Viral Change

Viral Change

Viral Change, pioneered by Dr Leandro Herrero, is an approach to change management that focuses mainly on creating the diffusion of new ideas and processes through social contagion of behaviours that spread via social networks. Conceptually, it relates to an array of behavioural and social sciences, with a particular emphasis on modern science of Social Networks. While conventional approach focuses on the sequence of creating a "burning platform" first, communicating strategy, planning, distributing tasks, training and deployment, Viral Change relies on creating and sustaining new behaviours rather than processes. Behaviours should act as a prerequisite to support change, not as a consequence.

The central message in Viral Change is that ‘there is no change unless there is behavioural change’.

It moves toward the formal process of organisational change with the understanding of the organisation as a living, adaptable network. A combination of language, behaviours and their reinforcement, creation of tipping points and establishment of new routines or ‘cultures’, enables a multi-directional impact and stable change. Viral Change in organisations follows the rules of epidemiology and a pattern of infections, which has more in common with the spread of fashions, than with the ‘communication to all’ style of management.