Chip and Dan Heath, Switch

Switch: How to Change Things When Change is Hard, by Chip and Dan Heath, is a fascinating look at how change happens, whether on the level of individuals, businesses, or whole societies. To motivate change, in short, you have to do one or more of three things: "direct the rider," that is, appeal to the rational part of the people whom you want to change; "motivate the elephant," or engage people emotionally; and "shape the path," that is, make changes to the environment that make changing easier and not changing more difficult. That's it, but the authors go on to explain various means of accomplishing each of these, and they punctuate the book with stories of real-life changes and how they were accomplished.

This isn't exactly a how-to book, but it does provide a lot of advice that can be applied to one's own life (the importance of removing ambiguity from one's directives, for example, and creating "action triggers" when attempting to create a habit). Some of the information provided may not be a surprise to readers. You'll probably have heard that the size of your plate or your popcorn bucket can influence how much you'll eat. Even so, you'll probably be surprised at how much of an influence portion size can have and at some of the other real-life behavior discussed in the book.

In addition to being a very interesting read, Switch is also written in exceptionally clear prose. It would make valuable reading for anyone who's looking to create change, whether you're interested in altering the way your company does business or getting your kids to clean their rooms.