{"id":616,"date":"2015-02-23T11:36:21","date_gmt":"2015-02-23T11:36:21","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.q3ed.com\/?p=32"},"modified":"2015-02-23T11:36:21","modified_gmt":"2015-02-23T11:36:21","slug":"manage-resistance-to-change","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/murrayslatter.me\/?p=616","title":{"rendered":"Manage resistance to change"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Encourage people to openly express their thoughts and feelings about the change.<br \/>\nCreate an environment that fosters open communication and exchange of ideas. Actively reach out to employees\u2014using informal hallway conversations, more formal one-on-one meetings, e-mail, and other channels\u2014and ask them how they&#8217;re managing the change effort.<br \/>\nWhen resistance occurs, listen carefully.<br \/>\nWhile it&#8217;s important to explain the benefits of a change program, employees who are resistant to the change don&#8217;t always want to hear an explanation of why the change is necessary. Instead, work to understand their resistance by exploring their concerns and by taking their feelings and comments seriously.<br \/>\nTreat resistance as a problem to solve, not as a character flaw.<br \/>\nResisters may provide valuable information about a change program\u2014information that you may not be aware of. For example, a resister may reveal an unanticipated consequence of a projected change that could result in a potential threat to either the unit or organization. Instead of dismissing the resister as someone who is negative or inflexible, try to understand his or her rationale and sources of motivation. Doing so can open up new, unexpected possibilities for realizing change.<br \/>\nOnce you understand the nature of their concerns, bring people together to discuss and deal with the perceived problems.<br \/>\nIf people feel that they&#8217;ve been heard and have had opportunities to discuss problems and suggest solutions, they are more likely to support the decisions made around the change initiative. Address all concerns head-on and provide people with as much information as possible.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Encourage people to openly express their thoughts and feelings about the change. Create an environment that fosters open communication and exchange of ideas. Actively reach out to employees\u2014using informal hallway conversations, more formal one-on-one meetings, e-mail, and other channels\u2014and ask [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"content-type":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":true,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-616","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-change-management","clearfix"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.3 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Manage resistance to change - Murray Slatter<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/murrayslatter.me\/?p=616\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Manage resistance to change - Murray Slatter\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Encourage people to openly express their thoughts and feelings about the change. 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Develop more participative approaches to how everyday business is handled. Specifically: Push decision making down to lowest levels possible. Allowing others to make\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Change management&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Change management","link":"https:\/\/murrayslatter.me\/?cat=5"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":1865,"url":"https:\/\/murrayslatter.me\/?p=1865","url_meta":{"origin":616,"position":1},"title":"SERIES #6: Leading Change","author":"Murray Slatter","date":"August 28, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"As a leader, driving change is a critical component of your role, but leading change can be a challenging. Change is not always embraced by everyone, you will face resistance and barriers WILL emerge during the change process. Therefore, it is important for leaders to develop strategies to manage resistance\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Business Leadership&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Business Leadership","link":"https:\/\/murrayslatter.me\/?cat=10"},"img":{"alt_text":"As a leader, driving change is a critical component of your role, but leading change can be a challenging task. Change is not always embraced by everyone, and resistance and barriers can emerge during the change process. Leaders need to develop strategies to manage resistance and overcome barriers during the change process.","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/murrayslatter.me\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/Slide7.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/murrayslatter.me\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/Slide7.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/murrayslatter.me\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/Slide7.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/murrayslatter.me\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/Slide7.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/murrayslatter.me\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/Slide7.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1920,"url":"https:\/\/murrayslatter.me\/?p=1920","url_meta":{"origin":616,"position":2},"title":"SME to Leader #8: Leading Change","author":"Murray Slatter","date":"July 22, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"As a subject matter expert, you will inevitably encounter situations where you need to lead change within your team or organization. However, leading change can be a difficult and complex process, and it requires a particular set of skills and strategies. https:\/\/www.amazon.com.au\/Leading-Change-New-Preface-Author\/dp\/1422186431?crid=2MWRLTV0IQDFR&keywords=Leading+Change&qid=1689594714&s=books&sprefix=leading+chang%2Cstripbooks%2C282&sr=1-2&linkCode=ll1&tag=bywineexecuti-22&linkId=8df72d73f1bb8152863f07dce2583ed4&ref_=as_li_ss_tl Here we will explore Kotter's 8-step methodology and\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Leadership&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Leadership","link":"https:\/\/murrayslatter.me\/?cat=6"},"img":{"alt_text":"In this blog post, we will explore the best practices for leading change and managing resistance.","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/murrayslatter.me\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/Slide9-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/murrayslatter.me\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/Slide9-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/murrayslatter.me\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/Slide9-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/murrayslatter.me\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/Slide9-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/murrayslatter.me\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/Slide9-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":5732,"url":"https:\/\/murrayslatter.me\/?p=5732","url_meta":{"origin":616,"position":3},"title":"Change Management Curve","author":"Murray Slatter","date":"June 25, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Change is inevitable, but progress is not. In every organization, change initiatives\u2014whether digital transformation, restructuring, mergers, or new leadership\u2014follow a psychological and behavioral journey for those affected. This journey is mapped by what is commonly referred to as the Change Management Curve. \ud83c\udf00 Understanding the Change Curve The Change Curve\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Master Class&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Master Class","link":"https:\/\/murrayslatter.me\/?cat=17"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/murrayslatter.me\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Kubler-Rosss-Grief-Curve.png?fit=922%2C596&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/murrayslatter.me\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Kubler-Rosss-Grief-Curve.png?fit=922%2C596&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/murrayslatter.me\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Kubler-Rosss-Grief-Curve.png?fit=922%2C596&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/murrayslatter.me\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Kubler-Rosss-Grief-Curve.png?fit=922%2C596&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":5731,"url":"https:\/\/murrayslatter.me\/?p=5731","url_meta":{"origin":616,"position":4},"title":"Organizational Inertia","author":"Murray Slatter","date":"June 25, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"In the dynamic world of modern business, change is constant\u2014yet many organizations remain stuck, unable or unwilling to adapt. This phenomenon is known as Organizational Inertia: the tendency of an established organization to continue on its current trajectory, resisting change even when faced with compelling reasons to evolve. Understanding this\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Master Class&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Master Class","link":"https:\/\/murrayslatter.me\/?cat=17"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/murrayslatter.me\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Org-Inertia.png?fit=1200%2C676&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/murrayslatter.me\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Org-Inertia.png?fit=1200%2C676&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/murrayslatter.me\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Org-Inertia.png?fit=1200%2C676&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/murrayslatter.me\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Org-Inertia.png?fit=1200%2C676&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/murrayslatter.me\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Org-Inertia.png?fit=1200%2C676&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":5734,"url":"https:\/\/murrayslatter.me\/?p=5734","url_meta":{"origin":616,"position":5},"title":"Cognitive Dissonance","author":"Murray Slatter","date":"June 25, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"The Tension That Transforms In the day-to-day life of leadership, few forces shape behavior as subtly\u2014and as powerfully\u2014as cognitive dissonance. Coined by psychologist Leon Festinger in 1957, cognitive dissonance refers to the internal conflict we experience when our actions, beliefs, or values are in contradiction. 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