FROM OUR CEO

The “Ketchup Effect”​ for Change Sets in at 30 Percent

August 11th, 2022 | From our CEO

Have you ever fought hard to get ketchup out of the bottle? You know, where you shake the bottle violently, you bang it, and you might even shout at it… and nothing happens?

I have. Too many times.

Like a Tsunami of Ketchup

Then suddenly the ketchup flushes out. Like a tsunami of ketchup. Flooding your spaghetti or your French fries? Really fast – and there is no way for you to stop it. You have no control.

In Denmark we call that exact moment the “Ketchup Effect”. Or I should say, we used to call it that. Danish ketchup bottles are now of plastic – not glass – and plastic bottles do not lead to ketchup tsunamis. In France and Italy, however, where I have been vacationing the past few weeks, they still have glass ketchup bottles… and I can testify from own experience… the ketchup effect is still very real.

Embrace the “Ketchup Effect” to Succeed with Change

It is the “Ketchup Effect” moment, you must aim for, when you lead change. Especially, if you have limited time and resources. It requires laser focus, and that you work with the right people.

So what am I talking about?

The “Ketchup Effect” moment for change is where a large majority in the organization suddenly believes in what you are believing in. The moment where there is no turning back to the old way of doing things. The moment where the new ways of working has been adopted by the majority.

The moment where people resisting your change are the “lonely nuts”

The moment where people resisting your change are the “lonely nuts”… and nobody wants to be that.

30% is Needed for the “Ketchup Effect” to Happen

So how can you get to the “Ketchup Effect” during change?

Behavioral change and epidemiological studies have revealed that getting a critical mass – typically 30% of a population – to support you is key.

The reasons are many, and includes:

• When 30% have changed, then new ways of behaving become self-supporting. There will be enough people to encourage, support and coach each other in the new ways.
• When 30% have change change feels inevitable for the 70%, and they give up on resistance. Those who are ‘unchanged’ experience a critical mass of people behaving in the new way. It will feel as the majority. Many of those who have changed will be personal connections.

The Right 3% of People is the Shortcut to the 30%

The short cut to getting to the 30% aka the “Ketchup Effect” is to mobilize and embrace the right three percent of your employees and let them make sense to and and transform the mindsets of their colleagues. (Read more about this approach under #ThreePercentRule)

I recommend this classic less than 3 min video with Derek Sivers, if you want to see a real life example of the Ketchup Effect: Link

Source:

• Critical Mass: How One Thing Leads to Another (2004), Philip Ball
• Experimental evidence for tipping points in social convention (2018), Damon Centola, Nature, Vol 360, Issue 6393, pp. 1116-1119

Originally posted by Jeppe Vilstrup Hansgaard on https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/ketchup-effect-change-sets-30-percent-jeppe-vilstrup-hansgaard/