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Is cognitive dissonance ever good for an organization?


According to Bridges (2004), leaders can use the following questions to initiate change in behaviors:
-      What is the goal of the “change”?
-      What is going to be different as a result of change?
-      What will be lost and by whom?

They can help to facilitate the transition to the desired behavior. They can help make the employees more aware of the reasons why they are urged to change behaviors. They improve awareness of the matter and may start a company-wide exchange of ideas. The three questions also provide an opportunity for a fair discussion based on figuring all stakeholders and how each one can benefit from change, and the personal costs associated with change.

The leader can try to use reinforcers and rewards as an incentive. It can also increase behavioral compliance by promoting only those that demonstrate alignment with the target behaviors. One of the functions of leaders is “role model” and they need to demonstrate how to deal with non-compliance towards the desired behaviors so that managers can know how to manage opposition related to changing behaviors.

References
Cultural Intelligence for Leaders. (2012). Saylor Academy. Creative Commons by-nc-sa 3.0.
Bridges, W. (2004). Transitions: Making sense of life’s changes. Da Capo Lifelong Books.

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