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Before implementing a change, find out what everyone "knows"
February 2011
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Interview Results
We recently interviewed two leaders who we knew had been successful in building cohesive teams within their organizations. We asked them to tell us what was the key to overcoming resistance to change. Both had a similar response: "It's not resistance. Don't call it that."
One said that when he finds that he doesn't have 100% buyin to a change, he recognizes that he has not done a good job of explaining the change and the reason for it.
The other said that when she encounters what others call resistance, she discovers that the person actually knows something about the impact of the change that she needs to heed. She recommends a "forum for listening and two-way dialog" to uncover these issues in advance and work together to overcome them.
The Principle
If you assume it's resistance and treat it as such, people may well indeed entrench and create a resistance. Assume that the barrier is a reasonable one and you'll learn something you really needed to know to make the change even more successful.
Reflection Questions:
- When planning a change, who do you need to talk to in advance to find out all they know about the potential impact?
- Think about a time when a change was not successfully implemented as quickly as you had hoped. How did you interpret the barriers -- as resistance or as a reasonable response?
Take Action:
- Create a forum for reviewing decisions in advance with a trusted set of advisors who have their finger on the pulse of the organization.
- Contact Forward Focus for more information on their "Ignite the Change" workshops.
Copyright 2011 Forward Focus |
