Name: Understanding resistance to change
Uploaded: 2022-09-23T12:54:48.888Z
Duration: 237.44
Description: Innovation programmes might be faced with resistance and it may not be easy to solve. Mike Hatrick of Volvo Group, Director of IP strategy and Portfolio, in an excerpt from our recent video 'Why corporate innovation fails' explains why there might be resistance across different levels of an organization, and how to use this knowledge to create powerful allies.

Understanding resistance to change.vtt

English

{{00:00:07}}
You can't waste time trying
to change the doubters, the

{{00:00:27}}
people that are resisting.

{{00:00:29}}
And I think, my experience is that
those are often more at the sort

{{00:00:33}}
of management levels because those
people are not necessarily being

{{00:00:39}}
measured by what they innovate.

{{00:00:41}}
They've got different things
that they're being measured on.

{{00:00:43}}
They maybe also find it a bit
unsettling because this isn't something

{{00:00:49}}
they've been asked to do before,
it's out of their comfort zone.

{{00:00:52}}
They maybe even see you as a threat.

{{00:00:55}}
Who's this person who's suddenly been
given all of these permissions and is

{{00:01:00}}
coming and telling me how to do things?

{{00:01:02}}
And that their ideas are better
than mine, or they can get ideas

{{00:01:05}}
from my people where I can't.

{{00:01:07}}
So people will resist either
actively or passively.

{{00:01:11}}
So find the people who really,
really need what you have to offer.

{{00:01:16}}
Here are the people that have the
big problem to solve, the problems

{{00:01:19}}
keeping them awake at night.

{{00:01:21}}
Here are the people on
the burning platform.

{{00:01:22}}
Here are the people who
have some urgency and

{{00:01:26}}
needing something to happen.

{{00:01:29}}
Because there, hopefully,
you can really get an ally.

{{00:01:32}}
Who's kind of almost
desperate for ideas.

{{00:01:33}}
It's somebody who says
help me solve this problem.

{{00:01:36}}
And once you've done that, you have
gained probably a powerful ally on and

{{00:01:40}}
created a great story, that kind of
becomes part of the culture, actually,

{{00:01:46}}
or the mythos in the organization.

{{00:01:48}}
When you start off these innovation
programs, you've probably been

{{00:01:52}}
asked to do it by somebody senior.

{{00:01:55}}
Is that the feeling is that,
okay, the company needs this

{{00:01:58}}
and the company's behind me.

{{00:01:59}}
And what I realized that
well perhaps not everybody's

{{00:02:04}}
entered us as much as I am.

{{00:02:05}}
And in fact, there are some people
who don't even want it at all.

{{00:02:09}}
And, whether they do it
actively or passively, will

{{00:02:12}}
kind of fight against it.

{{00:02:13}}
So, and I don't think it's the
fault of any one level it's

{{00:02:18}}
people acting in different ways.

{{00:02:20}}
So, you know, on this kind of staff
level  I remember in some of the early

{{00:02:26}}
engagements I did with teams and staff,
people would be saying, what you're

{{00:02:30}}
describing is the company I thought
I was joining X number of years ago.

{{00:02:35}}
And this is great, we're ready to go.

{{00:02:39}}
But even those same people
or people together with them

{{00:02:41}}
would be saying things like but
we're not allowed to innovate.

{{00:02:45}}
That's probably not true.

{{00:02:47}}
And I think it's kind of a bit of a
defensive reaction that people are in

{{00:02:52}}
a zone that isn't comfortable for them.

{{00:02:57}}
If you're suddenly, after never being
asked it for years and years, and then

{{00:03:00}}
you're asked, well what's your idea.

{{00:03:01}}
And the one you'd like to
take forward and let's do it.

{{00:03:03}}
That's pretty terrifying
for a lot of people.

{{00:03:06}}
And then on the upper management
level, I talked about it a bit

{{00:03:10}}
earlier on, but of course these people
are typically quite experienced.

{{00:03:14}}
They've been through the ups
and downs of many initiatives

{{00:03:18}}
through their careers.

{{00:03:20}}
I think there are people who think
this is just another initiative it'll

{{00:03:24}}
go away, and they're probably right.

{{00:03:26}}
Because that's what I've been
saying, these things have a

{{00:03:29}}
life cycle and they go away.

{{00:03:31}}
Some of them will fight against it.

{{00:03:34}}
The worst type are the people
who kind of say, it's great

{{00:03:37}}
and play along with it, but you
know, are not really with you.

{{00:03:40}}
And I think be able to spot that and
having that empathy, to see where the

{{00:03:47}}
people who will really help you and the
people that won't help you is critical.

You can't waste time trying
to change the doubters, the

And I think, my experience is that
those are often more at the sort

of management levels because those
people are not necessarily being

They've got different things
that they're being measured on.

They maybe also find it a bit
unsettling because this isn't something

they've been asked to do before,
it's out of their comfort zone.

Who's this person who's suddenly been
given all of these permissions and is

And that their ideas are better
than mine, or they can get ideas

So people will resist either
actively or passively.

So find the people who really,
really need what you have to offer.

Here are the people that have the
big problem to solve, the problems

Here are the people on
the burning platform.

Here are the people who
have some urgency and

Because there, hopefully,
you can really get an ally.

Who's kind of almost
desperate for ideas.

It's somebody who says
help me solve this problem.

And once you've done that, you have
gained probably a powerful ally on and

created a great story, that kind of
becomes part of the culture, actually,

When you start off these innovation
programs, you've probably been

Is that the feeling is that,
okay, the company needs this

And what I realized that
well perhaps not everybody's

And in fact, there are some people
who don't even want it at all.

And, whether they do it
actively or passively, will

So, and I don't think it's the
fault of any one level it's

So, you know, on this kind of staff
level  I remember in some of the early

engagements I did with teams and staff,
people would be saying, what you're

describing is the company I thought
I was joining X number of years ago.

But even those same people
or people together with them

would be saying things like but
we're not allowed to innovate.

And I think it's kind of a bit of a
defensive reaction that people are in

If you're suddenly, after never being
asked it for years and years, and then

And the one you'd like to
take forward and let's do it.

That's pretty terrifying
for a lot of people.

And then on the upper management
level, I talked about it a bit

earlier on, but of course these people
are typically quite experienced.

They've been through the ups
and downs of many initiatives

I think there are people who think
this is just another initiative it'll

Because that's what I've been
saying, these things have a

The worst type are the people
who kind of say, it's great

and play along with it, but you
know, are not really with you.

And I think be able to spot that and
having that empathy, to see where the

people who will really help you and the
people that won't help you is critical.

Expert Insight

Innovation programmes might be faced with resistance and it may not be easy to solve. 
Mike Hatrick of Volvo Group, Director of IP strategy and Portfolio, in an excerpt from our recent video 'Why corporate innovation fails' explains why there might be resistance across different levels of an organization, and how to use this knowledge to create powerful allies.


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Mike Hatrick

Group Director IP Strategy and Portfolio  

Find people who really need what you offer such as people who have problems to solve, need something to happen or people who are on the burning platform. 

Introduction

Reasons for resistance may vary on different levels in the organization.
Either management or staff level, there might be active or passive resistance against change.
Having the empathy to see the people who already help you and who won`t help you is critical. 