Resistance

Change and Leadership

“Change is the game today, and organizations that can't deal with it effectively aren't around long” (Bridges 1991, ix). The key becomes helping employees distinguish between necessary change and “change for the sake of change.” Effective leadership requires using the four “P's”: a purpose, a picture, a plan, and a part to play (Bridges 1991, 52). Communicating the purpose, or building a strong case for why the change is necessary, is a primary leadership function when initiating a change process.

Resistance as a Liability

Many managers would like their employees to comply with company changes without question because their resistance can become a liability to successful organizational change. In the best-selling book Who Moved My Cheese?, the cheese is used as a metaphor for our perceptions of ourselves, our goals in life, and what we see as our pathways to success. When the cheese is moved, that perception is disrupted, which creates resistance, and those who resist change are called “blockers.” But for the mice in the book, the cheese is just that: cheese. For them, change means revamping their pathway to success as a matter of necessity and not of ego. If humans could apply this same practical view of the movement of cheese as a metaphor for changes in the pathway to success in the workplace, then they would find themselves more confident and less resistant to necessary change.

Resistance as an Asset

On the other hand, some leaders argue that individuals who resist change are merely trying to protect [Page 1325]themselves against the unknown. Resistance is natural; it heightens awareness and protects people from perceived harm. Karp, in his book The Change Leader, describes using the Gestalt psychological approach, rather than a traditional organizational approach, to deal with resistance to change. The Gestalt approach views people as individuals who need help to choose a course of action, and not as burdens to the change process. “When individuals resist change they are trying to give a clear message about who they are and what is important to them. The leader has to help identify the issues and help the employee work through them.” Karp

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