Have you heard of the Change Management Rule? My friend and colleague sums it up like this: In every organization, there are Tiggers, Winnie the Poohs, and Eyores.
The Tiggers embrace change and want to be a part of it. They generally make up
about 20% of your staff. The Winnie the Poohs are ambivalent about the change; they can be persuaded to go either way. And finally, the Eyores. They are resistant to change. They say things like, "This will never work; we tried this before and failed," or other negative comments.
DON’T waste your time trying to convert the non-believers. Focus your energy on courting the 50% who are undecided (Pooh's) and encourage the 20% (Tigger's) that’ll help you move the change forward.
Here's why shouldn’t Change managers focus solely on the 30% of resistant stakeholders:
💲 Opportunity Cost: Time and resources spent on resistant stakeholders could be invested in other critical aspects of your change management plan, such as communication, training, stakeholder engagement, and addressing organizational barriers to change. Neglecting these areas in favor of trying to convert resistant stakeholders may hinder overall progress.
😩 Energy Drain: Focusing on resistant stakeholders can drain resources and energy that could be better utilized for engaging and mobilizing your supporters and neutral stakeholders. Focusing on the resistant minority will likely create stress and frustration, leading to burnout.
🔍 Strategic Focus: Adopt a strategic approach that prioritizes the greatest potential for impact and success. This often means focusing on engaging and mobilizing supporters and neutral stakeholders who are more receptive to the change rather than expending excessive effort on resistant individuals who may remain resistant despite interventions.
🔅 Limited Impact: Resistant stakeholders often have deeply held beliefs or concerns that are difficult to address directly. Attempting to change their minds or win them over entirely can be a time-consuming and challenging process with uncertain outcomes. It is more productive to focus on mitigating their impact and finding ways to work around their resistance.
In summary, while it's important to address resistance within an organization, change managers should avoid fixating on resistant stakeholders at the expense of other critical aspects of change management. Balancing efforts across different stakeholder groups and strategic priorities is key to achieving successful change outcomes.
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