Ever wondered how conspiracy theory cult QAnon has drawn in so many followers? The answer is ‘Gamification’ – engaging people in a ‘hunt
for the truth’. Its potency is based on the principle that people don’t like being told what think. But if they make up their own minds to think in new ways they will then act in new ways, and their new beliefs will be hard to shake. The same concept can be used at work to help people shift mindsets and behaviours. But let’s begin by delving more deeply into the QAnon approach.
QAnon exhorts people to “do your research”. Cryptic messages (or ‘Q-drops’) are posted online by the mysterious “Q,” who claims to be close to Donald Trump with high-level clearance (at least while Trump was president). QAnon’s anonymous followers’ pore over these posts, often written in phony spy jargon, to divine clues and secret messages and make fresh links in the grand conspiracy aligned against Trump. Whilst most Q posts are intentionally enigmatic, videos and other content from believers are often understandable to any dabbler, presenting claims about some discrete piece of the broader conspiracy, like coronavirus misinformation. Once people have followed the trail of crumbs and drawn their own conclusions it then becomes difficult to undo their beliefs. These views become even even more fixed as an “alternative truth” is reinforced by daily barrage of information on social media that’s designed to reinforce what people already believe – creating a kind of “confirmation bias on steroids.”
Whilst this method can be used to drop people down a rabbit hole of misinformation in can also be used to help people gain fact-based insight and understanding. The driving principle is to “Let people draw their own conclusions”.
If, for instance, you want people to shift their thinking and thereby adopt new ways of working, the best place to start is by giving them the opportunity to explore for themselves the context and need for change. This is best done through dialogue discussion with their colleagues. When people are given the right information and discussion points, they will use their own experiences and understanding to draw their own conclusions. They will work out for themselves what needs to be done to enable their organisation to survive and thrive in the long run. They will uncover the challenges that need to be overcome and the benefits to them, their colleagues, their customers, and their organisation. As a result, they will be motivated to take action to make a difference.
#changemanagement #organisationalchange #culturechange #transformationalchange #mergersandaquisitions
