Resistance or Reluctance; They're not the same!

It’s not so much what we know or even what we know we don’t know that interferes with change albeit personal, professional or organizational.  Rather, it is what we don’t know that we don’t know that more often or not prevents the greatest challenges to change and the change process.

Recently, a colleague and I were “thinking through” several obstacles presently in the way of change.  In this particular incident the change needed is a significant shift in the way we approach college advisement and the college admission process especially for historically underrepresented or marginalized groups of students.  Though no “clear” answer was agreed upon an understanding of a change process illuminated several deliberate steps we need to take to increase the likelihood of a shift.

Tremendous effort has been expended to understand change with the best hopes of bringing it about efficiently and effectively.  Change and the change experience are argued with the best intentions – linear versus nonlinear, logical versus illogical, concrete versus random, orderly versus chaotic and so on.  Suffice; change and the change process may be likened to describing “good” weather – it all depends on the individual.

We do know change and the change process are often messy, complex, and tainted with conflict. We all have experienced mandated change and heard or read all the reasons, rationales, explanations, and excuses accompanying the “why” of change.

Over the next couple of weeks – leading up to the New Year when “change” is in the air and often vogue to discuss and commit to, I will share some thoughts from “this is what I’ve learned” category with respect to change and the change process.

Back to the colleague and my conversation - The change process we discussed was first introduced to me in the mid-1990’s by a consultant working with our organization.  The underpinnings for this particular process are a combination of a number of theories about human learning, motivation, control, and change.

Not to over simplify but I’ve come to experience any change as akin to a mathematical inequality - a mathematical expression that shows that two quantities are not equal.  The goal or aim of an inequality is to make both sides equal to one another.

On one side of the change equation is the need to change and on the other exists the need not to change.  Teetering on the obvious.  The need not to change is often referred to as resistance to change.  We all know what resistance looks like, feels like, and sounds like. The landscape is replete with examples of “change” battles won and lost.  In the end, a lot of damage and disappointment not to mention disillusionment, distrust, and cynicism.

I’ve learned that resistance is more often or not reluctance.  The two are generally seen as the same but are not.  Misidentified or misunderstood, resistance and reluctance are often treated the same. 

Big mistake!

Where resistance is blocking, opposing, challenging, obstructing – some may call it “digging in your heels”; reluctance is more about a need to process, connect dots, accept uncertainty, take risk, or suspend fear of failure.  In fact, reluctance is where we accept, embrace, and practice “questions are our friends not our enemy” mindset.  Providing and giving clarification constantly and consistently goes a long way with addressing reluctance.  I don’t want to get ahead of myself.  Before we get to reluctance and resistance there is a lot of work that must be done.

Let me go so far as to say that resistance and reluctance are on one side of the equation and must be balanced to ensure that change and the change process has the best opportunity for success.   

Next week, one of the three factors, dissatisfaction will be explored.