Resistance to Change LO24838

From: Roy Benford (roy@benford.demon.co.uk)
Date: 06/12/00


[Arbitrarily linked to LO24740 in "Resistance to Change" thread. ..host]

Malcolm

I had been following and contributing to the "Resistance to Change" thread
when you posted this question in the "Please say what you want thread".

>What is it about the discussion, learning, and listening process in this
>and other venues that makes it so apparently difficult for people of
>strong opinions to balance inquiry and advocacy? and how may we who hold
>the principle dear foster it in our organizations?

The questions seemed very applicable to resistance to change. So did
Rick's comment about control. My own thinking had been around bounded
rationality, ie that there is a limit to a human's capacity to rationalise
the world. How do we handle exposure of the bounds of our rationality?
Do we maintain an open approach or do we become closed, defensive and try
to maintain control? How do we react to others in this situation, do we
become supportive or do we attack their weakness as a sign of lack of
control?

In a consultancy environment, I have come across a variety of defenses:
rage or the threat of it, the wall of words, "you wouldn't want to hurt
me, would you?", and silence. I have found silence to be the hardest to
manage.

Roy Benford
Fulmer, UK

-- 

"Roy Benford" <roy@benford.demon.co.uk>

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