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that your request or message has some connection to their name. For example, an experiment we conducted in partnership with a team of British physicians found that simply including a patient’s first name in an SMS (short message service) text reminding them to attend a health appointment led to a 57 percent reduction in no-shows compared to reminders that didn’t include their first name. Interestingly, including a patient’s full name (e.g., John Smith) or a more formal salutation (e.g., Mr. Smith) made no difference at all. It was only when a patient’s first name was used that it had an effect.
    SMALL BIGs like these aren’t just being deployed in an effort to reduce inefficiencies such as those produced by people failing to show up to their doctor’s appointments. They are also being used to persuade people to pay fines that they owe. One study conducted by the Behavioural Insights Team, a crack squad of behavioral scientists, originally working at the heart of the British government but now a commerical body, found that sending a text message requesting payment of a fine that included an offender’s first name along with the amount owed increased response rates by almost half—from 23 percent to 33 percent—compared to the same message that didn’t include the offender’s name.
    The attention-grabbing nature of a name could also prove fruitful for those charged with generating support for new business initiatives and work programs. When it comes to naming that new project, you may be tempted to consider an ambiguous, mysterious-sounding name in the hope that it will spark interest, get people’s attention, and mobilize them behind your efforts. The hurricane studies, however, suggest an alternative approach. Rather than attempting to evoke the passions and emotions of your employees by likening your initiative to some kind of mythological bird that is reborn from its own ashes, you might receive more support if you simply look down the list of people who work in the departments responsible for implementing your project and choose a commonly occurring name from those groups. Or at the very least tally up the most commonly occurring initial amongst the group and use that as a basis for your project name. Pharmaceutical sales executives might review the names of heavy prescribers and note that, when the time comes to release their next blockbuster drug, visiting Dr. Painton early on in the launch of Painaway could prove to be a shrewd move.
    Such moves could be the SMALL BIGs that make your name-changing activities game-changing ones, too.

Chapter 6.
What SMALL steps can lead to BIG leaps when building relationships, partnerships, and teamwork?
    B usiness rarely stands still, and when change happens, it can often occur at lightning speed, throwing unexpected challenges in our way. A sudden acquisition can mean that today’s competitor will be tomorrow’s colleague. A change in a business model can result in a long-standing rival emerging as the perfect joint venture partner. A seemingly straightforward company restructure can lead to the merging of departments that previously didn’t see eye-to-eye.
    Marriages like these can be challenging at the best of times. And even more so if those concerned have previously gone to great lengths to differentiate themselves from an adversary that they now find to be an associate. So when a wedding of opponents occurs, what small steps can be taken that will encourage people to accept former rivals as part of the new family, cooperate with new colleagues, work collaboratively, and embrace joint efforts?
    One potential answer comes from another group of individuals who are notorious for their fierce rivalries—sports fans.
    Rivalry and competitiveness is par for the course in sport. It’s something that pretty much every fan recognizes, with the fiercest of cases reserved for the longest standing of foes. Think the Yankees and the Red Sox. The Celtics and the Lakers.