I just read The Kaizen Way by Robert Maurer, PhD. It talks about making change happen in small steps. Maurer has done a lot of research in the area of behavioral changes, and he said this is how to deal with the natural tendencies of people to resist change.
What struck me is the explanation that biologically, human beings do change in comfortable small steps.
According to Maurer:
Ask small questions
Think small thoughts
Take small actions
Solve small problems
“Small steps circumvent the brain’s built-in resistance to new behavior.”
I relate this insight to my interests in micro-learning design and systems.
In my research on Micro-Learning Impacts, http://trainingpayback.com/downloads.html,
I discovered that learners have the tendency to commit to big goals and big action items.
Consequently, they are unable to meet the commitment. Hence, it is only by applying micro-goals that learners best apply their learning.
Ray Jimenez, PhD www.vignettestraining.com
“Helping Learners Learn Their Way”