The Ladder of Intervention

How to Change the World by Changing the Default

escalating levels of intervention

THE POWER OF CHANGING THE DEFAULT

Recently, I tried to retweet an article that I hadn’t read. Twitter put some friction into the process and made me think before retweeting. In the language of the Nuffield Ladder, they provided information that clarified the choice. I could still retweet an article I hadn’t read — that choice hadn’t been eliminated. But they were pointing out, subtly, that retweeting without reading wasn’t an awesome choice.

The prompt tells users that retweeting without reading isn’t a great idea.

STICKS OR CARROTS?

In leading teams and transforming culture, I take my inspiration from group dynamics. It’s hard work to make the extroverts talk less and the introverts talk more in a meeting or group working session. And if someone persistently over-talks, or is disruptive, we have to consider escalating our interventions: Are going to try and use a stick or a carrot to get people to behave as we want them to?

ROUNDS, POPCORN, OR QUAKER MEETINGS

It’s much more powerful to shift the default structures…the sweet spot on the ladder of intervention (which I’ve colored green since I love that color and I love changing defaults!).

SYSTEMS THINKING: CHANGING OUR MENTAL MODELS

I’ve written about the power of systems thinking and systems change in more depth here.

SHIFTING THE DEFAULT OF WHAT (OR: FINDING POINTS OF LEVERAGE)

Looking at your team as a system can allow you to step back and consider: what intervention will create the most durable, lasting change with the least effort? And when you are stepping in to make that change, what are you hoping to shift?

Donella Meadows’ 12 leverage points for a system

WHEN WILL YOUR INTERVENTION BE IMPACTFUL?

Adam Groves, Design Lead at The Children’s Society, suggested a “systems leverage map” to step back and rethink how we transform complex systems from a crisis-based reactivity, to a proactive, portfolio approach.

Adam Groves Systems Leverage Map (see/download a larger version here)

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Executive coach. Host of theconversationfactory.com. Often riding bikes to the ocean.

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