Implementation Intentions
Implementation intentions (Peter Gollwitzer) are the most portable finding in goal pursuit research: a goal states what you intend to achieve; an implementation intention states when, where and how, in if-then form. The meta-analysis across ninety-four studies found a medium-to-large effect on attainment from this one move.
The mechanism: the if-then delegates initiation to the situation itself, so acting no longer depends on remembering, deliberating or feeling like it in the moment.
The finding scales from individuals to operating systems
Three pieces of ZOKRI machinery are implementation intentions wearing team clothes. Process commitments: in initiatives, process commitments and experiments, a process commitment is an if-then at team scale; when the trigger occurs, the agreed behaviour follows, no fresh decision required. Escalation triggers: the Issues and Obstacles Log escalates any issue that survives two consecutive check-ins unresolved. Writing the trigger as a rule removes the social cost of asking for help; nobody has to decide to escalate, the if-then does it. Check-in actions: a check-in that ends with "we should improve X" has produced a wish. One that ends with "when Y happens, Owner does Z" has produced an implementation intention, and the research says the second one happens at roughly double the rate.
The pairing that completes the circuit
Mental contrasting picks the right goals and surfaces the obstacle; the if-then pre-loads the response to it. Obstacle without plan is worry; plan without obstacle is optimism. The pre-mortem plus the log plus if-then triggers is the full circuit at company scale. The shelf this research belongs to is mapped at Goal Setting.
Credited to Peter Gollwitzer; meta-analysis with Paschal Sheeran. Machinery connections are ZOKRI methodology.
What makes an if-then plan so effective? +
It delegates initiation to the situation: acting no longer depends on remembering, deliberating or feeling like it. Across ninety-four studies, roughly double the follow-through from this one move.
How do if-then plans work at company scale? +
As process commitments, rule-based escalation triggers, and check-in actions written as "when Y happens, Owner does Z". We wire all three into your operating rhythm during implementation.
A wish becomes a plan when it has a trigger. We install the triggers across your whole operating rhythm, then coach teams until they fire without thinking.