Digital

Article

Change Management

Ten Reasons People Resist

Change
by Rosabeth Moss Kanter

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 HBR / Digital Article / Ten Reasons People Resist Change

Ten Reasons People Resist

Change
by Rosabeth Moss Kanter
Published on HBR.org / September 25, 2012 / Reprint H009FR

Leadership is about change, but what is a leader to do when faced with

ubiquitous resistance? Resistance to change manifests itself in many
ways, from foot-dragging and inertia to petty sabotage to outright
rebellions. The best tool for leaders of change is to understand the
predictable, universal sources of resistance in each situation and then
strategize around them. Here are the ten I’ve found to be the most
common.

Loss of control. Change interferes with autonomy and can make people
feel that they’ve lost control over their territory. It’s not just political, as
in who has the power. Our sense of self-determination is often the first
things to go when faced with a potential change coming from someone
else. Smart leaders leave room for those affected by change to make
choices. They invite others into the planning, giving them ownership.

Excess uncertainty. If change feels like walking off a cliff blindfolded,

then people will reject it. People will often prefer to remain mired in
misery than to head toward an unknown. As the saying goes, “Better the
devil you know than the devil you don’t know.” To overcome inertia
requires a sense of safety as well as an inspiring vision. Leaders should
create certainty of process, with clear, simple steps and timetables.

Surprise, surprise! Decisions imposed on people suddenly, with no

time to get used to the idea or prepare for the consequences, are

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 HBR / Digital Article / Ten Reasons People Resist Change

generally resisted. It’s always easier to say No than to say Yes. Leaders
should avoid the temptation to craft changes in secret and then
announce them all at once. It’s better to plant seeds — that is, to
sprinkle hints of what might be coming and seek input.

Everything seems different. Change is meant to bring something

different, but how different? We are creatures of habit. Routines become
automatic, but change jolts us into consciousness, sometimes in
uncomfortable ways. Too many differences can be distracting or
confusing. Leaders should try to minimize the number of unrelated
differences introduced by a central change. Wherever possible keep
things familiar. Remain focused on the important things; avoid change
for the sake of change.

Loss of face. By definition, change is a departure from the past. Those

people associated with the last version — the one that didn’t work, or
the one that’s being superseded — are likely to be defensive about it.
When change involves a big shift of strategic direction, the people
responsible for the previous direction dread the perception that they
must have been wrong. Leaders can help people maintain dignity by
celebrating those elements of the past that are worth honoring, and
making it clear that the world has changed. That makes it easier to let go
and move on.

Concerns about competence. Can I do it? Change is resisted when it

makes people feel stupid. They might express skepticism about whether
the new software version will work or whether digital journalism is
really an improvement, but down deep they are worried that their skills
will be obsolete. Leaders should over-invest in structural reassurance,
providing abundant information, education, training, mentors, and
support systems. A period of overlap, running two systems
simultaneously, helps ease transitions.

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 HBR / Digital Article / Ten Reasons People Resist Change

More work. Here is a universal challenge. Change is indeed more work.

Those closest to the change in terms of designing and testing it are often
overloaded, in part because of the inevitable unanticipated glitches in
the middle of change, per “Kanter’s Law” that “everything can look like
a failure in the middle.” Leaders should acknowledge the hard work of
change by allowing some people to focus exclusively on it, or adding
extra perqs for participants (meals? valet parking? massages?). They
should reward and recognize participants — and their families, too, who
often make unseen sacrifices.

Ripple effects. Like tossing a pebble into a pond, change creates

ripples, reaching distant spots in ever-widening circles. The ripples
disrupt other departments, important customers, people well outside
the venture or neighborhood, and they start to push back, rebelling
against changes they had nothing to do with that interfere with their
own activities. Leaders should enlarge the circle of stakeholders. They
must consider all affected parties, however distant, and work with them
to minimize disruption.

Past resentments. The ghosts of the past are always lying in wait to
haunt us. As long as everything is steady state, they remain out of sight.
But the minute you need cooperation for something new or different,
the ghosts spring into action. Old wounds reopen, historic resentments
are remembered — sometimes going back many generations. Leaders
should consider gestures to heal the past before sailing into the future.

Sometimes the threat is real. Now we get to true pain and politics.
Change is resisted because it can hurt. When new technologies displace
old ones, jobs can be lost; prices can be cut; investments can be wiped
out. The best thing leaders can do when the changes they seek pose
significant threat is to be honest, transparent, fast, and fair. For

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 HBR / Digital Article / Ten Reasons People Resist Change

example, one big layoff with strong transition assistance is better than
successive waves of cuts.

Although leaders can’t always make people feel comfortable with

change, they can minimize discomfort. Diagnosing the sources of
resistance is the first step toward good solutions. And feedback from
resistors can even be helpful in improving the process of gaining
acceptance for change.

Rosabeth Moss Kanter is the Ernest L. Arbuckle Professor of

Business Administration at Harvard Business School, the founding
chair of the Harvard Advanced Leadership Initiative, and a former
chief editor of Harvard Business Review. She is the author of Think
Outside the Building: How Advanced Leaders Can Change the World
One Smart Innovation at a Time (Public Affairs, 2020).

@RosabethKanter

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This document is authorized for use only in Sebastián Maffeo y Damián Sztarkman.'s MRRHH2022 - MRRHH050 - EL CAMBIO Y SU GESTIÓN EN LAS ORGANIZACIONES at Universidad
de San Andres (UDESA) from Aug 2022 to Feb 2023.