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=Resistance to Change= A Tutorial prepared by John Rizzo and Julee Henry

The change models discussed in the text //Surviving Change: A Survey of Educational Change Models// discuss ways to help facilitate change in an organization. Many of these models outline steps or methods to assist the change agent in successful modification to the status quo. Whether it is analyzing the environment using Ely's Conditions of Change or measuring stages of concern and levels of use following the CBAM framework the change agent is attempting to prepare a foundation to foster and support change.

Even with the best intentions and close adherence to the guidelines provided by the aforementioned and other change models, it is inevitable that the change agent will be met with resistance. This resistance by the intended adopters, although threatening to the change effort, can provide a change agent with valuable feedback and guidance through the change process. This focus on resistance can provide an opportunity for the change agent to reflect on the innovation and the process and can provide, as Ellsworth states, "...a valuable form of feedback that helps change agents know how they are doing, and how well the intended users see the innovation as fitting their needs."

Two researchers, Gerald Zaltman and Robert Duncan, coauthored a book in 1977 entitled "Strategies for Planned Change" where they looked closely at various types of resistance to change. Specifically they identified eighteen "resistance factors" or barriers to the change process. These categories are: cultural, social, organizational, and psychological. In this tutorial, each of the eighteen resistance factors will be discussed and a reaction to these factors will be provided. Descriptions can be viewed by using the main menu to the left. In addition, two categories contains a small activity to help reinforce the resistance factors in each category.