Agile Change Management: The People Impact

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In recent years, the world has gotten more complex and uncertain, and organizations cannot keep
doing what they have been doing and expect different results. Many organizations have begun to
adopt a more entrepreneurial mindset to stay competitive, but with that comes a faster way of doing things that many employees are not used to.

Managing change successfully in an agile environment requires an understanding of the similarities and differences to managing change in a traditional (waterfall) environment. While people and their reactions can be similar in either environment, the approach change leaders take in delivering change management activities is different.

Today we are seeing an increase in agile change management methodologies on projects that used to use the traditional (waterfall approach). What exactly is the difference between the two change
management approaches? While agile and traditional (waterfall) change management are two
distinctive methodologies of processes to change management projects. Agile, traditionally centered around software development, is an iterative methodology that incorporates a cyclic and
collaborative process and emphasizes adaptation along the project lifecycle While traditional
(waterfall) is a sequential methodology that is also collaborative, but tasks are generally handled in a more linear process and emphasizes milestones to determine if a project is moving forward.

While people and their reactions can be similar in either environment, the approach change leaders take in delivering change management activities is different. People are people. Plain and simple. Just because an environment is running at an accelerated speed does not change that. Psychological human reactions to change are the same, most of what they need is the same, and even most of what we do to help them is the same in any type of environment. Regardless of whether the change is happening in an agile or traditional (waterfall) environment, there are specific contributors that lead to the success of a change initiative, including engaging change management in early stages of the project, consistent communications, ongoing leader engagement and celebrating early wins in the project.

However, in a fast-paced change environment, there are some unique challenges and circumstances that alter the way we help people transition during change. Due to the iterative nature of agile projects, flexibility is key. When change managers are working on an agile project, they need to be more flexible and adaptable, while at the same time be more focused and efficient.

When working within an agile environment, it is important to look at the culture. Does the
organization have a history of using traditional (waterfall) change management approaches? If so,
there may be an increase in resistance from employees within when agile is introduced. Making sure that the organizations culture is in line with agile practices and processes is key. Often employees within these environments, where agile has not been done, are used to the status quo and a slower more linear, often top-down way of doing things. The speed of change in an agile environment can increase the stressors in employees that are now being asked to change at a faster pace then they are used to.

Even if the status quo is no longer effective, people often prefer the predictability, perceived sense of control, tradition, and established way of doing things as they have always been done, because they fear that change endangers their place or role within the organization. By introducing agile projects at a slower pace at the onset can be effective in creating a new mindset.

The people side of change, even in an agile environment is still paramount to success. Change
managers need to have continuous engagement with agile teams to make sure they are keeping up
with the technical aspect of the project. Stakeholders also need to be continuously engaged to keep
the project moving forward. One of the greatest challenges when working on an agile project is the
strategic side of people which can be overshadowed by the technical aspect and needs of the project. Making sure that both sides are engaging and collaborating often are paramount in the success of the
project.

Many of the same tools used in the traditional (waterfall) change management approach can be
utilized in the agile environment, but in a more compact form. Tools can be especially helpful in the
fast-paced agile environment as they can help keep the project focused and moving forward. By
utilizing similar change management tools regardless of the change environment an organization can
build familiarity that can help ensure people are ready, willing and able to work in new ways. Tools
like the people impact scan can be helpful in agile projects by assessing how employees within the
organization will be impacted. Agile is cyclical and the stages often overlap. The plan or do phase can
overlap with an iteration/sprint/planning cycle and you could still be completing or using some
planning tools when you begin to use some doing tools. Understanding how this impacts people
within the organization can be helpful in ensuring sustained change.

The People Impact Scan measures the impact the change will have on people within the organization. It is used to determine how the changes will impact people who work within the organization and to identify and focus agile change management activities. The People Impact Scan should be conducted as soon as the changes have been identified or even while the changes are being formulated. The scan can be repeated every time a new set of changes is identifies. This process should take no more then a couple hours for each iteration/sprint/planning cycle. By understanding the needs of employees, engaging throughout the project, and utilizing tools organizations can create new mindsets and see success and sustainable results in an agile environment.

The People Impact, along with Change Guides suite of change management tools can be found at
www.changeguidesllc.com.

Understanding the Impact of People in Traditional Change Management

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by Shannon Long, Consultant at Change Guides

Successful change management is the discipline of driving business results by changing behaviors. Whether you are launching a new technology, business process or completing a large-scale merger, leaders need to understand and prepare for the human element and emotional responses the dynamics of change create.

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For an organization to grow they must constantly be pursuing change.  Managing change can be tough. Not everyone within an organization may agree on the factors that lead to successful change. But one thing that is certain is that change impacts people. Regardless of the change, it can have a significant impact, both positive and negative, on individuals within an organization. When change is positive, it can increase employee morale, productivity, and engagement. Yet, when change has a negative impact, there can be in increase in stress, anxiety, and resistance.

On top of it, those being affected by change are often faced with multiple changes congruently. Behavioral reactions are not one size fits all. In psychology, the emotional responses to change are often described on a spectrum of complexities. In change management, we often describe it on a commitment curve which shows how people react and evolve over time as change occurs in an organization. Commitment is critical when seeking organizational change. It reflects the degree to which people have incorporated new mindsets and behaviors into new ways of working. Commitment is what links people with the change process. The commitment curve has 4 phases: Shock/denial, anger/fear, acceptance, and commitment. With knowledge of the commitment curve and likely responses to commitment, change leaders can plan how to minimize the negative impacts of the change and help people adapt to it more quickly.

But, as organizations and change leaders are faced with larger, more complex, and fast paced changes, coupled with budget cuts, reduced employee resources and deadlines, it is easy to overlook steps in the process. One of the biggest mistakes that many organizations make when implementing organizational change initiatives is overlooking the critical step of bringing change management to the table early in the process. Often the importance of the people impact is overlooked or not given enough attention and why many change initiatives ultimately fail.

To achieve positive results, you ultimately need people who are committed to success, motivated to get results and who possess the knowledge and tools to get things done. People naturally resist changes to the status quo. New ideas and mindsets about how to work and an individual’s role within the organization can create uncertainty and stress.

We tend to look at change at a bird’s eye view, but most changes happen on the ground level. The success of the change is often on the shoulders of the employee’s working day to day at the ground level. Yet, organizations often look at change at the enterprise level. Employees within an organization who engage in the change management process are more likely to embrace and feel like they are a part of the change, and they will be more likely to support it.

Let’s take a closer look at the impact of people on change. Unlike technology, workflows and business process, people are unpredictable. And understanding the needs of the target audiences will differ from project to project.  Change may force people into new roles and new ways of doing things. At the same time, change makes people give up established and valued ways of functioning; for many individuals, their sense of identity is linked to these established behaviors. When change is forced upon an individual or organization, there may not be sufficient time allotted for adjustment to new behaviors or letting go of traditional roles.

We know that many projects fail for lack of effective change management and commitment. We know that change management is every bit as important as project management. Yet, change management is often brought on well after the project management. Understanding the importance of bringing change management to the table early and utilizing tools at the onset of the project can often lead to a successful and sustainable implementation. Your challenge as a change leader is to apply effective change management principals and to anticipate and manage resistance.  Defining the impacts that change has on individuals early in the project can give clarity into the change plan and the activities needed to facilitate the change. This is crucial because it leads organizations toward increased outcomes and sustainable change.

There are many changes management tools that can be utilized within a project. The People Impact Assessment is one tool that can be used in the planning phase. It measures the impact that change will have on the individuals within the organization. Defining and planning for the impacts of change on individuals is crucial in any change management initiative. Utilizing tools, like the People Impact Assessment, among others, can help gauge the overall state of the organization at the onset of the project which can further help define and develop the change plan. This can help mitigate risks and foresee potential obstacles that might prevent the success and sustainability of the project. While change management is about moving organizations from the current state to the future state, understanding the impact on individuals at the onset can create a clearer picture on how to support the individuals through the change process.

The People Impact Tool, along with Change Guides suite of change management tools can be found at www.changeguidesllc.com

Change Management: Moving at the Speed of Agile

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In our fast-paced world of change, Agile has become quite the “buzz” in the business world the last few years. When the concept of agile first originated in the early 2000’s, it referred to technology specific projects. But, as the pace of business has accelerated over the last 20 years, companies are now connecting the term agile to fast and active ways of implementing change.

What is Agile? Imagine putting a traditional linear change management project into a washing machine on the spin cycle. Rinse and repeat. And you have an agile project, small incremental changes that are implemented over and over again in a cyclical fashion.

There is an advantage to using the agile approach on all types of change management projects. Many of the principles can be applied within current business infrastructure.

While both traditional and agile projects aim to achieve the same goal of providing solutions to improve business outcomes, the ultimate outcome of agile projects is to provide the customer with ongoing delivery of solutions rather than one final solution and there are also tools such as paystubs to manage employees as well.

One of the greatest advantages of using the agile methodology in a fast-paced business environment is that it allows for quick course correction. While quick course correction is a powerful benefit of moving fast, it can also be a big shift in thinking. Even leaders can easily get attached to the original plan or solution.

Within a project using agile, change management leaders can support the principals required for successful results to be achieved. Precision, efficiency, focus, trade-offs, early engagement, focused communication, and balance must all be present for change management to be most effective on an agile project.

Although, business has gotten faster, and we are implementing change in new ways does not mean everything we know about change is obsolete. People are still people. Regardless of the processes the only way organizations change is when the people in them change. Thus, the basic concepts of change management do not change when utilizing the agile approach.

Yet, as the landscape of business continues to change, and companies are becoming more flat, top down bureaucracy is no longer working as it did in the past. If organizations are willing to build and support entrepreneurial mindsets, creating change through an agile approach will be more successful and sustainable.
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Change, agile or not, is hard. Managing the people side of change will always remain critical for success. As the pace for change continues to accelerate across organizations of all kinds, the need for agile change management that is adaptive, iterative, flexible and fast will continue.

10 Laws of Agile Change Management Methodology

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Agile change management is the planning and execution of change management practices that encourage flexibility and speed. Even in fast paced change environments, people still have a need for control, understanding, support and purpose. When these changes are happening swiftly and repetitively, there are specific approaches that need to be integrated. These are what we call the 10 laws of Agile Change Management.

  1. Maintain Focus on PeopleRemember even in an agile environment, it is all about the people. There should always be a focus on what people need to feel control, understanding, support and purpose.
  2. Pay Attention to LeadershipEven in an agile environment, leaders are the most important element to successful change. In an agile environment there will be a need to for more frequent executive conversations and leadership responsiveness to micro and macro communications will increase.
  3. Balance Involvement with SpeedIn agile environments it is tempting to narrow focus on stakeholder involvement for the sake of speed. But having broad involvement will help combat resistance, build better solutions, and ensure sustainable adoption of changes.
  4. Staff the Change Work WellIn agile environments, staffing considerations can be complicated by nature of micro and macro level of changes. Change leaders need to be able to envision and set up systems and processes to support ongoing change that are part of a fast-paced environment.
  5. Develop Infrastructure to Support Iterative ChangesIt is important to establish a set of tools and processes that allow the change team to break down work into smaller bits that can be used over and over. Having an infrastructure in place ensures that the change management team is not held up when changes are in full swing.
  6. Establish Effective Core Team CollaborationIn an agile, an effective core team drives efficiency and effectiveness. It is important for change management resources to embed themselves into key project activities that are repeated with each burst of work.
  7. Elevate CommunicationsThe need for communications takes an entirely new level of importance in an agile environment. Agile environments rely on strong messaging and accurate information that gets to stakeholders at each wav of change. Fluid, open, two-way, and ongoing communication between cross-functional teams and stakeholders is essential.
  8. Simplify and PrioritizeDo not spend too much time on one thing. Change teams need to be able to think creatively about how to get the most information out with the least amount of time and effort.
  9. Look to the Long Term as well as the Short TermBalancing long term goals with short term goals is important. The ability to see the bigger picture will help people stay engaged through the waves of change. Keeping your eye on the longer-term view while still focusing on the current release will help produce better results.
  10. Balance Planning with Responsiveness

A workplan is necessary to any change effort but change plans in the agile environment need to be especially dynamic and nimble. Change leaders need to be rapidly responsive to the needs of the business to modify and execute the approach quickly.

Transitioning Employees Back to the Office: What Companies need to Consider

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by Shannon Long, Consultant at Change Guides

The Covid pandemic has indeed transformed the business landscape in unexpected ways. Companies and their employees were suddenly thrust into a new way of working without much guidance, adapting to remote work and virtual collaboration. However, as organizations were gradually getting accustomed to this “new normal,” some employees may have faced challenges, including issues like unjust firing by your superiors, which only added to the complexity of the situation. Now, in recent weeks, we’re witnessing a shift as companies begin to push back on remote work arrangements, and some employers are moving forward with return-to-work dates, creating a fresh set of dynamics in the evolving workplace environment.

Thus, many employees are getting mixed messages. Companies are giving “back-to-office” start dates and then constantly changing the message.

Change is hard but change with no warning or planning can be even more difficult.  Many employees have become accustomed to working remotely. To create successful change, employers need to understand that people are going back to a different kind of office, and they must be prepared while employers also have to cover employees with the help from  an expert like this workers compensation lawyer Vegas.

Be Aware of the Pros and Cons

The roadblocks in the past that kept companies from allowing people to work from home have shown that people are adaptable. And many employees have proven that they can get their jobs done quite successfully remotely. Some companies also saw residual benefits from lower overhead costs, to a more productive workforce, as people did not have to commute and were often able to have flexibility in their workday. People have gotten comfortable to the new norm, and many people have adjusted their lives to work from home. Employers need to be conscious of how their employees will be affected overall. To give your employees peace of mind, implement a vaccine validation system to ensure their safety. There are pros for being in the office a well. Our human need to interact with others and the social component and camaraderie that helps make people and teams successful is lacking. There is something to be said about human connection.

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Importance of Employee Engagement

Now, as companies are bringing back employees to the office in a post covid world, it is important to keep employees engaged in the process. One of the most compelling components of change management is answering the “why” or “what’s in it for me”

People don’t resist change; they resist being changed. It is more important than ever to empower people through the transition of going back to the office. Leaders and decision makers need to encourage employees to part of the decision-making process. People do not buy into information and processes that they do not understand. By creating a vision of what people can expect in the near and long term, frequent check ins, being transparent and providing clear messages throughout the process can make a world of difference during the transition back to work.

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Employers must remember that employees will have varying levels of comfort and take that into consideration. Having a transition plan in place is key. Employees will be concerned with everything from their own health, whether those around them have been vaccinated, whether they will have to wear a mask, maintaining social distancing, entry and exit procedures and processes around when people should stay out of the office, etc.

At the end of the day, some people may decide that they do not want to return to the office. HR departments will have to have consistency in communication and messaging to employees and what their options or consequences of not returning are. Giving people as many options as possible about when and how they come back to work is important.

Be Empathetic to Employees Needs

People want to know that their voices are heard and that their employers care. Beyond understanding of new processes, plans, protocols, or the bottom line, people want to feel that their emotional and physical wellbeing, and values and needs are being considered. Giving people a voice and a platform and making them feel that are part of the process in creating the solutions. It is easy to make rules and point to state and federal guidelines and protocols. But, making employees a part of the how will only lead to positive changes and a happier workforce. Making sure that communications are consistent and being delivered with empathy and compassion can lead to successful change and sustainability.

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Motivation to Change

People change when they are motivated to change. People are motivated by their connections to others. Companies need to give thought to what will motivate their employees to buy-in and act in new ways. Their will likely be good corporate citizens that do their best to follow requirements, but the way to get people committed and motivated is through their connection to others. Connect people’s understanding of how new protocols contribute to a colleague’s wellbeing or a teammate’s family’s health. Often people are motivated by hearing other people’s personal stories. Covid has affected us all in very different ways and yet we can all find relatable commonalities. Successful change often happens organically by leveraging those personal stories.

Culture

Organizations will need to address remote and hybrid expectations to retain and recruit new and top talent. The post covid world has forced companies to take a greater look at their company culture. The way companies lead in this new business landscape will both reflect and mirror company culture. Many companies have already been making the change from hierarchal to flatter organizations in recent years and using recruitment KPIs at makipeople.com to aid their hiring process. The choices leadership make post pandemic can change the long-term influence of the company’s culture. Adopting a strong change management model will help create sustainability moving forward as companies create operational changes, changes to organizational culture, technology, policies, and procedures. Leadership must recognize the changes that people may come back to. Reconnecting with colleagues and key partners on a new level and working with new team members that were hired during the pandemic.

Managing change in the current world can be challenging. Perception is reality. But companies can come out stronger and retain sustainable change if they take the time to identify the pros and cons, understand the importance of employee engagement and be empathetic to employee needs and their motivation to change while taking a greater look at the company culture moving forward. With the right plans in place, successfully transitioning people back to the office is possible.

 

The Formula for Influence: Know – Like – Trust

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As change management practitioners, we are responsible for supporting employees during an
organizational change. We need to be constantly vigilant about how change decisions impact people and in turn, how people will respond to those decisions, so we can support the transition from current state to future state. But, we can’t read minds and we can’t force people to change, so how then can we be most effective in our role?

In a word – Influence.

And here are the key components that make someone influential, particularly in a change management
role. If you are finding that managing change is more difficult than previously thought, you may want to
review the following for ways to increase your influence and/or identify additional resources in your
change initiative who can lend their influential voices to your project.

1.   KNOW

  • Does everyone on the project know who you are and why you are involved? Do they all
    understand what change management is and how you will be supporting the project?
  • If the answer is no, you may want to reintroduce yourself along with other key project
    members and create a Roles & Responsibilities matrix (an example is a RACI matrix) to
    demonstrate where you and other members fit as it relates to the change.

2.   LIKE

  • This one can be quite personal and requires some introspection. Does your personality
    and the way in which you interact with others leave them feeling good about working with
    you? Do you present more solutions than problems? Do you take accountability for your
    own actions? Do you check-in with your colleagues and project team members to see how
    they are doing, or do you focus solely on the business at hand?
  • If you are unclear whether you can tick the box of likeability, ask for candid and
    constructive feedback. Just the act of asking for this type of feedback increases likeability
    by showing you care enough to learn and grow. You can use a research panel if you’re planning to do multiple surveys and studies, visit Qualtrics to learn more about this. Warning: before you ask for feedback,
    make sure you are willing to change and improve or don’t ask at all.

3.   TRUST

  • Trust is the final stop on the path to influence. However, just because people come to
    know you and like you does not guarantee they will trust you. Trust takes time to build
    and only comes from doing what you say you will do.
  • For change management practitioners it is imperative that we speak up when we
    anticipate or encounter issues, provide solutions and guidance on resolutions and provide
    transparency up and down the organization.

Teaching People About Change Management

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At Change Guides, we define Change Management as getting individuals and groups Ready, Willing, and Able   to work in new ways that support business results.
We’ve been practicing Change Management since the mid-90s. The part of our job that has stayed consistent over time is the need to educate people about Change Management. This includes:
How to define Change Management
How to talk about change and employee transition
How to make the case for smart investing Management and just like investing in an individual retirement account.
What skills and experience are needed to be good at Change Management
What methodologies and tools are available to apply best practices consistently over time
Retirement accounts an individual retirement account such as reduces the amount of taxes you owe on the income for each year you invest in it. It allows you to defer or even avoid the taxes you owe on the earnings that accrue on your investments. It produces earnings on earnings, creating a compounding effect not available in a regular savings account.
These resources provide some quick, easy solutions that can help you Embrace Your Role as an Educator
New! The Eight Constants of Change Power Point Presentation with facilitator notes. This flexible 90-minute presentation covers topics found in The Eight Constants of Change book.
Video! The Change Management 101 Video and other videos found on our YouTube Channel

Embrace Your Role as an Educator

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by Stacy Aaron, Partner

Although Wikipedia states that the discipline of Change Management has its roots in the 1960s (over 50
years ago!), plenty of leaders and managers have only cursory knowledge of the fundamentals and processes.
Most business professionals know Change Management is relevant, but how they think of the scope and
importance of it varies. That’s where we come in!

People in the same company, even in the same meeting, may define Change Management differently. To
implement a change successfully, it’s important to have a common vocabulary about change and align
everyone under a shared goal and approach. Because of this reality, we need to embrace our role as
educators.

Early in my career, I was a reluctant educator. Do I really need to bring everyone up to speed? Of course,
the answer is yes. It took time to truly understand my ongoing role as an educator with my clients.
My dad, who did MYTEFL reviews, had his Ph.D. in education and many times I’ve thought I should have followed in his footsteps and been a teacher. When I told this to friends and colleagues, they usually said, “You are a teacher.” After I received this response over and over, the light bulb finally went off. They were right. I am a teacher.

Having an educator mindset helps me assess the full situation and dynamic with each leadership team or group. Now, my first step is always to recognize, that not everyone has this topic top of mind or an extensive background; as an educator, just like Kamau Bobb, I must try to ensure the same baseline understanding. If I can leverage a savvy team member, even better so I am not the lone voice.

Not only do we need to align people on the scope and importance of change but how to think about Change Management as art and science, strategy and tactics. Viewing myself as an educator helps me be more effective. I think about where my audience is in terms of Change Management knowledge. After all, it is often said that implementing Change Management takes Change Management. There is a learning curve. I recognize that my audience may be at the bottom of the Commitment Curve . If that’s the case, it’s my job to help them gain awareness, understanding and desire to embrace and adopt Change Management principles and tools.

The role of educator and advocate for Change Management is never ending. I have found myself at the front of a classroom, across from a desk, on the phone, in a team meeting, in a hallway, and in the cafeteria, educating clients about Change Management. This is with clients. There is also the task of explaining what we do to family and friends. That is even harder!

So, embrace your role as educator. You will be more effective and broaden support for your role and the discipline. Get in touch with Simbans or visit their website if you need tablet support services.

Resistance is Inevitable

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Great ideas, great people and great projects have fallen victim to resistance to change. Resistance is a
natural part of the change process and exists in many forms. Look for these structural and physiological
reasons people resist.

Fear of the unknown: When a leader announces a change, whether it is a new computer system, moving
to a cross-functional team environment or even a move to a new building, it can be scary. The
announcement of a change threatens this comfortable ‘today’ the employee knows and introduces a
‘tomorrow’ that she doesn’t’ know.

Threat to expertise or prominence: Threat to prominence is based on the perception that something
someone values will be taken away. A leader who values the size of the budget, the number of direct
reports, the title or even the location of the office may resist any change that threatens one or more of
these things.

Lack of Support: A motivated and hard-working innovator still may not be able to change because of the
lack of support around him. This lack of support or structure may include:
1. Lack of skills or information
2. Mismatched evaluation system
3. Lack of resources, rewards, or recognition
4. Lack of appropriate reporting or collaborative relationships

Working against the Brain: If employees have ingrained habits and are suddenly asked to make new habits,
the brain must work harder. This goes against the brain’s natural inclination to conserve energy. Many
books such as The Power of Habit are great resources for understanding the physiological challenges when
we ask people to work differently.

Recognizing the many root causes of resistance, improves understanding. Improved understanding leads to
better ways to address resistance.

Ways to get started include:

1. When there is fear of the unknown, do a better job communicating what the future looks like for
that person.
2. When there is threat to expertise and power, acknowledge what is going away but also reinforce
the positives and opportunities.
3. When support is missing, advocate for people and budget to address what is lacking. Explain the
risk of not addressing these gaps.
4. When habits are being changed, educate people about how to recognize habits and what it takes to
change them.

Dealing with resistance isn’t easy but it’s a central part of change management. Expect it, recognize the
type of resistance, and find ways to address it.

Resistance and Resisters

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People resist change. When I facilitate a change management training session, no one argues with me on that point. In fact, everyone nods their head in agreement. They create a long list of reasons why people resist change: people like their routines, people aren’t motivated, people aren’t trained. I’ve done this exercise with hundreds of attendees in countless sessions. The responses are similar. The lists are long.  So, if people understand resistance so well, why are they stumped when employees resist them?

It feels personal
It’s one thing to talk about a faceless “them” in an exercise. It is quite another to look at Sue across the
table and listen to her issues, see the tacit expectation that you are responsible. She is adding work to your
plate, implying you are wrong. It feels personal but you need to take a deep breath, step back.
It’s best to view resistance for what it is, not personal, but rooted in one of a few places: 1) Lack of
understanding 2) Sharing potentially relevant information and 3) An attempt at control and/or engagement.
It’s not about you, it’s them!

What’s the right tactic here?
The conventional wisdom is that people who resist are bad and what they say is wrong. Resisters feel like
roadblocks to success, so we hope they go away. Guess what, they don’t! Invite dialogue. Step one is to
listen.

Allowing people to openly express concerns provides an opportunity to:
1. Learn about unanticipated challenges. Without a forum to share concerns, issues pop up late when
it’s harder to address them. Major issues that surface late can stop a project in its tracks.
Sometimes, the project never recovers.
2. Clarify misunderstandings or misinformation. People may resist based on rumors or assumptions
that are wrong. Make sure they have correct information and understand how it will impact them
directly.

In conclusion, think of resistance as good. It is a form of communication and engagement, a predictable,
helpful part of transition. It brings issues out in the open and provides an opening to clarify the what and
the why of a project. If resistance is embraced and encouraged, the project will be better for it.

Resisters are not the thorn in your side (except for a very few). One of my clients told me, “I take the
toughest critic and ask him to join my team.” He said that approach has helped him succeed over and over.
You may want to consider doing the same. So, the next time Sue is telling you why your ideas won’t work,
listen. Then, ask her to help you figure out the right solution.

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STACY AARON

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