In organizational development, as OD practitioners assist their clients with managing change, they almost always find themselves dealing with some form of resistance to change.

Resistance from the organization - Members of the organization undergoing change (e.g. a company merger), may resist the change. For example, if they fear that they will be disturbed or disadvantaged in some way by the outcome of the change, they may oppose the change.

Resistance from the client - The client may resist the change. For example, if he or she feels coerced, or feels personally threatened in some way, the client will be less than enthused about the change.

Resistance from the OD specialist - Even the OD professional may resist change if he or she finds their own personal value system in conflict with the values of the organization.

Dealing with resistance to change involves influencing, often without authority.

External Resources

• http://www.managementhelp.org/org_chng/org_chng.htm
• http://www.wciltd.com/pdfquark/Resistance.pdf
• California Dreaming: an article on Resistance and Goals (http://www.pdgconsult.com/articles/California-Dreaming.php)
• Article: Why Resistance Matters (http://www.beyondresistance.com/htm/popups/why.html)

Also see

• change
• change management
• force field analysis