10% of the majority: when ideas get adopted

Domino Effect

Domino Effect (Photo credit: k.landerholm)

How long does change take?

Interesting question. And one that, at least to me, doesn’t have a concrete answers. But a good answer is that it takes time. It simply doesn’t happen overnight.

But, we do know that if we want to accelerate change then it is best to aim to win over / enlist a few people in our crusade.

From Rebels at Work:

Jefferson and Gorbachev both said that the revolution ignites when 5% of thinking people arrive at the same idea. But scientists from Rensselear Polytechnic Institute have found that once committed opinion holders reach 10% the ideas will always be adopted by the majority. For those of us leading change, that means we need to get 10% of the majority behind the cause.  If you’re in a company with 1,000 people, you need 100 who are behind the issue. If you live in a town with 30,000 people, you need 3,000 committed people.  For more on this fascinating research study, click here.

I’ve never validated my efforts this way…

But one thing is for sure: for things to change, someone has to start acting differently.

 

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