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Hitting--and Hurdling--the Wall of Resistance
Michael R. Wood is a Business Process Improvement & IT Strategist Independent Consultant. He is creator of the business process-improvement methodology called HELIX and founder of The Natural Intelligence Group, a strategy, process improvement and technology consulting company. He is also a CPA, has served as an Adjunct Professor in Pepperdine's Management MBA program, an Associate Professor at California Lutheran University, and on the boards of numerous professional organizations. Mr. Wood is a sought after presenter of HELIX workshops and seminars in both the U.S. and Europe.
Anyone who has ever led a project has, at some time in his or her career, hit the proverbial wall of resistance to change. It is natural to encounter resistance when we try to lead change initiatives in organizations. The real trick is to spot the early warning signs, understand the forms it takes and know how to overcome resistance. So let's explore resistance to change, what causes it, how it manifests itself and what can be done to get by it.
Resistance to change comes in many flavors. It can be explicit or subtle in nature. The more explicit the resistance, the easier it is to cope with. It’s the subtle forms, if not detected and dealt with, that can undermine a project’s success. Subtle resistance takes the form of tactics. The three most prevalent tactics are listed below, in the order of their severity:
- Passive Resistance
- Subtle Sabotage
- Deceptive Alliances
Passive resistance occurs when people do not openly defy change; they just drag their feet, have lack of commitment and are generally uncooperative. The main thing to remember about passive resistance is that it is difficult to pinpoint. One of the primary ffects of passive resistance is the feeling that things are not getting done and you can’…
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