Employee ‘Resistance’ Wasn’t Just a Trump Phenomenon

As the Biden administration takes shape, the next several months will be a transition not only for new appointees, but for all who work with them. As is true with any changing of the guard, the new administration must anticipate that shifts in programs, work protocols and leadership styles may be met with some resistance.

With a combined 80 years of experience in government administration, consulting and psychological research, we’ve looked at this phenomenon through a behavioral lens based on psychology and neuroscience. Our research shows that initial resistance during government transitions does not typically stem from employees thinking that newly elected leaders are inherently wrong, nor does it result from employees being unreasonable or political. Rather, resistance is a natural response for employees when faced with disruptions to learned routines.

Our research has identified several psychological reasons underlying this resistance. Understanding and addressing how they impact primary aspects of political transitions—programs, protocols, and relationships—can help new government leaders empower employees, minimize fear, and encourage adoption of change.

Changes to Existing Programs

All humans resist, in one way or another, when faced with change to the familiar. This is especially true if we’re not given all the information we need or a personal stake in the change at hand. Lacking a cohesive narrative and clear rationale, our brains innately start to fill in the blanks with assumptions, many of which may be untrue and evoke fear.

So, when incoming appointees make changes to existing programs they must understand the importance of clearly communicating the why—the meaning and purpose of the specific changes being proposed. This is true whether the change is small (e.g., new program software) or sweeping (e.g., new leadership structure). Clearly communicating not only what is changing but also why it is changing will help employees connect the changes to a larger narrative about the overall purpose of the program. And this, in turn, will give them a sense of empowerment by helping them make sense of their role in the change.

Changes to Workplace Protocols

Like most animals, we humans show a clear preference for having the ability to control our environment and to have the freedom to make choices. When we perceive that change is forced on us, our natural reaction is to resist—even when we might otherwise find such change acceptable (or even desirable). So when it comes to something as day to day as our work environment, involving rather than telling employees about pending changes is key.

A timely example is remote work protocols, a new paradigm for many government agencies. Many employees are now happily established in a home office, while others are eager to return to an onsite location once safe to do so. As a result, hybrid working models may emerge, along with new IT and HR protocols to support them. The success of these models may depend on how much leaders involve their employees in decision making, rollouts, and training. (We know, for example, that failure to involve employees in digital transformations helps account for their more than 50% failure rate.)

So, how to involve employees? Leaders should start by clearly communicating the goals and initial proposals and options for workplace changes along with ways for their team to provide input. Using a feedback model to give employees more choice—and then appropriately communicating rollouts and training—can help address the quickly evolving needs of both the workplace overall and the individuals who comprise it.

Changes in Leadership and Reporting Relationships

Transitions of course also bring with them new leaders with their own management styles. And for employees who had grown accustomed to previous appointees, a sense of loss may also result—loss of the tried-and-true ways they had of relating with their previous leadership. Here, communication again is key. In particular, our work with government clients has shown that leaders who prioritize communicating as much as possible about what is changing are far more successful at cultivating strong relationships with employees.

Take a newly appointed leader we recently consulted with, for example. Our client made it clear to us that he was not entirely certain from the outset how to roll out all aspects of his vision for the programs he was charged with. He was inclined to be as transparent with his team as possible, but simply didn’t have all the information to provide up front. We worked with him to identify what was clear, and which parts were still evolving. He then took strides to communicate each aspect proactively with his team as it came into focus, helping to ease transition resistance among his employees and earning trust and respect in the process.

Hany Malik is president and CEO of Suntiva, a business transformation and technology company. He holds an MBA from the State University of New York and a doctorate in Clinical Psychology from the American School of Professional Psychology. 

Mark Day is senior vice president at Suntiva. Previously, he served in senior leadership positions at the General Services Administration, the Housing and Urban Development Department and the Environmental Protection Agency.