Some managers don’t encounter resistance. They generate it.
Sometimes managers call it resistance when what really failed was the way they tried to create change.
The employees push back, barely comply, or don’t move the way leadership expected. Leadership looks at that and reaches for the usual diagnosis: not ready, lacks buy-in, unwilling to change.
That explanation is plausible, but it also protects the leadership team from needing to scrutinize the change methodology they used. Pushback doesn’t automatically prove resistance.
It may prove that the change effort was poorly framed, too forceful, or too disconnected from employees’ reality. In those cases, the employees aren’t resisting improvement. They’re reacting to the method.
This is where leadership might get into circular thinking. The change failed because employees resisted, and we know this because it failed. That logic is comfortable, and it’s also a great way to avoid learning.
Employee resistance is a real problem when it comes to change, but sometimes managers don’t encounter resistance as much as they generate it.
The next time a change effort fails, take some time to review how you approached the change and compare it with times when change was successful. The path to consistent change management success probably lies in the difference between the two.
What workplace situation do you think is most often mislabeled as “resistance”?
References: Jacobson N. Behavioral Marital Therapy. Handbook of family therapy. Published online 1981:556-591.
Post Title: Some managers don’t encounter resistance. They generate it.