Fear of the unknown, desire to stay in the comfort zone of the existing situation, doubts on your capacity to succeed… There are many reasons leading to resistance to change. How can you overcome this resistance and transform change into a buoyant and motivating force?
Fuel desire
Resistance can come from a lack of support for the project.
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Call on both emotion and reason, e.g. Explain what could happen if change doesn’t occur, and get your audience to dream of the target scenario.
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Underline why the past situation will not continue in any case, e.g. «We would all prefer remaining in a growth economy. But times have changed.»
Help the change process
Change can be de-motivating if the outcome seems unreachable.
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Set ambitious yet reasonable objectives, e.g. Rely on a successful pilot project, on convinced team members, on the example of another team that implemented a similar change successfully.
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Put in place the additional accompanying measures, e.g. Training, mentoring, help line, etc.
Encourage perseverance
Change is always demanding as it forces you to transform your normal habits.
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Facilitate the first changes and celebrate the first victories, e.g. Start with simple subjects, set up clear processes that demand very little.
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Anchor the changes to avoid going back, e.g. Change the processes or the organization of the work space.
Take action
Identify the fears causing resistance to change (20 min)
Reluctance to change often stems from worries, justified or not, that are difficult to express.
During one of your forthcoming exchanges with a team member who is reluctant to change, carefully listen to his objections, without trying to convince him at any cost.
Try and understand what fears feed this reluctance. E.g.: fear of not having the expected competencies, of the change failing, of the work environment, for his life balance…
With the rest of the team, and without mentioning the names of persons concerned, put in place actions that will help reduce these concerns. E.g.: communicate the future training plan, organize a visit to the future workspace, share the development of the new processes…
Identity your own defensive reflexes (10 min)
Our reflexes often lead us to inappropriate behaviors.
Choose a delicate situation you will face during the week. E.g.: announcing a change which you fear will be badly received, reporting on a project that does not progress as you would wish…
Ask yourself three questions: does this situation threaten my natural need for control? Is it uncomfortable? Does it put me in a situation that conflicts with some of my values?
If any of these responses is positive, adopt a few simple rules so your reflexes will not take over. E.g.: “I refuse to reject an idea before I have heard all the details about it” (need for control); “I force myself to clearly explain the situation even if I’d rather leave the problem in a more comfortable vague state”.
Make a list of what won’t change (20 min)
Change creates anxiety because it is destabilizing. Identifying the stability zones reassures and helps mobilization
When a change is announced, we tend to focus on what we might lose. Help your team members get out of this mind frame by identifying what will remain stable: the mission of the team or of the company, certain values, processes and methods, interpersonal relationships: everything certainly doesn’t change simultaneously!
Formally assess during a meeting the fixed reference points on which they will be able to lean and that will help them focus their energy on what is really changing.
Practical Tips
> Identify defensive reflexes to manage them more effectively
> Surmount obstacles to change
Find out more
> Overcoming resistance to change
© Managéris