Resistance Isn’t Futile!

Continuing with the “Change Management does Star Trek” theme following my previous blog. When Captain Jean Luc Picard (Patrick Stuart) was assimilated into the ‘Borg’ race he was told ‘Resistance is futile’.

However, we will see that from the Prosci® Change Management research and also from basic human psychology that resistance isn’t futile but is in fact to be expected, it can be managed and it might actually have some positive value in your change programme!  

Prosci’s Best Practices benchmarking study has repeatedly identified that the number one obstacle to success for major change projects is employee resistance and the ineffective management of the people side of change. 

So our people matter and we need to consider the people impact of any change that is being planned.

It’s all about our primitive brain!

Neuroscience shows the brain works in a protective way; it is naturally resistant to change and is hard wired to seek rewards and avoid pain or discomfort, including fear. This causes a ‘normal dip’ in productivity and an increase in resistance is therefore expected in any change. 

Think of it this way, getting a change wrong can be an expensive process! If your employees feel ‘under threat’, however professional they are, there will be some tangible impact which could undermine the benefits envisioned in your change program.

Act now and don’t wait!

The Prosci research is clear that ignoring resistance is a bad strategy to take, unmanaged resistance can lead to significant financial, employer and stakeholder impact.  You will start to see some loss in productivity and increase in resistance from the very first communication or even the very first rumor of a change, so it is important to act quickly. 

Anticipate resistance and develop a mitigation strategy

The Prosci research also shows that we can anticipate up to 50% of the resistance from the very beginning of the project, so if we expect it, then we can do something to try and mitigate it.

Wherever you are in your change program, one of your next tasks should be to set aside some time, however short, and try to anticipate the likely resistance with your change and be sure that you involve others in your project and business team, where possible and draw on their knowledge and experience. 

The research shows us the top reasons for employee resistance:

1. Lack of awareness of why the change is needed 
2. Change in job role
3. Fear of the unknown
4. Lack of support from or trust in leaders
5. Exclusion from change-related decisions

Once you have brainstormed and considered possible points of resistance, you can develop a mitigation strategy and then, of course, don’t wait to implement it.

Is all resistance bad?

That sounds like a strange question when we typically talk about how we can manage and mitigate resistance.  Of course, we must always first listen and understand the resistance point and I mean really listen. With that in mind here are my final tips for managing resistance…

1. People want to be heard: For many people, even if they know that the change is going to happen, they simply want to be genuinely heard. If you can demonstrate that you have listened, then often they will then decide to participate in the change.
2. Listen, really listen and then clarify: Sometime in the listening process, it becomes clear that there is a misunderstanding and once this is clarified the resistance might go.
3. Don’t let over prescription swamp creativity: There may be resistance because your people have found a more efficient way of moving from the current to the future state and we are being unnecessarily prescriptive.  This might actually be a better way for many others and it could be a brilliant time or money saver!
4. Face the issues: It is possible that someone has identified a real issue within the change that hasn’t been captured and this is being surfaced as resistance.
5. Embrace resistance, it’s not all bad: Of course, recognise too that resistance can be an extremely positive sign that the person really is passionate about getting this right and that should be celebrated too.

Prosci suggests 10 tactics for managing resistance which guide you with differs strategies to best manage any persistent and enduring resistance, These tactics are fully trained in the 3 day certification practitioner training PROSCI® CHANGE MANAGEMENT CERTIFICATION or the people managers 1 day training People Managers Workshop

Call to action

1. Recognise that resistance is the natural reaction to change.
2. Apply change management at the onset of every project or change, and do it effectively!
3. Anticipate and identify likely resistance at the earliest opportunity so that it can be planned for, addressed or eliminated upfront. There is no reason to wait!
4. Be ready to react promptly to any enduring or persistent resistance and be clear of your tactics that can be used.

About the Author:

Alan Kendall is a global Prosci Certified Advanced Instructor with 30 years of business and IT leadership with Microsoft and Mars Inc. Applying his vast experience leading complex global transformation programs and building change management capability in organisations, he helps clients achieve maximum benefit and strong business outcomes from their change programs.

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