Resistance Management & Employee Adoption Flashcards

What is the recommended FIRST step when managing resistance to change?

Answer: Identify and understand the root causes of the resistance

Effective resistance management begins with diagnosing why individuals or groups are resisting, because the response strategy must address the actual underlying cause.

Active resistance to change is best characterized by:

Answer: Visible behaviors such as voicing objections, organizing opposition, or refusing to participate

Active resistance is overt and observable — employees openly oppose the change through vocal pushback, collective action, or deliberate non-compliance.

What is 'passive resistance' in the context of organizational change?

Answer: Subtly avoiding or delaying compliance while outwardly appearing to accept the change

Passive resistance is covert — employees appear cooperative but slow-walk tasks, omit key actions, or revert to old behaviors when unobserved.

What role do middle managers play in managing employee resistance to change?

Answer: They serve as critical bridges between senior leadership and front-line employees, translating and reinforcing the change

Middle managers are pivotal change intermediaries who communicate vision, address concerns, and model new behaviors for the employees they lead.

The 'incremental change' approach helps reduce resistance primarily because:

Answer: Smaller steps feel less threatening and allow employees to build confidence and momentum gradually

Breaking change into manageable increments reduces the psychological disruption employees experience, lowering resistance by making each transition feel achievable.

Which Prosci model specifically addresses managing individual resistance through the change journey?

Answer: ADKAR Model

The ADKAR model (Awareness, Desire, Knowledge, Ability, Reinforcement) provides a structured framework for diagnosing and addressing resistance at each stage of an individual's change journey.