How to use resistance to accelerate the adoption of change

When you look at a piece of art and ask what others think of it, you tend to get a broad spectrum of opinions. Some will absolutely dislike it, others will be unmoved by it, and some will be deeply enamoured by it.

We expect and accept these responses.

Different people have different opinions. It’s obvious.

Yet when you look at the rollout of most new strategies and change initiatives, the implicit assumption, and expectation, is that everyone will embrace and run with it when it’s presented to them.

Seven to nine times out of ten, people don’t.

Different people have different opinions. It’s obvious.

Every new strategy and change initiative is like a piece of art. It (attempts to) provokes the status quo. It creates (mixed) emotions, which fuel (in)actions.

The higher purpose of strategy and change is different from that of art, but we can take the experiences with the latter and apply these to accelerate the adoption and realisation of the former.

Behind every opinion sits a need and a belief that make sense from the holder’s perspective. When you understand, without judgment, what that need is and what the belief it triggers rests on, you can use the insights gained to:

• Increase the irresistibility of your strategy or change even further for the superfans
• Improve the attractiveness of your strategy or change for the majority
• Identify those who will commit to your strategy or change when you “burn the ships” and those who should “make the boat go faster” somewhere else

Different people have different opinions. It’s obvious.

So use it to turn meaningful differences into assets that intensify harmony, increase impact, and enhance acknowledgment. That’s when joy arises from the art of strategy and change for all.