More Detail on Resistance

"...Resistance is an inseparable aspect of change. This is primarily because people are uncomfortable with the new, the strange and the unknown and they would prefer stability even though progress is never attained by being static..."
David Aninkan, 2018
"...Research findings have revealed that change and innovation fail not because the new strategies, or goals, are inappropriate but rather because organisations are unable to successfully implement them. Capturing the gains from a new strategy for change in process is not simply a function of reallocating resources, providing new technologies, or reorganising units; an effective organisational change journey requires the employees and workgroups to shift the way they do things. In fact, if employees and workgroups do not change their behaviours, implementing a new strategy is often impossible..."
David Aninkan, 2018
NB People differ in their perceptions towards change. Some are active supporters, many sit on the fence, while others actively or passively resist.
However, social systems have a tendency towards maintaining the status quo by resisting change and returning to the initial state.
A general misconception about resistance to change is that it is always negative, ie a large obstacle attaining change objectives
"...Some writers have labelled resistance to change a brick wall and a dangerous road block to transformation, while others see resistance to change as one of the nastiest, most debilitating workplace cancers..."
W. W. Burke as quoted by David Aninkan, 2018
"...Many managers underestimate not only a variety of ways for you to achieve organisational change, but also the way they can positively influence specific individuals and groups during a change..."
John Kotter et al as quoted by David Aninkan, 2018
One of the best ways to overcome resistance is to encourage and maximise stakeholder consultation, participation, etc in all stages of the change process, starting with planning. Linked with this is listening to the resistors as they could be identifying areas that need improving and/or modifying the change process so that is more effective......Organisational chieftains should be open and consultative about change, encourage those who have issues with the change process to come forward and ensure that negative feedback about proposed change programs are evaluated and possibly accommodated, where meaningful..."
David Aninkan, 2018
Resistance can provide regular authentic feedback during the change process.