What do you do if your team is resistant to change in the workplace?

1 What is motivational interviewing?

Motivational interviewing is a collaborative and respectful way of communicating with people who are ambivalent or reluctant about changing their behavior. It is based on the principles of empathy, autonomy, and evoking change talk. Empathy means that you try to understand and reflect back the person's perspective and feelings, without judging or criticizing them. Autonomy means that you respect the person's right to make their own decisions, without imposing your own agenda or pressure. Evoking change talk means that you ask open-ended questions, affirm strengths, summarize statements, and use reflective listening to draw out the person's own reasons and benefits for change.

2 How can you apply motivational interviewing to your team?

Motivational interviewing can be applied to any situation where you want to help someone move from a state of indecision or resistance to a state of readiness or action, such as when you want to help your team adapt to a new system, adopt a new policy, or learn a new skill. To do so, you should first build rapport and trust with your team members by showing genuine interest and curiosity in their views and experiences. Then, establish a clear and shared goal for the change that you want to achieve with your team. After that, explore the pros and cons of the current situation and the desired change with your team members. Finally, collaborate with your team members to develop a realistic and achievable action plan for the change. By using open-ended questions, affirmations, reflections, summaries, agenda-setting, scaling questions, feedback, decisional balance, values clarification, change rulers, goal-setting, problem-solving and commitment strategies throughout these steps, you can help your team members express their ambivalence and elicit their own arguments for change.

3 What are the benefits of motivational interviewing for your team?

Motivational interviewing can have several benefits for you and your team, such as enhancing engagement and satisfaction, reducing resistance and conflict, and amplifying intrinsic motivation. This can create a positive and supportive environment where team members feel valued and respected. Additionally, it can address and resolve underlying causes of resistance or conflict, such as fear, mistrust, or misunderstanding. This can reduce tension and friction that may hinder the change process. Moreover, motivational interviewing can align the change with team members' values, goals, and interests, boosting their confidence and competence in implementing the change and improving their performance.

4 What are the challenges of motivational interviewing for your team?

Motivational interviewing is not a one-size-fits-all solution for change management. It has its challenges and limitations, such as requiring time and skill to master and practice. You must be patient, flexible, and adaptable to the different needs and preferences of your team members, while also being mindful of your own biases. Additionally, motivational interviewing acknowledges the complexity and uncertainty of human behavior and the change process. You must be comfortable with ambiguity and paradox, as well as aware of the context and culture of your workplace that may facilitate or hinder the change.

5 How can you improve your motivational interviewing skills for your team?

Motivational interviewing is a skill that can be learned and improved with practice and feedback. To enhance your motivational interviewing skills for your team, you should familiarize yourself with the principles, techniques, and processes of motivational interviewing by reading books, articles, or blogs, watching videos or podcasts, or taking online or offline courses. It's also important to apply the skills to your own situations and goals, as well as to your team's. Additionally, you should seek feedback on your skills from others such as team members, peers, mentors, or supervisors. And finally, reflect on your skills and identify your strengths and areas for improvement. Set goals and action plans to improve them with self-evaluation, journaling, or supervision.

6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?