Removing Barriers to Change

What does it mean to truly change something? How does one persuade others to change? How do we reduce roadblocks to change? In this course, you’ll learn about the barriers to change and how to become more effective in inspiring change within others and your organization. Professor Jonah Berger of the Wharton School has designed this course to help you understand the REDUCE framework, and shows you how to develop your skills of persuasion and influence. By the end of this course, you’ll know both the strengths and weaknesses of certain strategies for removing barriers in change, plus you’ll learn how to leverage those strategies to achieve change in both business and in life.

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Syllabus

Syllabus - What you will learn from this course
Week 1
Module 1 - The Challenge of Change
In this module, we’ll begin by identifying the challenges of change and by defining what the Status Quo Bias is. You’ll weigh the advantages and disadvantages of change, and understand the right balance between potential gains and losses to overcome loss aversion. You’ll learn about the
Week 2
Module 2 - Removing Reactance and Endowment
downsides of pushing people to change, discover the importance of being a catalyst, and establish the REDUCE framework. By the end of this module, you’ll be better able to understand the fundamental elements of both change and aversion to change, and be able to identify good change agents to implement while changing both minds and behavior
Week 3
Module 3 - Overcoming Confirmation Bias and Uncertainty
In this module, you’ll examine why warnings backfire, and learn how to ease the Endowment Effect to accomplish your goals. By analyzing the case studies of Procter & Gamble’s Tide Pods and the Arden House Experiments, you’ll be able to identify the process in which warnings become recommendations and the importance of agency and control for people. You’ll learn about successful strategies that allow for more agency in change — and through analyzing real-life examples, you’ll discover how easing the Endowment Effect will help others let go of the attachment to the status quo. By the end of this module, you’ll learn effective strategies for surfacing the cost of inaction and framing new things as old, plus you’ll be able to encourage others to change with more agency.
Week 4
Module 4 - The Importance of Corroborating Evidence
This module was designed to help you analyze the elements of distance and uncertainty in barriers to change and how to overcome them. By discussing examples of political polarization and Confirmation Bias, you’ll distinguish between the zone of acceptance and region of rejection, and assess strategies such as finding the movable middle and finding an unsticking point. You’ll explore the cost of uncertainty and analyze the strategies of Zappos, Acura, and Kia to evaluate best practices on lowering upfront costs. By the end of this module, you’ll be able to employ a toolbox of approaches to overcome elements of distance and uncertainty in change, and be prepared to bring the right persuasive skills to any situation.

FAQ

When will I have access to the lectures and assignments?

Access to lectures and assignments depends on your type of enrollment. If you take a course in audit mode, you will be able to see most course materials for free. To access graded assignments and to earn a Certificate, you will need to purchase the Certificate experience, during or after your audit. If you don't see the audit option:

What will I get if I purchase the Certificate?

When you purchase a Certificate you get access to all course materials, including graded assignments. Upon completing the course, your electronic Certificate will be added to your Accomplishments page - from there, you can print your Certificate or add it to your LinkedIn profile. If you only want to read and view the course content, you can audit the course for free.

Is financial aid available?

Yes. In select learning programs, you can apply for financial aid or a scholarship if you can’t afford the enrollment fee. If fin aid or scholarship is available for your learning program selection, you’ll find a link to apply on the description page.

Reviews

this course was very insightful, giving me new perspective on how to tackle problems , how to recognise those problems, how to change those negative problems to positive

Excellent, useful information to begin constructing a way to facilitate change. Explains why change is difficult to institute, and equips leaders to stategize.

One of the most interesting and applicable courses on here. Easy to follow and undertand and was engaging! Highly recommend!

Excellent course! Professor Berger was great and used current examples to validate theories. Highly recommend!