(Greetings from a new subscriber: name Bo Warburton, background Navy
surface line officer, Kennedy School and now analyst with IT
consulting firm; interests group processs & leadership.)
About those who resist change and the larger meaning of their
resistance: I wonder what tools we can use to gain insight from their
resistance. Does it make sense to see resistance as symptomatic of an
adaptive challenge facing the organization as a whole?
For instance, I am on a systems project now that will require social
workers to work directly with computers. The union is preparing a
protest on the grounds that "data entry" is not in the job
descriptions. While many individuals are rightly concerned about job
security, maybe there is some broader issue of vision under the
surface?
From: "Bo Warburton" <Bo_Warburton@mail.amsinc.com>
______________________________ Reply Separator _________________________________
Subject: Re: Resistance to Change LO657
Author: learning-org@world.std.com at AMS-Internet
Date: 4/3/95 10:53 PM
Charlie Fleetham writes in LO643:
>Someone said: "I have never heard anyone say - "I am
>resisting change." As a consulting in manufacturing and
>engineering for 10 years, I have heard many people say: "I
>resist change." I have also experienced people who work
>consciously and intentionally to derail changes - even at
>the expense of themselves and their fellow employees. Here
>are my assumptions about resistance:
>1) Many people resist changes.
>2) Some of those resistors can be educated or persuaded
> to adopt the change.
>3) Others will fight the change - covertly and overtly.
>4) Despite good faith efforts, a few fighters will not
> change - if you want the change to work, you will
> probably have to consider removing them from the
> organization or a position of influence.
I DO agree with you and your assumptions. I also have seen these at work
and believe that, as you point out, some resistors need to be "pruned" for
the good of the whole organization. What is difficult to do is to do so
without damaging the rest of the organization, especially one going
through traumatic change. In such cases, trust is required, and the way in
which the resistors are removed can support or damage work previously done
to build trust.
I return also to the issue of respect, noted as important by many in this
regard. Resistors need to be respected, and their reasons for resistance
understood prior to the decision to remove them. The reasons for perceived
resistance may provide much needed insights to the nature of the change
you/we are trying to create.
Presumably, this evaluation is part of the process of making the decision
that the resistors cannot be brought into changed organization. gerry
starnes director, communication planning and market research texas
hospital association austin, tx
Internet: gstarnes@bga.com
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