In my world of organizational change leadership I search out resistance. I love it. If I don’t see it I worry. I find that my colleagues on the project team don’t always feel the same way. Especially if they come from a technical perspective.
Why do I embrace resistance? Well, that’s when the good work can start. You see there are primarily two causes of resistance. There are subtleties of course but when you boil it down resistance falls into two camps:
1. I don’t understand or I misunderstand
Think about it. If I don’t understand what you’re talking about, my first emotional reaction is to push back. Worse, if I misunderstand what you’re talking about and in fact think you’re proposing something dangerous than I’ll resist and you likely won’t know why.
The key is clarity. Then test your message. We use our Change Breakthrough Analysis for every communication opportunity because it’s just too costly for people to leave the room on a different page. Find out if there are misconceptions. Ask people what they’re thinking. Present approaches and ideas using different delivery channels and in various ways. Repetition is OK. Clarify, clarify, clarify.
2. You’re doing the wrong thing
They know more than you. The people working in the business know the business. Sometimes the change you are proposing just doesn’t make sense and may harm the customers or the business. Just because you’ve been anointed to implement a change doesn’t mean it’s the best thing to do. Finding out early is crucial to success. You can make changes inexpensively early, not so inexpensively later on.
In one technology project the users discovered an ease of use problem with a one of the tools. They resisted. Loudly. We listened and that tool was reengineered considering their feedback. Later on when we really needed to count on these users there was a trust that allowed that support to happen.
People don’t really know how to resist
Some may yell. Some may get very quiet. Some may start an insurrection. Some may check out. There isn’t a school that teaches how to resist. Resistance originating from either base reason is pure. We can’t get stuck on the method used. Rather, we need to find the cause and deal with it. We in fact need to teach people how to resist better.
Dealing with resistance is tough work. It’s easier, in the moment, to avoid it. However, embracing resistance will make you a great change leader.
More on Change Leadership:
Constituent Hub
Constituent Hub enterprise software enables organizational change leadership that increases adoption and strategy realization so you can remain competitive.
Photo Credit: Ted and Jen
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