Before considering the very popular list describing the types of resistance you find to change in your organization (e.g., apathy, “this too shall pass”, turf protection, etc.), it is important to consider the very primal resistance you will face — “the fear of, or feeling of, losing something”. It is quite natural for individuals, groups, or even the larger organization as a whole to fear the loss of what is comfortable, what is known, structure, and tried when what looms ahead seems unknown and untried, at least for those being asked, or forced, to change.
Should those leading change approach this with the concept of “grief” in mind — shock & denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and finally acceptance? H. Levinson (Psychological Man, The Levinson Institute, 1976) indeed argues that whether change is met with resistance or acceptance there is a feeling of loss that needs mourning (that must go through the five stages). He says, “Most organizational change flounders because the experience of loss is not taken into account. When the threats of loss are so severe as to increase people’s sense of helplessness, their ability to master themselves and their environments decreases. To undertake successful organizational change, an executive must anticipate and provide means of working through that loss.” (p. 83.)
Are you thinking “seriously, hold their hand”? Well, yes and no. No, this doesn’t mean that you need to create a “share group” necessarily, but, yes, it does mean that a key part of effective change is understanding this primal resistance that is built into the individuals that make up your company and allow for that, embrace that, and find paths to help them down the “grief” path and you will assist in accelerating effective change.
In the next post, Part II, we will take a look at the second piece of the Primal Resistance which is a specific extension of this fear of loss and just as embedded in the human psyche.
