This case study examines emerging theory around successful change; change that sticks. It explains core methodologies that work across organizations large and small, regardless of access to technology and resources to create a change communication strategy. Presenter Kip Soteres helped design a communication strategy and presenter Megan Hogan helped manage and implement significant changes to the Wellness Program at a large Western PA health care organization. The case study also provides concrete and applicable steps to guide communicators to design strategies that lead to change that sticks.

1. Change That Sticks:
Behavior and Culture

2. • Clients include the BlueCross BlueShield
Association, Kennametal,
& Boyden Global Executive Search
• Significantly outperform industry standards for
change communications
• Gold Quill and Silver Anvil awards for
communication excellence
• Published and cited by Ragan Communications
and the IABC’s Journal of Employee
Communications Management
• Achieved 88-92 percent participation rates in
Wellness programs at all four organizations
• Led more than 12 M&A efforts across three
industries
Hi, I’m Kip Soteres
Change Communications
Expert
Founder and President
Soteres Consulting
2015 to Today
VP, Director
and Manager Roles
Highmark Health
PNC Bank
BlueCross BlueShield of TN
Cadence Design Systems
2001 to 2015
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3. • Published on MarketingProfs.com
• Managed advertising budgets of $4million
• Created and implemented annual marketing
strategies that integrated a variety of
programs to effectively reach an overall
wellness strategy goal
• Temple University graduate
• University of Pittsburgh, Katz School of
Business MBA candidate
Hi, I’m Meg Hogan
Digital Marketer
Digital marketing
consulting and content
writing services
2015 to Today
Roles in public relations
advertising account
management, content
creation, and
communications strategy
development and
implementation
2008 to 2015
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4. Agenda
• Brief overview of emerging theory
around successful change
• Core methodologies that work
• Practical application with a Wellness
Program implementation at a Western
PA health insurer
Text questions to Meg at
484 680 0201. 4

5. Questions?
If you have a
question
during the
presentation,
feel free to
text them to
Meg at
484 680 0201.
5

6. Audience Poll
Any initiative:
• Strategy change
• Wellness programs
• Engagement programs
• Process changes
Raise your hand if you’ve ever launched an
initiative that didn’t reach its end goal.
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484 680 0201. 6

7. Because
75%
of organizations
do not achieve desired
results
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484 680 0201. 7

8. Don’t take it from us…
McKinsey & Company: A recent survey of business
executives indicates that the percent of change programs
that are a success today is... still 30 percent.
IBM: Nearly 60 percent of projects aimed at achieving
business change do not fully meet their objectives.
Harvard Business Review: The fact is that about 70
percent of all change initiatives fail.
Forbes/Towers Watson: A new study by Towers Watson
has found that only 25 percent of change management
initiatives are successful over the long term.
Connor Partners: Change practitioners have some
culpability for the atrocious 70 percent failure rate of
change initiatives.
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at 484 680 0201.
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9. The Power Lines
Are Down at the
Point of the
Problem
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484 680 0201. 9

10. We need a proven
approach that solves
for human factors.
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484 680 0201. 10

11. Questions so far?
Text questions to
Meg at
484 680 0201.
11

12. Effective Change:
Some Surprises
The ability to sustain change is more emotional, than
rational – fewer reasons, more good feelings
Resistance and complaints are usually good news
Mental overload is likely your biggest enemy of
change (Three is too many)
Set micro-goals: 60-70 percent solutions work best
Most companies stop communicating just when it
matters most (avoid “losing launches”)
Significant change must be bound tightly to behaviors
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at 484 680 0201. 12

13. The
Elephant
and the
Rider
From The Righteous Mind by Jonathan Haidt
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at 484 680 0201.
13

14. Direct the rider
clear, visionary, attention-getting
The Rider, the Elephant, and the Path*
From Switch by Chip and Dan Heath
Motivate the elephant
positive, sustained, present
Clear the path
simple, herd-minded, habitual
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at 484 680 0201.
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15. Core Methodology –
Up Front
Make it simple: Set simple goals, define
simple and specific behaviors
Prepare the way: Equip leaders to be
successful, know your stakeholders, engage
everyone in the change, anticipate
resistance
Appeal to the emotions: Strong and
consistent messages, seek out good
feedback, create champions and
ambassadors, celebrate
Use your metrics: Continuous
improvement, pause, pivot and press on
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at 484 680 0201.
15

16. CONFIDENTIAL. CUSTOM TEXT.
Where possible – make completion simple, centralize resources
and promote with brief push messages. Create a one-stop
repository for questions and complaints.
Make It
Simple
or How to Confuse
a Rabbit Using
Carrots
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17. Prepare the Way
• Executives drive the business rationale, coach them to expect initial
resistance.
• Managers translate change to employees and convey a positive tone.
• Support functions implement and support the business
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at 484 680 0201.
17
Consider the advantages of not positioning support functions as the
standard-bearers for change efforts

18. Appeal to the Emotions
• Take good feedback, visibly implement it, loudly communicate it
• Set small goals to keep people fed with feelings of success
• Create champions and ambassadors at every opportunity – us and us
Consider focus groups: the fastest path to change acceptance comes when
the group feels that change was their own idea!
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at 484 680 0201.
18

19. Define Success with Metrics
Get success, pause to celebrate,
and pivot to the next behavior.Text questions to Meg
at 484 680 0201.
19

20. Questions so far?
Text questions to
Meg at
484 680 0201.
20

21. Case Study Background
Client: 10,000 employee regional health insurer
Project: 3-year effort to move the wellness program from
incentives for participation to incentives for results:
Baseline: General
Activity and
Participation
Year 2 2015:
Culture Focused
Year 3 Ongoing
Results-driven
Incentives
Year 1 2014: Behavior
Focused
• Participation in health-
focused behaviors
qualifies the individual
for the incentive.
• Requirements changed
annually with little
consistency.
• Completion of
biometric screenings and
health risk assessments
qualifies the individual for
the incentive.
• Significant employee
resistance.
• Customized communications
recommending targeted health
behavior changes to improve
results*.
• Holistic messaging reinforces
wellness as core to collective
identity.
• Stronger employee
buy-in, started to see business
impact of program
• Demonstrated understanding
that actions are valued more
than participation.
• Culture and behavior
support each other.
• Increased focus on overall
results and reinforce culture
of wellness.
• Reinforce business goals tied
to wellness.
*Glucose, cholesterol and blood pressure levels
and nicotine use
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484 680 0201. 21

22. How We
Made it Simple
Step 1
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22
Avoided
Mental Overload
Provided
Easy-to-Understand
Health Tips
• Streamlined the number
of required actions
• Consistent messaging
• Year-long, short and simple tips

23. Step 2 How We
Prepared the Way
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at 484 680 0201.
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Reduced the Noise
Collaborated with internal communicators to reduce the
number of communications sent/deployed at one time.
Created a unified wellness identity
Created a “Herd” to
Identify with and
Leaders to Follow
Met the Audience Where
They Were
Made Wellness Easy to
Understand and
Participate In
Digital and print materials were positioned
in high traffic areas
Wellness programs were offered with themes that were
timely

24. Questions so far?
Text questions to
Meg at
484 680 0201.
24

25. Step 3 How We Appealed to
the Emotions
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at 484 680 0201.
25
Featured “success stories”
Made the program launch
attention-getting with leadership support
• Created community events that led
to “feel good” feelings
• Partnered with diversity group to adjust
programs to be more inclusive
Told Real Life, Positive
Stories
Gained Influential Leadership
Support
Collaborated Internally and
Externally

26. Pre-program:
60% participation
Year 1:
90% participation
Improved health metrics for the company
as a whole:
• Improved cholesterol
• Stabilized obesity levels against national
trending increases
Now:
Steady
participation;
appeals declining
Step 4 Outcomes
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at 484 680 0201.
26

27. Metrics were used to:
• Rally the audience around a “win”
• Apply to and win industry awards
• Evolve the program
Step 4
(continued)
How We Used Our Metrics
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at 484 680 0201.
27

28. Questions so far?
Text questions to
Meg at
484 680 0201.
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29. Make it simple.
- Be responsive. Remove
barriers and excuses.
- Complex solutions
make their own
problems.
But if You Do Only One Thing...
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484 680 0201. 29

30. Contact
For more information about this presentation,
email kip.soteres@soteresconsulting.com or meghogan0@gmail.com.
To download this presentation and for more information about change
communications and marketing strategies, visit soteresconsulting.com or
meghogan.com.
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at 484 680 0201.
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31. Thanks for Your Time