Ten Reasons People Resist Change

“Leadership is about change, but what is a leader to do when faced with ubiquitous resistance? Resistance to change manifests itself in many ways, from foot-dragging and inertia to petty sabotage to outright rebellions. The best tool for leaders of change is to understand the predictable, universal sources of resistance in each situation and then strategize around them. Here are the ten I’ve found to be the most common.”

1. “Loss of control.
2. Excess uncertainty.
3. Surprise, surprise!
4. Everything seems different.
5. Loss of face.
6. Concerns about competence.
7. More work.
8. Ripple effects.
9. Past resentments.
10. Sometimes the threat is real.”

Check out the full article:

http://blogs.hbr.org/kanter/2012/09/ten-reasons-people-resist-chang.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+harvardbusiness+%28HBR.org%29

This is one of the top challenges I hear from library leaders and change agents.  How do we deal with change resistance?  Can it be positioned in a more positive light as organizational renewal, evolution, excitement and/or Renaissance?  Especially when mere survival doesn’t mean thriving but can mean steep decline and obsolescence.

Stephen