In change management is becoming more widespread the knowledge that when challenges are complex, hard to identify and require “no one size fit all” solution usually it requires adaptive change. Adaptive change has become part of the language and jargon of leadership and change management, but do we actually know what does it mean why it matters?
Adaptive change requires us to modify our approaches to work and therefore it usually requires the involvement of an entire group or even the entire organization, including collective action continuous learning and experimentation to determine the best solution.
As a result, adaptive change is all about how humans change, adapt and make decisions. Many times, as a result of the necessary adaptive change people are losing their expertise, status and often push out of their comfort zone. In the meantime, important decisions can be made under threat or bias (usually an unconscious threat and bias we are not aware of) that can lead to poor performance or even not being able to achieved the desire goals.
Neuroscience enable us to understand how our brain perceive change and most importantly is giving us insights about WHAT WE CAN DO to more efficiently manage the process of decision making and adaptation to change to achieve the desired results.
Neuroscience for change is becoming more and more a must to have skill and a qualification that all leaders and change managers should be learning and practicing. For example, neuroscience for change provide us with simple every day strategies we can implement to deal with fear, lack of engagement and cynicism as result of losing expertise. The creation of small habits within the team such as providing the right information at the right time, celebration small progress or encouraging learning from mistakes can make a huge difference how people facing change adapt to constant change and make better decisions.
It is all about very simple understanding how to work with people’s neurobiology in our side rather than against us and to “hack” the brain to do so in a practical way.
Artificial Intelligence, on the other hand, excels in processing vast amounts of data, identifying patterns, and making predictions. In the context of change management, AI can analyze large datasets to understand HOW TO implement strategies effectively. By crunching numbers and recognizing trends, AI can provide actionable recommendations, optimize change implementation plans, and even predict potential roadblocks. For instance, AI algorithms can assess past change initiatives, identify successful patterns, and recommend specific approaches for the current change process, thus guiding the practical implementation steps.
By combining the insights from neuroscience (the “what to do”) and the computational capabilities of AI (the “how to do it”), organizations can develop comprehensive, data-driven, and emotionally intelligent change management strategies. This integration enhances the decision-making process, making change initiatives not only effective but also tailored to the specific emotional and cognitive needs of the employees, ultimately leading to higher success rates in change adoption.
Want to learn more about Neuroscience for Change? You can be one of the first leaders or practitioners to obtain the new certification in Neuroscience for Change accredited by a professional body, APMG.
Register: Neuroscience for change certification
Learn more: Neuroscience-based model, PEPE© model to facilitate change.
About the author: Tibisay Vera is a neuroscientist, the author of PEPE© model and the Co-creator of Neuroscience for Change certification. https://pepeneuroscience.com/ . She is also the founder of Sparking Performance, a neuroscience-based consultancy for managing change and the Director in UK of the International Academy of Neuroscience and Education.
Tibisay Vera has a MSc in Clinical Neuroscience with more than 20 years change management experience.
