No idea is so great that somebody somewhere in your organization won't resist! It's human nature to resist change when it impacts a person's status quo. And per Michael Crichton's book Disclosure:
All human behavior has a reason. All human behavior is solving a problem.
For some people, you will know up-front they are against the change and why. For others, they may not be outwardly resistant, so their resistance will occur in subtle ways. Therefore, it's important to talk with key individuals and think through if & why they may be resistant to your project's change.
Since change comes in many shapes and forms, it is more actionable to group resistance into the three buckets in the "TPC" model: Technical, Political, and Cultural.
Technical: This form of resistance comes from an individual's concerns about changes to the value they provide. Everyone has a perception of the contribution they make. These are factors that make up one's self esteem. So, change can threaten a person's perspective of their future value to the organization. Below are indicators to look for:
Unique knowledge, skills, or specialization;
Unique technical capabilities or methods of work;
Expert in a unique topic;
Concerns about learning newly needed skills;
Lack of confidence in the new process;
Inadequate training/support in the new process;
Time pressure to learn or use the new process;
General fear of failure, imperfection, or the unknown;
Concern over a blemish to their reputation;
Perceived change in their value to the organization;
Concern about obsolescence of their existing skills.
Political: This resistance comes from concerns over the person's standing within their sphere of influence. Influence comes formally from the organization based on their role, responsibility, and/or access to resources. It also comes informally from their personal associations based on their relationships, personality, longevity, experiences, and education. Below are items that could be impacted by the change:
Official position/role within the organization;
Influence with associates, friends, peers;
Organizational control, power, and/or leadership;
Personal power, prestige, or esteem;
Stature or importance in the "old way";
Responsible for large budgets and/or resources;
Reduced engagement with leadership.
Cultural: This resistance is based on the perceived disruption to a person's comfort zone or environment where a person normally feels safe and at ease. An organization's culture is built around specific morals, norms, and values. Look for indicators that may impact the team's culture status quo.
Individual's customary beliefs or social forms;
Traits of a social group;
Shared group's values, goals, or attitudes;
Comfortable with the old process or status quo;
Don't understand the reason or value for the change;
Existing routines that provide low levels of stress and anxiety;
Emotional response to losing the old process;
Peer pressure to maintain/support the status quo.
80/20 Takeaway
Use the TPC model to classify the type of individual resistance to the project. Once we understand the "why" behind the resistance, then we can develop the "how" to address it.
How do you identify and organize resistance? How would you improve upon this Framework? What's your Framework?
Comments