Summary

Kevin Novak reveals why 80% of project failures come from psychological resistance operating below conscious awareness rather than visible opposition.

Drawing on implementation science research, he introduces 12 types of hidden resistance organized across four categories including identity based resistance, competence based resistance, social based resistance, and environmental based resistance.

The episode provides a practical framework for recognizing these patterns in yourself and others, along with specific approaches for redirecting resistance toward constructive dialogue rather than fighting it.

Takeaways

Self reported support for organizational change typically runs between 70 and 85 percent while actual adoption rates average only 30 to 45 percent.

Hidden resistance appears as helpfulness, quality concerns, or thoughtful questions that somehow never permit action.

The twelve types cluster into four categories protecting identity, competence, social position, and responding to environmental conditions. T

he most effective approach is not arguing with resistance but addressing the underlying psychology that creates it.

The question to ask is not "why are you resisting" but "what matters to you that feels threatened."

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