Resistance to Change
Don't fight it--embrace it
Successful change is the only constant for business survival - The Enterprise Group can help you find the way to successful change.
A quote I saw once said "the only one who likes change is a wet baby." Another said, "no one is against change, unless they are the one who must change." Yet change is the only constant these days and the rate of change is increasing. Just think about twenty or thirty years ago. Many of the things we take for granted didn't even exist like compact discs or personal computers. Computers were refrigerator-sized boxes lined up in a glass walled room with big air conditioning unit to keep them from overheating. Software was barely a word back then, and the web was the home for a spider. Thirty years ago we had the Cold War, the Berlin Wall, and John Kennedy had been President only a few years earlier. Somehow we adapted to these massive changes, but some were certainly more painful than others.
I was discussing this topic with Rick Maurer, an author and consultant whose latest book is "Beyond the Wall of Resistance--Unconventional Strategies that Build Support for Change." Rick's research showed that over 50% of all change efforts fail. The reason? Resistance. More specifically, the way we deal with resistance is the larger problem.
Resistance manifests itself in many ways. Maurer defines eight primary forms of resistance:
- Confusion ( a fog that makes it hard for people to hear that change is going to happen)
- Immediate Criticism (before people hear the details they are against it)
- Denial (people refuse to see or accept that things are different)
- Malicious Compliance (they smile and seem to go along, only to discover later that they don't)
- Sabotage (actions taken to inhibit or kill the change)
- Easy Agreement ( People agree without much resistance, but may not realize what they are agreeing to)
- Deflection (change the subject and maybe it'll go away)
- Silence (hard to deal with because of no input)
We have all encountered several of these, and probably been guilty of them ourselves. After all, isn't it human nature to like maintaining the status quo? Will the status quo be good enough to assure success in business, job security, and even promotion? Absolutely not! Even if you are successful now, maintaining the status quo will only assure that you fall behind those who are making positive changes. Change is necessary, but Rick and I both dislike Michael Hammer's widely applied approach to change. In his book, The Reengineering Revolution, he makes a lot of comments about resistance, such as calling people who resistance change deeply "counter revolutionaries." Maybe his form of reaction explains why reengineering fails even a higher percentage of the time (70%) than change efforts in general!
What are our typical (human) reactions to resistance?
- Use power to overcome it (which increases the resistance)
- Manipulate those who oppose (tricks don't work for long)
- Apply force of reason (this one is very common and can easily deteriorate into one of the others) o Ignore resistance (but it won't go away)
- Play off relationships (friends may go along until they see the cost or tradeoffs)
- Make deals (if the resistance is low, and the deal is good, maybe this works)
- Kill the messenger (many executive use this one-just get rid of the opposition--or banish them to Siberia)
- Give in too soon (and have a half-baked or mediocre success if any)
I can't summarize Rick's whole work on this complex subject, rather I'll provide a little insight into how he proposes dealing with resistance to change. (I almost used the term "overcome" resistance, and that is exactly how we stiffen the resistance!) Resistance usually falls into three broad categories:
- Superficial--this one may be overcome by normal reactions since it isn't deep seated.
- Moderate--this is the most common form which is often based on emotional issues, fear of loss, or may "go underground" and be mistakenly interpreted as superficial.
- Strong--the entrenched adversarial resistance, which surfaces on issues like abortion or union-management battles.
The most important tip I drew from Rick's book and my discussion with him was that resistance is normal, and when we react too strongly to that resistance (like trying to "overcome" it) we only stiffen it, and increase the likelihood of problems with the change. Better that we remain clearly focused and calm, and take the time to understand the reasons behind the resistance. If we respect those who resist and consider the merits of their position, we can gain considerable knowledge. This knowledge can enable us to "embrace" the positions of those resisting, and in doing so gain far greater insights on how to enlist their help in removing resistance positively. Perseverance is also important (assuming the change desired isn't just a whim and is really important).
If this all sounds too soft and "touchy-feely," Rick agreed that there are times when the opposition is entrenched and the resistance is very tough to deal with. Even then, being able to see the other side of the issues and embrace some part of that position without compromising the whole change effort will still pay dividends and improve the chances of success.
Remember how we started all this. Change is fine, as long as it's you and not me that does the changing. Look for the common ground. Recognize the standard resistance behaviors, and most of all, don't make things worse by over-reacting. Maybe change isn't so bad after all. Why don't you go first?
