Knowing what makes your team tick with the SCARF® Model

Change often fails because leaders underestimate how strongly people react to uncertainty.

Neuroscience research from Dr David Rock highlights five social factors that influence how people respond to change. This is known as the SCARF® Model.

• Status – feeling valued and respected
• Certainty – knowing what’s happening
• Autonomy – having some control
• Relatedness – feeling connected to others
• Fairness – believing decisions are fair

When change threatens these areas, people naturally resist.

How leaders can use the SCARF model during change

Start by taking the SCARF® Assessment yourself. You may also want to invite your team to take it so you can better understand what motivates each individual.

Once you have the results, use them to introduce change in ways that reduce potential threat triggers and increase what motivates your team.

For example:

• Protect status: recognise people’s contributions and involve them in discussions about the change.
• Increase certainty: communicate regularly and be open about what you know and what you don’t yet know.
• Give autonomy: let teams shape how they implement the change rather than dictating every step.
• Strengthen connection: encourage collaboration and create opportunities for teams to support each other.
• Reinforce fairness: explain the reasoning behind decisions so people understand how and why choices are made.