Your company needs you…or people very much like you.
Changing employee behaviour in the workplace is the holy grail for communicators and traditionally it’s been led from the top by senior managers.
 But Dr Leandro Herrero says that’s the wrong way round because the main way behaviour changes is by social infection – i.e. we copy ‘people like us’.
“The idea of senior managers as role models is completely overestimated,” says Leandro. “Even the idea that these guys have more power than anybody else is overestimated.
“Peer to peer influence is much more powerful when it comes to shaping an organisation. People like us have more power!”
The author of Viral Change has written a new book called Homo Imitans, subtitled The art of social infection: Viral Change in action.
In it he explains how much we all copy each other – everything from using the same business jargon to panic and collective fear, and from fads and fashions to clusters of suicide.
 ‘It works in all fields of life – did you know you’re three times more likely to vote if your neighbour votes?’ he asks.
But, of course, it’s in business where internal communicators can make best use of his theories.
Firstly, Leandro says it’s vital to understand that change is really only change when people alter their behaviour.
That sounds obvious, but as he stresses ‘We’re very good at thinking activity leads to change – but communication is not change. No revolution has been created by Powerpoint!
‘The elephant in the room is about believing communication per se is change. Change is not measured by the number of workshops you hold. Cultures are not created by training.’
Basically, just because your company has invested a lot of time – and money – telling employees how to behave doesn’t mean they will do what you want.
People are far more likely to change behaviour by copying what those around them do.
Leandro, the CEO of the Chalfont Project, explains ‘Whether everybody disappears to the cafeteria to have lunch or whether it’s OK not to wear ties. All these unwritten rules aren’t in any welcome pack – but by day three the new guy does what everyone else does.
‘These things are spread by a little fire here and there, and suddenly the whole mountain is on fire.’
He describes the hierarchical top down ‘cascade’ method of communication led by senior managers as World One in which change is ‘pushed’ on people. The currency here is information and most management activity is somewhere in this world.
World Two is about behaviours and the currency is action. ‘It’s not something you can send out in Powerpoint or email,’ he stresses. ‘It’s a ‘pull’ world, it’s about influence.’
Of course it’s all very well saying ‘people copy other people’ – but how do you harness that inside a business?
Leandro, who says his methods have already worked for UK pharmaceutical giant Pfizer and Italian energy firm Saipem, says it’s all about finding the ‘champions’ inside a company, and using them to influence the change you need.
If you get your champions to behave right, the rest of the work population will follow.
So, how do you find your champions?
“There are all kinds of ways,” says Leandro. ‘You could have a sophisticated system of doing interviews and some social network to find those who are going to be willing to change.
“Or you could use a very non-sophisticated way – just ask people.
“But the people you need are those who matters to others. They may be sceptics – they may even be a pain in the neck! – but they’re the ones people will follow.
“You’re looking for individuals who are highly connected inside the organisation and trusted for whatever reason by their colleagues. Maybe because they’ve been there a while, maybe because they’re sceptical but committed.’
But he warns “We’re not looking for the best example of the perfect citizen.
“For instance, if you’re looking to change behaviour in the area of health & safety, the guys we need are not the ones who love safety and the best safety performers - we want the guys who are better connected and trusted by their colleagues.
“They may well be sceptical but their colleagues think ‘I trust you, if you’re doing this it must be good’.”
For social infection to work well, it’s essential to get the senior leaders behind it.
“Your CEO or leadership team has to go to this group of champions and say ‘Help, we need you’.
“It’s a very humble approach, to realise there are other people around who are powerful.”
There also has to be structure behind this plan. “It’s very informal but it’s very well designed,” says Leandro.
“You back up your champions with constant proof of small progress – stories – and social infection is constantly evolving so you must always have a plan for the day after.”
And for anyone thinking that their CEO is not going to buy into a method which doesn’t see him or her as the most important element of change, Leandro says “Try – because it works.”
He adds: “I think things are changing. Sometimes the boss is tired of trying something 300 times and seeing it doesn’t work.
“Some are sceptical, some love it and some are in between.
“But one thing you’ll all know is that people are very good at jumping in when things work and saying I always supported it…”
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