Fortune 500 executives said that resistance was the primary reason changes failed. And 80 percent of the chief information officers said that resistance – not a lack of technical skills or resources – was the main reason why technology projects failed. It’s that soft, touchy-feely, human reaction of resistance that matters.
But these statistics are only partly right. Resistance is not the primary reason why changes fail. The real problem is that leaders plan and roll out major changes in ways that create inertia, apathy, and opposition.
For example, an executive announces that the company will restructure starting next week. Employees and middle managers begin to resist. As the project unfolds, executives see resistance appear in many forms – malicious compliance, in-your-face arguments, even sabotage. The executives respond by pushing the change even harder. Then they make demands. Employees redouble their opposition and the change ends up either failing or going far over budget and way past deadlines.
Does this scenario sound at all familiar to you? If so, you’re not alone. Here are some things to consider.
You’ve Got to Know What Creates Resistance to Change
Resistance is in the eye of the beholder. The people resisting don’t see what they are doing as resistance – they often see it as survival.
Resistance to change is a reaction to the way a change is being led. There are no born “resistors” out there waiting to ruin otherwise perfect plans. People resist in response to something.
Resistance protects people from harm. If I’m a novice downhill skier, it’s resistance that keeps me from taking the chair lift to the top of Bodycast Mountain. In an organization, resistance keeps me from saying “yes” to an assignment that I think will kill my career. After all, people aren’t dopes.
The better we are at seeing what causes resistance, the easier it will be to build support for our ideas. In other words, if we understand resistance, we also understand the other side of that coin – support for change.
I have identified three levels of resistance.
Level 1 – I Don’t Get It
Level 1 involves information: facts, figures, ideas. It is the world of thinking and rational action. It is the world of presentations, diagrams, and logical arguments.
Level 1 may come from . . .
Lack of information
Disagreement with data
Lack of exposure to critical information
Confusion over what it means
Many make the mistake of treating all resistance as if it were Level 1. Well-meaning leaders give people more information – hold more meetings, and make more PowerPoint presentations – when, in fact, something completely different is called for. And that’s where Levels 2 and 3 come in.
