Utilizing Prosci's Top 10 Tactics for Managing Resistance will help you identify and focus on the correct issues so your teams can successfully navigate change and engage and adopt critical organizational changes. Go through these slides to know more about Prosci's Top 10 Tactics for Managing Resistance.

1. Prosci's Top 10
Tactics for Managing
Resistance to Change

2. 1. Listen and understand
objections
When experiencing resistant behaviours, the first and
most important thing to do is listen to understand the
reasons for the objections. While this sounds like common
sense when juxtaposed against the fast-paced corporate
world, even the most seasoned manager can forget to
listen. Too often, managers and teams bypass each other
in conversation because they're not actively listening and
understanding one another. In Prosci programs, we often
discuss the sender-and-receiver concept because people
listen through their personal filters.

3. 2. Focus on the "what" and
let go of the "how"
"Don't do the change to me—do the change with me!" As
the people manager, we should focus on what needs to
be accomplished and offer the team the opportunity to
provide input on how to accomplish the change. When
you know the end goal, the approach for getting there
can be shared by those proceeding through the change.
We see this when organizations move to a hybrid work
environment. Organizations that transition quickly are
encouraging people to share input on how to proceed
forward.

4. 3. Remove barriers
As a people manager, you understand where your team
members' resistance points reside. Perhaps they are
related to job motivation, job security, career progression
and personal commitments.
Consider, for example, an organization that just switched
out everyone's laptops. A team member now finds doing
their work uncomfortable, so they don't want to finish it.
That's a physical barrier. And employees may not feel like
they should have to tell you that. When people managers
come up against this kind of resistant behaviour, they can
probe to understand and help employees address what's
holding them back from adopting the change.

5. 4. Provide simple,
clear choices and
consequences
In some cases, a people manager must be direct by
saying, "I understand that you may not be interested in
participating in this change, but the team will follow this
new process as explained by our Awareness campaign. If
you don't choose to adopt the new changes, X will be the
result." The key is to provide choices in a clear and
straightforward manner, and include any consequences
of their decisions.

6. 5. Create
hope
Creating hope focuses on the
future state. What's on the other
side of adopting and using the
change? What is the opportunity
associated with it? Having a
well-constructed "why" helps
with creating hope.
Think through this template: "If
we just do X, we will be able to do
Y."
For example, "By completing this
digital transformation initiative,
we will achieve greater
collaboration to serve our clients
and reduce the time spent on
administrative tasks." People
managers can create Desire for
the change by sharing their
authentic passion through
creating excitement and
enthusiasm.

7. 6. Show the benefits
in a real and tangible
way
People can have a hard time envisioning the future state
of a change. We like to say that the current state is rooted
in emotion, but the future state is rooted in analytics. In
other words, when a person has never done something
before, you can show them through data and evidence
that they're going to get there.
For example, consider sharing case studies or information
explaining how others have navigated the change and
how things have been better because of it. This tactic is
an excellent way for a people manager to cool down
resistant behaviours.

8. 7. Make a personal
appeal
Try making a personal appeal to teams with a high
degree of trust and an open relationship. Ask for your
team's support and restate why you believe the change
will benefit the team. To authentically advocate for the
change, ensure that you have worked through your own
Awareness and Desire before starting the team's ADKAR
journey.

9. 8. Convert the
strongest dissenters
The most vigorous dissenters can become your
strongest advocates. Sometimes the natural tendency is
to avoid the strongest dissenters. However, if the
manager can invest in interventions or tactics to convert
dissenters, they might find a strong advocate. Focus on
Awareness and Desire, and articulating what's in it for
them (WIIFM). Listen for the root cause of their resistant
behaviours and solve it from there.
For example, if you're taking away job responsibilities or
changing the compensation structure, those are
challenging changes. What's in it for someone on the
receiving end? Converting the strongest dissenters is all
about the art of an Awareness-and-Desire conversation.
Remember that everyone goes through their ADKAR
journey at their own pace. As the people manager, you
may need to have the conversation a few times. Use
your ability to anticipate the resistant behaviors and
help plan for the strongest dissenters. What can you
have prepared to help them move forward?

10. 9. Demonstrate
Consequences
As a last resort, demonstrating consequences is a viable
form of resistance management. However, use this tactic
with caution. Once employed, the results will become part
of the organizational history that may have cascading
impacts on employee engagement. Consult with HR and
legal before using.

11. 10. Provide
Incentives
In this tactic, people managers can offer
bonuses, extra time off, or the ability to work
from home in exchange for adopting the
change—a little quid pro quo. Sometimes it's
effective and sometimes it's not.
I've seen this work well during an artificial
intelligence transformation initiative. The
company offered a group of exiting
employees a retention bonus to provide
training and coaching to the process
enhancement team. The exiting employees
took the offer and worked tirelessly to make
the transformation a success, even though
the result would be that they would no
longer have a job. When asked why they
were so helpful, they shared that although
they appreciated the bonus, their pride in
their job and gratitude to the company got
them through the change. In addition, they
wanted to end their time there with dignity
and respect.

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