Lesson 1 – Control
Anyone who has tried to persuade a child to eat something that they didn’t want to eat knows what a tough job it can be. Imagine then trying to change the eating habits of thousands of school children in America; persuading them to give up sugar-filled chocolate milk in favour of good old plain milk or burger and chips in favour of pasta salad. If you want to learn some crucial lessons in change just watch Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution. A good way to start is by watching Episode 1 Part 1 on YouTube. To view it click the picture of Jamie below.
While you are watching put yourself in the shoes of the school cooks and ask yourself how do I feel about Jamie Oliver arriving to change what I’ve been doing for many years? How do I feel like responding? Then ask yourself ‘What could Jamie to get the cooks on board with change?’
When people feel that change is trust upon them their sense of control over their working lives (3rd of The 5 Forces of Change) feels deeply threatened. What they do next depends on how much control they are given in determining what the change will be and/or how it will be put into place. On the one hand they may to avoid or oppose the change, on the other they may chose to find ways of increasing their sense of control in a positive way.
Have a look at Episode 1 part 2 and part 3 for more ideas about control. In Episode 1 Part 3 you can see how the Edwards family is given control over cooking and eating healthy food.
