How to tap into customers’ change mindsets to grow your business

Businesses that want to improve their preparedness for change should concentrate on strengthening their organizational agility. Simply put, organizational agility refers to a business’s ability to adapt and succeed in a turbulent environment.

Braden Kelley, an innovation speaker and the author of “Stoking Your Innovation Bonfire" and "Charting Change," has developed an organizational agility framework aimed at helping businesses to:

• Adapt to changing environmental circumstances.
• Make the most of their resources and encourage creativity.
• Accelerate consumer acceptance by facilitating rapid organizational transformation.
• Create long-term customer relationships.

According to Kelley, Eight Change Mindsets can help people choose change, as shown below:

1. Expert-minded

– They seek to be the best at everything they do.

2. Mover 'n' Shaker

– They seek to be the first at everything they do. 

3. Teacher

– They want to be shown how to get others to embrace change. 

4. Thrill seeker

– They are stimulated by trying new things. 

5. Mission-driven

– They need reasons to believe. 

6. Reward-hungry

– They yearn for recognition for making a change.

7. Team players

– They love to help once they know how the change will be beneficial.

8. Action-oriented

– They are motivated to do whatever needs doing.

Getting employees to choose to change by tapping into these mindsets is vital for a business, as it is how you spur them to abandon their existing solution and go with yours instead. This can be difficult since most individuals are resistant to the idea of doing something different. 

Putting the mindsets to work for your company

To persuade people to change their behavior, you must first master the art of change leadership. Remember: Most people are inherently averse to change.

First, consider why people might be resistant to your new product or service. Then, brainstorm ideas for initiatives that will help overcome their resistance.

In order to apply Kelley’s Eight Change Mindsets, you must acknowledge that not all clients are the same. The ability to identify their different motivations can help determine whether your business succeeds.

Kelley suggests adopting his Innovation is All About Value strategy to make sure you're concentrating on the three necessary components for the product or service you plan to bring to market, which comprise:

1. Value creation

– To be worth the costs of changing from an old offering to a new one, an investment in innovation must either generate something completely new or provide significant incremental value.

2. Value access

– Assess whether the value you will develop is easily accessible to customers.

3. Value translation

– Determine whether customers fully comprehend the value you've provided and how they can access it.

Conclusion

Kelley's innovation formula is as follows:

Innovation = value creation x value access x value translation

According to Kelley, you must succeed on all three fronts. Failing at even one will result in failure. It is not enough to develop something valuable; people must be able to comprehend the value you have created and how it fits into their lives.