admina smartphone in their head that displays text messages, maps and even reminders? It is reportedly said that it is capable of showing video chats, providing turn-by-turn directions, taking photos and recording notes — but should it surely be worn in the head, what is the logic of having your phone in your head?”
But wait a moment, I had already developed flooded emotions over a product that has not even been launched, I had further built a negative perception in my mind, already built out the justifications and probably shut all my faculties to resist this technological evolution.
Well, I truly believe I am not the only one who presents such sharp emotions over any evolution in technology. Most of us are technology shy; my initial reaction already influenced my perceptions towards that product.
As time went by, it became more apparent that though I had already developed feelings of resistance, Google’s Project Glass is nowhere near complete, it only entered the market as a research.
The feelings I developed over Google’s technological development are very common among many people regardless of the situation at hand.
What is Resistance?
Resistance is a common phenomenon in many that may either break or make all change management efforts. Resistance is defined as an opposing/retarding force. Resistance may take many forms, including active or passive, overt or covert, individual or organised, aggressive or timid.
Resistance to change is taken by individuals and groups when they perceive that a change that is occurring is a threat to them.
The threat need not be real or large for resistance to occur. In its usual description it refers to change within organisations, although it also is found elsewhere in other forms. These feelings are mainly displayed during the adaptation to change process.
Adapting to change
One of the most essential life skills anyone can have is the ability to adapt to change. When we are confronted with unforeseen challenges in our lives, people behave differently. Adapting to change is difficult for most people because humans are creatures of habit, our comfort zone is taken away by change.
Todd Jick outlines the four stages below as:
Stage 1: Shock — Even with good preparation, there is bound to be shock and as a manager you will have to deal with the denial “shutting down” and timidity that characterises this stage. In this case, help the employees manage their stress level.
Stage 2: Defensive Retreat — People get angry and lash out even as they try to hold on to the old ways of doing things — this behaviour reduces their productivity. As manager provide verbal outlets for the grievances and frustrations to be aired constructively
Stage 3: Acknowledgement — Eventually most people stop denying the fact of change and acknowledge their situation. The psychological dynamics of this stage include both grief for what has been lost and nascent feelings of liberation
Stage 4: Acceptance and adaptation — Most will eventually accept their situation and adapt to it. Others may drift off to the new jobs they find more satisfactory. A certain number will never adapt and their performance will suffer. For each person, try to find that special talent and give him or her an opportunity to use it and earn some recognition.
- Why do people resist to change?
Dr A. J. Schuler an expert in leadership and organisational change says making a change is all about managing risk. If you are making the case for change, be sure to set out in stark, truthful terms why you believe the risk situation favours change. Use numbers whenever you can, because people generally pay attention to numbers. At the very least, numbers get individual attention, and then when the rational mind is engaged, the emotional mind can begin to grapple with the prospect of change.
But if you only sell your idea of change based on idealistic, unseen promises of reward, you won’t be nearly as effective in moving people to action. The power of the human fight-or-flight response can be activated to fight for change, but that begins with the perception of risk. Resistance to change is a natural part of the human psychology for it represents risk to all those involved.
Someone once said “better the certainty of misery than the misery of uncertainty”— the paradox now lies in dealing with the devil you know.
According to psychologist Dennis O’Grady, inability to change is a combination of five fears.
- Fear of the unknown — The unspoken message from the society was that when change occurs, you will lose control.
- Fear of failure — If I commit myself to goals for change, there is a chance for failure.
- Fear of commitment — Commitment forces an answer to tough questions — what do I really want. Commitment to one option may feel intimidating because it eliminates other options.
- Fear of disapproval — If I change I risk having people say they like me better the way I was. Your own change also forces others to change in relationship to you and
- Fear of success — If I change, what other demands will be made of me — can I sustain this success?
The resistance zoo
David Stracker came up with these interesting associations below. Go on and see if any of these behaviours are familiar. These are some of the animals that can be met along the way in any change resistance situation:
Ostriches: The ostrich famously puts its head in the sand when faced with danger. Like a small child, they work on the principle that if they cannot see the predator then the predator cannot see them. This does not seem to be a very good survival strategy. Fortunately, the ostrich also has long legs and can run away very fast.
Moles: Moles are dark and difficult to see. They go underground and are hard to find. They come up when you think everything has been completed and the change is complete. They make a horrible mess of things and are very destructive.
Tigers: Tigers fight tooth and claw all the way. They are powerful or they lead you to believe they are. Hurt them only a little and they will seek to hurt you a whole lot more. Their message is this: mess with me at your peril. Go make your change elsewhere little person!
Dogs: Dogs know that, although they are not bad fighters by themselves, they are far more powerful in a pack. They seek one another out and attack en masse. They are not fearless but know that together they create even more fear. They will fight dirty until you are down and then rip you apart.
Owls: Owls are wise and knowledgeable people. They sit up on their branches in their tree, pontificating and pointing down at the trivial world below. They know better than you and are not slow to point this out, as well as pointing out all the little faults in your change project (which is, of course, somewhat below them).
Snails: Well, you know, those old snails, they just go “soo slooww”. They creep along at a snail’s pace and hope that you will leave them to their own devices.
So ladies and gentleman, which category of resisters do you find yourselves in? If faced with the dogs, do you change your strategy to accommodate them; or would you rather deal with the tigers? Whichever strategy you take to deal with individual resistors, be sure to clearly communicate the required change, listen to, respect and examine the resistance and then plan with the person to be affected what action they will take to cooperate.
Tips for Overcoming Resistance to Change
What can you do now? One thing you can do in managing resistance is work with your key employees to construct a Force Field analysis diagram authored by Kurt Lewin. This will give you a powerful indication of where you will need to devote your energies.
The Business Performance Team came up with an interesting analysis — Treating the forces against change is a more productive use of resources than simply reinforcing the forces for change.
- Choose the most powerful of the restraining forces and devote time and energy to weakening these. Think of how you could apply the drivers for change you identified in your analysis to either weakening or eliminating an opposing force.
- Show the fiercest resisters what’s in it for them. Appeal to them either in terms of personal gain (such as status, salary bonus, recognition, and so on) or loss avoided (such as financial loss or job outplacement prevented).
- Get customers or suppliers to explain to change resisters face to face how the current situation disadvantages them in concrete terms. Put resisters on teams that allow them to play some decision-making part in the change process, however small.
- Defuse political power plays amongst managers and other employees by conducting broad-based meetings where goals and tactics are openly discussed and introduce processes that leave little room for individual discretion.
- Endeavour to look at the world through the eyes of the change resister. Listen openly and honestly to what they are trying to say. Examine your own basic beliefs and assumptions. Through engaging resisters, be prepared to change yourself.
Next time you are confronted with resistance, understand that resistance is actually healthy. It forces you to clarify your assumptions and forces you to clarify what you are doing. It is critical to an organisation’s development, productivity and to make change successful. Resistance is correspondingly inherent and should be reframed, explored and worked no eradicated or fixed.
Till next week, remember “Your success in life isn’t based on your ability to simply change. It is based on your ability to change faster than your competition, customers and business.” — Mark Sanborn.
- Shelter Hamandishe-Chieza is a management consultant with over a decade of management experience and is the final stages of a Management of Business Administration degree with a local university. She can be contacted at [email protected]
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