Watch closely next time a change is announced and you’ll notice that people react in three different ways. The proactive type view change as an opportunity to try news things and make needed improvements. They value innovation and respond positively to difficult situations, collective concerns and personal challenges.

Others are reactive and immediately start working to block the change and protect the status quo. Their survival instincts are strong, and they are quick to feel threatened. These people avoid responsibility and when things go wrong, they shift the blame to someone else.

Most people take an inactive or neutral position as they watch the struggle between the other two forces. These folks sit on the fence until they see evidence that the change is taking shape.

If you truly believe that the change is necessary and worthwhile, then you’ve got to hang in there long enough for the fence sitters to see your resolve and join in supporting the change. That’s why it’s so important for you not to give up at the first sign of resistance.

Managers in general tend to let go of change too soon. Rather than push on, they modify their ambitions, which encourages the resistive folks, disappoints the proactive supporters and tells the inactive fence sitters that their leaders are wimps when it comes to making change happen.

The fear of personal loss forms the basis of most resistance. Change not only threatens what people know it requires them to work in ways they don’t understand. One way to address their fears and align these people with the change is to be alert to simple complaints that voice serious concerns. The following sample expressions are listed under the category that best fits the loss being described.

Loss of identity— expressed by such comments as:

Who am I? What’s wrong with me? Why do I need to change?

Loss of control— captured in such statements as:

I didn’t ask for this— whose idea was this? Doesn’t anyone care about me?

What will they do to me next?

Loss of meaning— characterized by people who ask:

Why is this happening to me? Why was I singled out?

 I’ve been here for 10 years; doesn’t that count?

Loss of belonging— identified by statements like:

Does this mean I’ll be moved? Who will I be working with?

 Why can’t I be with people I know?

Loss of future— employees are known to plead:

Doesn’t my hard work count anymore? Do I have to start over?

How am I supposed to get promoted now?

Resistive employees need to believe that they have some degree of control over their work life. Even though people may not actually lose their jobs, their fear is the same as if they would, and they often react the same way. It’s hard for some people to accept change unless they feel good about their role in it.

To manage a transition successfully, you must learn to recognize resistive behaviors and understand how to make a positive impact on the process of change without losing sight of your role in driving the change.

Armed with this knowledge, you’ll be better able to develop a set of transition strategies that have a three-pronged purpose: (1) to reinforce proactive behaviors, (2) to discontinue resistive practices, and (3) to get the inactive participants to come off the fence and openly support the change.