Why People Resist Change
In my years of pastoring, I had to lead my organization through a lot of change - from major paradigm shifts to small operational adjustments. In that process, I’ve discovered a couple of key truths regarding change.
Change is necessary. The alternative is organizational stagnation.
Change will be resisted. All change.
Surprised by this revelation? Not if you’ve actually ever led change.
If the change has any value, someone will not agree – at least initially. It’s human nature at work.
As one wag put it, “The only person who likes change is a wet baby.” There is something in all of us that initially resists change we didn’t initiate.
The Emotion Behind the Emotions
According to Ron Edmunson, there’s one basic reason why change is resisted. It’s rooted in an emotion. People may not even be able to describe what they are feeling, but this emotion is more powerful at the time than the excitement the change may bring.
It’s not the emotion you might expect. It’s not anger or confusion or fear. While those are common emotions when faced with changed, they are not the root emotion. There’s another emotion that triggers all the others.
What is the most common emotion that causes resistance to change?
A sense of loss.
People feel a sense of loss in the process of change.
What is the most common emotion that causes resistance to change? A sense of loss.
Have you ever lost something or felt like you were losing something? How did you react? Did you try to hold on to whatever you were losing? Did your blood pressure rise a bit? Did your anxiety level spike? Did you “feel” something?
That’s what happens to people in the initial days of change. And it’s not usually a good feeling.
Forms of Loss
Translate that sense of loss into the organizational context. When change is presented, people may feel loss in many forms.
Loss of power
Loss of comfort
Loss of control
Loss of familiarity
Loss of stability
These aren’t always rational emotions. And often they are perceived as bigger than they really are. But they are real emotions to those who experience them.
Edmunson observes, “It doesn’t even matter if people know the change is needed. Emotions are not dictated by reality.”
People will often prefer to remain mired in misery than to head toward an unknown. As the saying goes, “Better the devil you know than the devil you don’t know.”
Thus it is that people naturally default to the conclusion that they will be losing something in the change. And this causes them to resist the change.
Leading Through the Loss
If, as a leader, you understand that this sense of loss is what people are struggling with, you will be better prepared to lead them through it.
To be sure, some people are never going to get on board with the change, but many times people just need someone to at least acknowledge their sense of loss. It doesn’t eliminate the emotion, but genuine empathy allows for it to be reduced.
On the other hand, when a leader discounts or ignores a person’s sense of loss, the resistance becomes more intense because the emotions become more intense. This is actually when some of those other emotions – like anger – are often added. The process of change is then stalled and sometimes even derailed.
When a leader discounts or ignores a person’s sense of loss, the resistance becomes more intense because the emotions become more intense.
When you recognize this key emotional response to change and legitimize it, you will be seen as a leader who is not only courageous but compassionate. And in the end, that might be all it takes to win over many.
When you recognize loss as the emotional response to change and legitimize it, you will be seen as a leader who is not only courageous but compassionate. And in the end, that might be all it takes to win over many.
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