Reaching Next Level, With Resistance, Part-1

When you suggest anything or as a matter of fact you try to give a proposal or talk it out, one generally observes a Resistance. In other terms people call it Resistance to Change, where there are two type resistances – Rational and Irrational. When I learned this with the mentoring of Eliyahu Goldratt – believe me, it changed my life, it changed the way I used to look at the situations and it changed my perspective towards every situation whether in business or at home or in society or in social circle.

If I say you can overcome the Rational resistance to change, but there has to be a set logical process, which needs to be adopted with complete patience. Never ever try to kill the resistance as it might backfire or shall lead to stop the conversation. One has to also understand that it is important to understand the surrounding of the person who is resisting or might put resistance, in advance.

If you try to kill the rational resistance is like trying to reach the mid of an onion while spoiling the onion completely. If we need to remove resistance in a logical way it is more like “Peeling the Layers of Resistance”. So let us understand that all types of Rational Resistances can be dealt with patience and rational approach by Peeling The Various Layers Of Resistances, whereas Irrational Resistance can be overcome by dealing or breaking the “Psychological Barriers”.

When trying to overcome the Rational Resistance, there are different kind of layers, where possibly not all the layers may exist but if they do, they must be peeled off in a logical sequence. In case we try to peel of the internal layer without first peeling the external one will only intensify the resistance and converge the whole situation dramatically more complex.

Rational Resistance

Layer 1 of Rational Resistance: THERE IS NO PROBLEM: The main reason for this level of initial resistance is that most of the time there is a very big difference between the current situation and the desired situation. The reasons for this reservation may be:

a.???? There is a disagreement about the Desired Situation – the Ultimate Target

b.??? There is a disagreement about the Current Situation

c.???? Most of the time person whom you are suggesting immediately develop a FEAR OF BEING BLAMED??

d.??? If none of above, then consider that there is a FEAR OF THAT CERTAIN CHANGE WHICH IS ABOUT TO BE PROPOSED.

In case the subject agrees that THERE IS A PROBLEM - but subject might say that THE PROBLEM IS DIFFERENT – Subject may say that however I agree that there is a problem and change is required BUT I Have A Different Problem. In case ultimately both parties agrees that there is a problem, and both are addressing the same type of the problem BUT subject might say that I have got a;

Layer 2 of Rational Resistance: Different Direction Of The Solution. This happens because there is a Fear of the certain change which is about to be proposed or there is a belief that there is no better solution or there is a doubt on the benefits of the solution. Once there is logical peeling of above layers of Rational Resistance BUT subject might surface a new layer of problem;

Layer 3 of Rational Resistance: The Solution Does not Address The Whole Problem. This reservation or the layer of resistance may be a Honest Objection or a bait or A Genuine Attempt to Get More. In a scenario subject may agree to the offering, one can hear a new layer of resistance during the journey of discussions –

Layer 4 of Rational Resistance: Yes, BUT The Solution Has Negative Outcomes. We must evaluate instantaneously whether this particular reservation is a Honest Objection or is it once again An Attempt to Get More. All types of resolutions on resistances above? may evolve all sort of agreements on the desired situation but there can still be,

Layer 5 of Rational Resistance: Yes, BUT the Solution has got many Obstacles during Implementation or execution… agreeing on solution does not mean a person has won the discussions, if person has not thought of obstacles which they can have during execution or implementation of the solution, and did prior preparation.

In the end of the discussions and after all agreement or mitigating the rational resistances but if still the subject says no it means person has been either talking to the wrong person or there is an irrational resistance which is generally known as

irrational Resistance / Unverbalized Fear –

Psychological Barrier 1 “Intolerance to ambiguity”, The extent by which the person feels threatened by uncertainty.

Psychological Barrier 2 “Social Pressure” due to Conformity to a group, or Obedience to authority or acting according to a social role.

Psychological Barrier 3 “Individualism” Non-Conformity, which is guarding one’s independence, authenticity or freedom.

Psychological Barrier 4 “Escalation (Sunk Cost) Starting from the “Investing in the current situation” to “A proposed change”, “Realizing the investment was done in vain”, hence the “Resistance to the change is surfaced”.

Psychological Barrier 5 “Sense of Fairness”; “Sometime, Subject feels that you were not fair – hence now is the time to get back to you…”, or “Subject sense that the results are not distributed fairly”.

Doing the advance preparation to address the unspoken reservations is an art which one has to practice and there are logical steps which guide you to be ready for your conversations. Such resistances one person can face in front of their clients, superiors, family, friends and in social circle.