What if resistance to change isn’t the enemy, but a crucial ally? Kurt Lewin, a pioneer of organisational psychology, once said “If you want truly to understand something, try to change it”.

Many of us have experienced surprising reactions when attempting to implement changes in our workplaces. Even changes with clear benefits aren’t always universally welcomed, which can lead us to label people as resistant.

We see resistors as the villains of the change story

Resistance is often treated as something to be overcome and silenced. It’s easy to get frustrated and to see it as an unwelcome irritant. From there we can find ourselves casting people into roles of heroes (those supportive of change) or villains (those opposing it or slowing it down). We build up a story about those we deem ‘resistant’: “Bob doesn’t like change”, “Alice is just difficult” and “Adam isn’t very resilient.”

Our natural inclination is often to silence resistance. Some leaders even attempt to mandate compliance with change. This rarely leads to sustainable change and more often negatively impacts engagement and productivity – just at a time when they are more needed than ever.

But what if we looked at resistance differently? What if we saw it as an early warning sign, signalling areas that need attention. Here are five alternative reasons someone might appear to be resistant to change and strategies to navigate through them.

Reason 1: There are flaws in our plans

We can only ever have a partial picture of reality. Dissenting voices can provide valuable insights and important perspectives that we might miss if we dismiss the people holding them as resistant and try to silence them.

If our workplace culture rewards compliance, we also risk people hiding their concerns for fear of being labelled negatively.

What can we do: Embrace the ‘resistors’ and genuinely listen to their concerns. Show that we are open to hearing alternative views and that people won’t be punished for voicing them. Create opportunities to identify faulty assumptions or flaws in our plans and open the door to discover potential improvements and new approaches. A pre-mortem is an excellent tool for this.

Reason 2: Capacity for change

The most common reason for ‘resistance to change’ we encounter is a lack of capacity. When workloads are high and people are consumed with business as usual creating the headspace to consider a change, let alone engage with it, can feel impossible – even when the change promises positive benefits.

What can we do: Supporting people to create space for change is essential. This might involve actively de-prioritising work, but it could also be about helping people to build more effective habits and routines to boost productivity. Gartner research found that focusing on these areas can improve job manageability by up to 71%.

Reason 3: Change fatigue

Change in our workplaces isn’t new but it’s happening more quickly and unpredictably than ever. Change fatigue occurs when change is poorly managed or people face constant change.

Workplace change is also happening against a backdrop of disruption in people’s personal lives: Brexit, Covid-19 pandemic, political shifts, rapid technological advancements, changes in how and where we work, the cost of living crisis and global uncertainty.

In this context, we are layering a seemingly small workplace change on top of already significant change outside of work for many people. The resistance to change you are experiencing might be a signal that people are simply exhausted.

What can we do: While staying still isn’t always an option, being mindful of change fatigue allows us to phase change more thoughtfully, support people through transitions and consider smaller, incremental changes instead of major overhauls. Providing a sense of agency and involvement in change can also counter change fatigue and boost wellbeing.

Reason 4: Confidence 

One of the big factors affecting people’s readiness to change is whether they feel a sense of confidence in their own capabilities to both navigate the change process and thrive in the new future created by the change. A lack of confidence in either area will adversely affect how engaged and receptive people are to change.

What can we do: Assess confidence levels and provide targeted support and training to help people feel equipped for the change. Regular check-ins and feedback loops can address emerging concerns. Line managers are often a key source of information on confidence levels and are well placed to support so it’s important to fully support them as well.

Reason 5: Clarity

When we’re leading change or are part of a change team, we often have ample time to understand the idea, to discuss it and to ask questions. We become crystal clear on what’s involved and what’s expected. However, this can lead us to underestimate what others need to know to reach the same level of understanding and acceptance.

What can we do: Clarifying our expectations on outcomes and approach is a great start, as is clearly articulating the rationale for the change. However, perhaps more important is creating time and space for people to make sense of the change. This means providing opportunities for people to ask questions without fear of being seen as negative and engaging in two-way dialogue to address concerns, understand the practical impact on their roles and co-creating solutions to any challenges.

Final takeaway

Alex Swarbrick, writing for Roffey Park, goes so far as to call resistance to change a ‘myth’ that needs to be dispelled. He goes on to say that if we encounter a complete absence of resistance then this might even point to a lack of  psychological safety or diversity of thought. 

If we take the time to listen to our team’s concerns and understand their point of views we show that we value and respect our people. This can build goodwill and constructive relationships and create a sense of agency and empowerment amongst our people.

So next time you encounter resistance ask yourself ‘What is this resistance telling me, and how can I use it to improve our change process?”

Interested in this topic? Learn eight ways to strengthen your employees’ change muscles in the new era of work