Have you ever wondered why some change processes are difficult while others seem to go smoothly? Whether or not resistance makes the difference. In this blog, Paul van Bekkum, co-founder of Summiteers, explains what resistance is and why it is a crucial factor in change processes. He explains what you can do to overcome resistance and achieve more effective change in your organization.

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Resistance, what is it?

Resistance is an invisible force that prevents things from always going according to plan. It can cause friction, create obstacles and delay a change process. In the Van Dale, resistance is defined, among other things, as follows:

weather (de; m; plural: resistances)

1 opposition, resistance

2 (physics) any force (or body) that opposes another force

3 (physics) extent to which a material complicates the flow of electricity (unit: ohms)

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Why resistance occurs

Change processes often take place in complex environments involving many people. In such a complex situation, there can be many causes for resistance. Perhaps people are afraid that the change will jeopardize their jobs or interfere with their current role. Sometimes people simply don't understand why the change is necessary or what lies ahead. Every person has their own interests and needs that are not always clear, Dolf wrote about this earlier a blog. Behind seemingly rational objections, there may be hidden interests, such as personal preferences or conflicting goals.

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How do you tackle resistance?

It's important to tackle resistance proactively if you don't want to hamper the progress of your change process. In this blog, we list a few steps to effectively deal with an individual's resistance:

1. Listen

Find an appropriate time to engage in the conversation, preferably one-on-one rather than in a larger setting. This increases the chance that someone feels comfortable and is willing to show their mind. It's important to listen actively and make sure that the person involved feels heard.

2. Name and verify

In our experience, it's better to “go straight to it” than try to “work around it”. Identify the resistance and verify that you have correctly understood its cause. Don't make assumptions, but keep asking questions and see if you understand the other person correctly.

3. Summarize

After you've named the resistance, it's good to summarize the essence to show that you understand the other person and that their opinion matters. This helps ensure that both you and the other person clearly understand what was discussed. And this does not mean that you agree with the other person. The purpose of summarizing is to test whether you have understood the other person and show this to the other person.

4. Find a solution

Finally, after the resistance has been discussed and identified, you can look for possible solutions to the problem together. This is the step in which we actively work to remove the resistance and find a suitable way to proceed. And if you can't figure it out between you, you can also decide 'to agree to disagree'. You then understand each other, but you disagree about the right solution. This mutual understanding can again create space to explore together which steps may lead to a solution (e.g. joint escalation to a manager).

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Where does it go wrong?

In practice, we often see that people prefer to look for solutions immediately. The first three steps are then skipped. Missed opportunity. Suppose an employee claims that they don't have time to think about things or contribute to change, you can of course start working with solutions that focus on time management. But if this person's real concern is that the change could jeopardize their job, you're focusing on the wrong solution.

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Create an open situation

A more effective approach is to create a situation where the person feels free to express actual concerns and fears. By asking specific questions and listening actively, you can find out what is really going on. Although this can take time, it does lay the foundation for removing resistance and coming to real solutions.

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In short

Resistance is a natural part of change processes. Understanding it and addressing it effectively is essential to achieve change. By communicating openly and empathically, discovering hidden interests, and collaborating on solutions, you can reduce resistance and achieve your change goals.

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Need help with strategy and execution?

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