The formula for change

In one paragraph

Three things have to be present for change to happen, and they multiply rather than add. If any one of them is zero, the whole thing is zero, no matter how large the others are.

D × V × F > R

D — dissatisfaction with how things are now. Without it, nobody moves; comfort is a powerful anaesthetic.

V — a vision of what is possible. Dissatisfaction with no vision produces complaining, not change.

F — concrete first steps. Dissatisfaction and vision with no idea what to do on Monday produces frustration.

R — resistance, the cost of changing: effort, risk, loss of status, loss of the familiar.

The multiplication is the insight

Because the left side multiplies, you cannot compensate. A brilliant vision and a detailed plan achieve nothing in a business where everyone is quite comfortable. Overwhelming dissatisfaction with no plan produces churn and exits.

It also tells you where to intervene: find the zero rather than pushing on whichever factor you find easiest.

How to actually use it

• For a stalled change, score the three honestly out of five. The lowest number is your job this week; the other two are not.
• The cheapest lever is usually F. Making the first step small and obvious reduces resistance at the same time.

Where it breaks down

• The variables cannot really be measured, so the arithmetic is a way of thinking rather than a calculation.
• It says nothing about whether the change is a good idea.

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