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Employees do resist some changes—but treating resistance as a fixed employee flaw is a poor diagnosis. To understand what is happening, describe the behavior, investigate what the change affects, test objections as information, and adapt the implementation where the evidence supports it. These four steps are a practical synthesis of the sources below, not a validated or universally proven method.
Is resistance to change a myth?
Not exactly. The myth is that resistance is best understood as a psychological problem located in employees. That framing can turn a response to a change into a blame label, while obscuring the organization’s decisions, systems, and implementation choices.
Eric B. Dent and Susan Galloway Goldberg argue that Kurt Lewin introduced resistance as a systems concept—a force affecting managers and employees alike—and that later use increasingly personalized the idea. Their critique is a reason to examine the dynamics behind behavior, not to assume opposition is imaginary or irrelevant. Read the article abstract and citation details.
There is also evidence that resistance can matter over time. In a study of 40 health-care clinics observed during three years of significant organizational change, Stephen L. Jones and Andrew H. Van de Ven reported that resistance had increasingly negative relationships with employee commitment and perceived organizational effectiveness. They also reported that supportive leadership became more impactful in reducing resistance over time. These are findings from that study context, not universal effect sizes. See the study abstract and citation details.
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Why do employees resist change?
There is no single explanation to assume in advance. A person may disagree with the goal, worry about how it will be carried out, see a risk leaders have missed, lack the capability or resources to adapt, or be responding to disruption in their work. Individual attitudes can matter, but they are only one part of the picture.
Paul E. Plsek’s 2018 presentation distinguishes the technical and social sides of change: a technically rational change can fail if its social aspects are handled poorly. He connects engagement with stakeholders’ values and sense of purpose. Read Plsek’s presentation.
A 2001 study by Wayne Bovey and Andrew Hede surveyed 615 respondents across nine organizations. The authors reported that irrational ideas and emotion together explained 44 percent of the variance in respondents’ intentions to resist change. That figure describes variation in stated intentions within the study; it is not the percentage of employees who resist, a measure of actual resistance, or proof that objections are irrational. See the study record.
In a 2026 article, Lorne M. Hartman proposes a framework involving three interacting levels: human cognition, organizational systems, and causal complexity. It offers one way to think about constraints on change, but it is a proposed model, not settled consensus. Read the article page.
How to debunk the myth: four practical steps
1. Describe what is happening before labeling it
Replace “the team is resistant” with a specific account of what you observed. Note who is affected, what they said or did, and when it happens. For example, “Three analysts have raised concerns about the new reporting deadline in both planning meetings” is something you can investigate. “They hate change” is an interpretation.
- Separate observable behavior from your explanation of it.
- Record whether the concern comes from one person, a role, or several groups.
- Look for patterns over time rather than treating one reaction as a settled attitude.
2. Ask what the change touches
Find out which values, responsibilities, routines, or relationships the change affects. Ask employees how it could alter their professional judgment, service quality, workload, or ability to do the job. Also examine organizational processes and dependencies that may make the transition difficult.
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Do not assume every concern is correct, or that an emotional response makes it irrational. First understand the concern well enough to assess it.
3. Test objections as information
Turn a general objection into a question that can be checked. Is there a concrete risk? A missing skill or resource? A mismatch between the plan and day-to-day work? An unintended consequence or implementation obstacle?
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- Ask what would have to be true for the concern to occur.
- Check the relevant process, workload, capability, or dependency.
- Distinguish disagreement with the intended outcome from concern about how the change will be implemented.
This is a practical implication of examining change dynamics and treating resistance as potentially diagnostic; it is not a tested intervention guaranteed to resolve opposition.
4. Adjust the change and follow up
When the evidence points to a real barrier, respond to that barrier. Depending on what you find, clarify the rationale, revise a process, provide support or training, or involve affected people in shaping implementation. Then check whether the original behavior or concern changes.
Listening is not a guarantee of success, and not every requested change will be feasible. The aim is to make decisions using better information and to see whether the response to the change shifts over time. Jones and Van de Ven’s clinic study is consistent with paying attention to leadership and time, but it does not establish that any single listening practice will work everywhere.
Quick Recap
What managers should avoid concluding
- “Resistance is imaginary.” People may oppose a change, and that opposition can be consequential.
- “Every objection is right.” A concern deserves examination, not automatic acceptance.
- “It is all about employee attitude.” Individual responses can interact with systems, implementation, and the effects of change on work.
- “Listening alone will make the change succeed.” Follow-up must address substantiated barriers, and outcomes depend on more than one conversation.
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