Wednesday, October 22, 2008

5 Sources of resistance to change


Yesterday I posted an article about how people react when undergoing change. I strongly recommend that you read the previous post first in order to get a clear understanding of how people react to change, before you read this post that focus on why people react to change.

Humans are creatures of habit, and resistance to change might be seen as a form of stupidity. Sometimes change is small and only affects our daily routine, but often change has a major impact on your life and lifestyle. It is mostly our fear for the unknown, combined with negative perceptions and expectations that keep us from exploring new opportunities and possibilities.

Resistance comes from a number of sources:

1. Resistance as a result of fear


The fear of failure is one of the strongest forces that determine human behaviour. The fear of loosing your identity, belonging, control, meaning in life, security, your marriage or your life; of the unknown; and of negative consequences like criticism, rejection and isolation.

2. Resistance as a result of laziness


Some may call it the "comfort zone", others simply call it down right lazy. Lazy people have the tendency to focus on the short term only, and have no vision for the long term. They see the work that needs to be done now, how much work it is, and how much effort it will require to complete the task at hand. Lazy people's perspectives are obscured. They only see the work that needs to be done now, with no clear picture of the future or long term goal.

3. Resistance to change as a result of momentum


Momentum is actually quite the opposite of laziness. Many people invest a lot of time and energy in working towards a future goal. In fact, sometimes too much time and energy is expended in the "old ways".
You can imagine someone driven to move in a certain direction with great anticipation, almost deliberate and aggressively focused. Someone who has gained momentum, picked speed and who is feeling confident and motivated.
Now, all of the sudden this person is required to stop and move in the opposite direction.
This will require a new commitment, realigning with the new vision, sacrificing all the effort, time and energy invested. If you attempt to stop a train that runs full speed at you, and turn it around on its tracks to go the other way, you can't possibly expect to experience no resistance or pain.

4. Resistance to change as a result of past experiences


If you initiate change you should expect that there is someone who either don't trust you, simply don't like you, or someone who has an old score to settle with you. Either way, you will experience resistance. People forgive, but they don't forget. Past experiences, and I'm not referring to the good ones, causes people to resist - actively or passively.

5. Resistance as a result of selfishness


You, me and everyone else on earth have a selfish tendency, often manifested through the "what is in it for me?" syndrome. If we can't see the advantages or benefits we will gain through the change and effort, we either wait the change out or we refuse to participate with enthusiasm. It is therefore the responsibility of the initiator of change to clearly define the incentives and clarify the payoff for every individual involved in the process of change.

In the next post I will focus on strategies that will reduce the resistance of change. I am looking forward to read your comments.

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Favourite books in my shelve