That's entirely possible, even likely that there will be some resistance to change, particularly if an organization has had previous failed attempts at change. Management haven't changed their focus and haven't started to lead by example. The fact is that resistance to change is entirely natural. We humans like to be in our comfort zone, and moving out of it generates stress, which we wish to avoid. So resistance to change is hardly surprising. And it's a stress avoiding response.

But at the same time, most people want to do the right thing in their work. So when the needs of the business change, then the people working in it need a clear understanding of the way forward and what it will mean for them and for their roles. facing up to the issues and concerns openly is the best way to minimize change. So some of the steps that you can take to dealing with resistance to change include the following. Firstly, you should state the reasons for the change clearly, and explain the facts that lead to it and invite others to support the change also to state their reasons to give a range of views. Secondly, lay out a clear path of what changes are necessary in your organization, and what it will mean for people's roles, jobs, and so on, and what training and support will be put in place for them.

Thirdly, we should be sensitive to people's feelings and be empathetic to the fact that they may be uncomfortable with the changes ahead of them and concerned and unsure about what might happen. And that's entirely natural. Fourthly, we should actively explore the position of others. What is it that they stand to lose? what might they stand to gain? What new opportunities might be presented to help remove their resistance?

This is a bit like looking at the problem from the point of view of difference They called us. And it's the kind of what's in it for me question, what do the people involved in the change stand to lose? Clearly that would cause some problems cause them happiness. And we need to mitigate those effects by putting training in place to give them new skills, and to create new opportunities for people. Fifth, we should involve those affected by the change in developing the plans for the new ways of working. That way, they'll be able to put their views forward, and we'll be able to modify plans in order to accommodate those views.

And finally, we need to approach the resistance with a positive spirit of curiosity, and the desire to help others. We should be flexible to amend our plans to meet others concerns halfway. In summary, then unleashing the power of your people for improvement is about three key things. It's about listening to your people. It's about it Understanding the barriers they face. And it's about providing the skills and support they need to improve things.

And just to add a postscript here, it's true that the people working on the bottleneck steps in the process will have the greatest impact on end to end performance and have the greatest opportunity to make improvements. Nevertheless, it's still important to engage as many people as possible in your improvement activities. The impact of some of those improvements may be fairly minor, but the energy generated by the people working together in teams to address the workplace problems, and the gains made in improving communication and understanding across the organization will make your efforts more than worthwhile.