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What happens when groups of people in a company resist change?

What happens when groups of people in a company resist change?


Washington Post Columnist Shankar Vedantam’s once wrote that 54 percent of wars between nations end in negotiated settlements, but only 24 percent of civil wars end that way. Drawing on the research of Barbara Walters, he wrote, “opponents in a civil war usually have to lay down arms before peace is reached. Once they do so, they both have to trust that the newly formed government will protect them. Since that government is likely to be under the control of the stronger side, however, the weaker side is left with no recourse. . . if the peace breaks down."

It seems that the most inclusive approaches to change management do get people to work on “negotiated settlements” or come up with plans together. But once the sheen is off the attention to this particular change, mistrust begins to creep back in. It has to do with power, or lack of it. “Getting suckered in a civil war can be fatal.” 


Trust needs to be protected: Mistrust usually runs deep, and people are rightfully afraid to make deals with those they fear. Agreements made during planning meetings must be protected strongly by the most senior leaders.



Resistance from groups falls under one of seven key challenges of change. If you would like to see what else I have found that creates havoc and how to deal with these challenges download the whitepaper Dealing Effectively with the Seven Key Challenges of Major Change