Viewpoint: Resistance to Change

I was recently asked, “What is the single biggest reason people resist change?” Of course, my opinion is not intended to be the definitive final answer. In fact, the best I can hope for are your challenges to my assumptions and opinion liberties. I do hope you have other perceptions, and your responses are both welcomed and encouraged.

For me, understanding the resistance to change is certainly much easier than removing the root cause and components to meaningful, sustainable and continuous change. I believe at the simplest level, fear is the single largest impediment to any form of real change. Our culture has largely been built on the reward/punishment system where mistakes are not tolerated, and in corporate America especially, the consequences can be dramatic, life and career altering.

Organizations ask for change, but punish (loosely translated) failure. It is the classic “carrot and stick” metaphor. People fear the stick over the benefit of the carrot. When individuals perceive they have more to loose than gain in a changing environment, they will resist when possible. Choosing instead, to cling to their perceptual safe zone. The fear of the unknown has been woven into the very fabric of our culture and professional DNA. Simply put, when fear is present, innovation is not. Change is a steep, uphill climb.

So if fear is the problem, what does that mean to managers of change? I would postulate that fear is at the starting gate of change. And, until that gate is unlocked and satisficed to align with the removal of fear and installation of safety, transformational change does not have a realistic chance at achieving long term success.

What is needed is a complete overhaul of corporate culture (albeit, an unrealistic idea). A culture that celebrates mistakes and turns them into learning opportunities becomes opportunistic and gains immensely and continuously. This concept is easier to integrate in a start-up environment, since “fearless” can be baked into the founding culture. Older, larger organizations will have a difficult time switching gears to varying degrees, and some organizations will never be able to make this level of fundamental change. So what is the solution to fear resolution?

A culture and environment accepting failure as a part of the success process is going to produce much stronger results. Maybe we call it “positive failure” to assist in its adoptability and improve its stickiness. The element of failure as a critical element to success, reminds me of a company called IDEO and its Director, David Kelly. One of his quotes resonates with me to my very core, “Fail often, in order to succeed earlier”. In other words, the faster you fail, the faster you can succeed. IDEO is one example of a fearless culture where failure is encouraged, expected and rewarded.

For anyone managing change, whether practicing from the soft sciences or simply a manager tasked with change, I would encourage you to take a look at IDEO for a perspective a good distance from our norms. You can view a terrific video at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M66ZU2PCIcM

Opinion ends here. I look forward to your feedback, additional discussion and perspectives on the topic.
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 Jeff is currently the Principal Consultant at iBridged Consulting, a sales and sell-through performance management consulting firm. He has of two decades of executive sales leadership experience leading people and companies to reach goals previously thought to be unattainable. Working with and for brand name companies like Apple, HP, Xerox, Microsoft and many others, Jeff understands the complexity and strategic nature of the tools, systems and processes necessary to improve sell-through in any organization.


Jeff serves on the Board of Directors at Bay Area Organization Development Network, leading the organizations' communication strategy and implementation. Jeff holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Management and is currently completing a Masters of Science in Organization Development at the University of San Francisco.