Is It Possible To Overcome Resistance To Change?

I'm a huge fan of John Kotter.  And as you'll see in this video, John Kotter firmly believes when you have a resistor to change, a strong resistor, there is no overcoming that resistance.  Your only hope is to get them out of the way so they don't sabotage the change effort.  I feel confident in John Kotter's research however (do you hear a "but"?), I'd like to suggest that maybe the resistance, if caused by things like poor communication, poor implementation, lack of a clearly articulated vision, or just poor leadership, can be overcome.  The question you have to ask yourself is "which is it?"  Is it true resistance or poor change leadership?  

Is it True Resistance or Just Lack of Understanding?
I've worked with a lot of leaders.  And some of their communication styles are um, let's just say, maybe, lacking a bit.  They forget that they've been living, breathing, and thinking about this change for months before actual implementation.  Their employees have not had that benefit but they just expect them to get on board.  While I agree with John Kotter regarding getting the true resistors out of the way, I'm not so sure what appears to be a resistor in the beginning is always a resistor.  I've personally had experience (on more than one occasion) with what appeared to be a true resistor, when armed with information, benefits, and vision, becoming the biggest advocate of a change effort.


The question then becomes are you leading the change effort.  If you can feel confident in saying you have communicated a compelling vision, provided enough information, allowed an opportunity for others to ask questions and get on board, and you still have a strong resistor - I'd say you have an opportunity to make sure your naysayer isn't sabotaging your efforts.  Your choices regarding what to do with the opposing employee depend on the level of the employee, the value they bring in other areas, and the culture of your organization.  Whatever you do, don't let them destroy the efforts and attitude of everyone around them.  


I have several blog posts related to change management and have linked them below.  Some are just related to addressing performance - it all works when dealing with a naysayer.

Managing Change Isn't Just About Communicating More
5 Steps Toward Implementing Change
A Little Empathy Could Go A Long Way
Getting Buy In
The Most Damaging Employee of All