Resistance to Change Might Not Derail You. Dismissing it Can.

Here’s a stat that stopped me in my tracks this week: up to 70% of significant organisational changes fail to achieve what they set out to do.

As leaders, we want to engage people in the change journey. However, because of the pace (which is more extreme than I’ve ever seen), we are reluctant to invite anything that might slow things down, like unearthing resistance. Time for consultation seems like a luxury that we don’t have. But overlooking resistance may discard the most valuable information available.

What we know from research: Recent research from the University of Colorado, synthesising 75 years of change research, offers a reframing that aligns with my doctoral research findings: resistance is neither good nor bad. It’s information. And the leaders who use it well make better decisions and implement changes more successfully.

This matters because most organisations are wired to push through resistance rather than learn from it. The shift leaders can make is subtle but powerful: instead of trying to resist the resistance, get curious about what it’s telling you.

My POV: With clients, I’m now seeing the primary focus of change is deciding what to do: where to put the ‘x’, then executing quickly. What gets less attention are the conditions that make resistance more likely: people’s sense of risk, how well they understand the change, how involved they feel, and how well it’s being managed.

When resistance surfaces, it’s worth engaging with this useful data.

As a Leader, what can you do?

• Involve people early. Participation increases the likelihood of buy-in. Before any plan is finalised, bring in the people most affected by the change. Ask what concerns they have and what would make the transition easier. You’ll surface problems sooner, get better information and build commitment in the process because people support what they’ve helped shape.
• Keep communicating honestly, not just at the launch but throughout change. People can handle difficult news. What erodes trust is feeling misled or kept in the dark. A simple, regular update that tells people where things stand and what’s coming next goes a long way.
• Make it safe to speak up. If people don’t feel they can raise concerns without risk, you won’t hear the resistance, but it will still be there, showing up in other ways. Create genuine openings for dialogue and engage with what comes up. You may ultimately disagree and choose not to implement these suggestions, in which case, share your rationale.

What difference will it make? When you approach resistance with curiosity, even when it feels frustrating, you become the kind of leader people trust to journey with them through difficult things. That trust compounds. The next change lands better than the last. And over time, your team’s ability to adapt becomes one of your greatest strengths as a leader.

If you would like to find out more about how we work with leaders navigating change, please reach out to schedule a call.