Resistance is Useless

If you are responsible for introducing any kind of change initiative in business, you are going to meet a phenomenon that is well-recognised in management circles – it’s called ‘resistance to change’. Frankly, human beings are change-resistant – it’s a simple fact of life. Ken Blanchard wrote about it in his lovely little book ‘Who Moved my Cheese’ which deals with stereo-typical reactions to change.

There are three typical reactions. The first is a positive reaction – some people will think the proposed change is a good idea. They believe that the new order of things will benefit them and the company. Such optimism may or may not be well-informed. The second typical reaction is the opposite: some people will strongly dislike the idea – whatever it is! They will be cynical and suggest that things that are not broken need not be fixed. The third reaction sits between these two poles: some people will simply be undecided. It is this group, of course, who are persuadable.

As the initiator or leader of change within an organisation, you will need to address this third group of people. If you can persuade them that the proposed change is in their best interest, then you can significantly improve your chances of success.

The business of thinking of how you can affect this group and devising strategies to get those people to come on-board with your plans is sometimes referred to as ‘stakeholder management’ - a stakeholder being defined as anyone who is affected by the proposed change. The important key to producing movement from the undecided position to one that can be described as ‘on-side’ with the change, is to get people involved in the process.

If you approach the whole issue of change as one of exploration, and if you allow people to provide input that is then properly considered, you will truly have an easier time with the implementation. Human nature is such that we just don’t like other people telling us what to do – so don’t do it. Instead, get people deeply involved in the dialogue and the decision-making.

If you are charged with the responsibility of achieving success through managing change within your organisation, it is indeed true that you should seek to be an inspirational leader! You do need to have your vision. But you also need to get people involved in the ‘path-finding’ exploration that will solve the problems, discover the way and ultimately lead to its fulfilment.