Hidden resistance
Leaders who face no overt resistance may be facing hurdles that are more imposing and dangerous. Lack of resistance can mean that employees are highly apathetic or they will covertly sabotage the change effort. Regarding apathy, Marcus and Weber (2001) warned that passive adaptation can have adverse consequences because followers are likely to adhere strictly to the letter of the law without achieving necessary results. To Marcus and Weber, failure to develop commitment before imposing change will strengthen passive resistance through which people do what leaders tell them while not changing. This implies that autonomy is necessary for people to internalize change; as long as people are dependent on external forces for implementing the change they are likely to revert to prior practices whenever the external force subsides.
Case: Preserving the consensus
Covert resistance can be more challenging to deal with because leaders cannot identify the source. People might seem exuberant or accepting on the surface, but actively work in the background to sabotage the change. The idea of covert resistance is on my mind as I develop a strategy to apply a collaborative learning model in a Japanese college classroom. Almost everything about collaborative learning is contrary to Japanese education practice, which is a system designed to train students to pass tests, with little emphasis on learning and application of knowledge (Goodman, 2003). The test focus is so honed that many college students rarely attend class; rather, they buy the lecture notes from students who do attend class and cram for the final exam.
The Japanese higher education system is struggling to regain relevancy in a global economy through major reforms. However, despite declining enrollment and failing universities, reformers face rigid barriers in a static system. A president of a struggling private university in Northern Japan has asked me to present a proposal for how he might invigorate student development in his classroom by introducing collaborative learning processes. However, even with his support, I expect that the students, faculty, and system will be highly resistant. Most of the resistance will be the passive kind because the Japanese avoid conflict at all costs to preserve harmony; which is part of the reason their education system and economy are in perpetual crisis.
A challenge will be that I push too hard or implement the wrong plan, which would not only cause my experiment to fail but also will eliminate opportunities to work in the system. Even though Hatch (2004) would recommend that changing culture at the assumption level requires a revolutionary approach, I am hoping to have the time to build a successful model that serves as an alternative that taps into the emerging needs of local Japanese students and businesses by aligning classroom practice with societal values.
Case: Leveraging engagement to reduce resistance
Of course, lack of resistance can also be a positive sign that indicates leaders have engaged stakeholders in developing the change process and addressing points of resistance as part of the proposal.
For example, I was responsible for developing and implementing a program for bringing the computerized products of a global security electronics company into Y2K compliance. The stakeholders included a global network of sales representatives and dealers, 25 years of customers, and the internal employees who would be responsible for implementing the changes. Developing the plan involved dozens of meetings with representatives from each stakeholder group. A strategy I used was to compile all stakeholder information into proposals that I would float as trial balloons. The more the stakeholders thought the proposals were finished products, the more heated their feedback.
The process was turbulent and contentious, partly because that was the nature of the culture. I dreaded my presentation of the program to the annual international dealer’s meeting, an event that was typically contentious. I was especially nervous because I watched while executives skillfully deflected continuous questions about Y2K strategy by telling them that I would address it; it was like I was being set up for a verbal lashing from 700 angry dealers and salespeople. I was surprised that I did not receive a single question at the end of my presentation. The lack of questions caused me concern. Taking my seat next to the VP of sales, I said, "they're so quiet are they planning to lynch me?" He responded, "You just showed them how they're going to get rich through this process; their silence reflects their joy."
The key to the successful program launch was that I had identified and dealt with resistance factors before launching the product. Another key to the successful launch and subsequent implementation was that I had approached the Y2K as a marketing issue instead of an engineering and logistics issue. Most of the preliminary concerns had been about the engineering and logistics challenge of making 25 years of complex systems Y2K compliant. I focused first on explaining how Y2K offered an opportunity for dealers to renew financial relationships with 25 years of customers, who were just as anxious about Y2K compliance as they were. I also presented research showing how many of their customers would be more interested in completely updating their security with entirely new systems, not just in updating the old systems. In short, the dealers had been concerned about implementation challenges but left understanding that they faced an opportunity to make money. The ultimate feedback on the program was in the 350% increase in sales activities leading to Y2K.