Consultant

Kay is currently the Organizational Change Management Lead in the Management and IT Consulting Practice at Impact Makers. She gravitated to IT from her roots in the natural sciences. Throughout her career, she has been focused on driving user adoption of technology and process changes within organizations, as a Business Systems Analyst, Process Consultant and in her current role as a Change Consultant. Kay combines her scientific background and IT experience with a deep interest in human behavior to create positive and impactful results in organizations. A certified transition coach, Kay is committed to leveraging latest research from social neuroscience and behavioral economics to help change agents at all levels thrive amidst uncertainty.