Taking Advantage of Resistance to Change

Taking Advantage of Resistance to Change (and the TOC Thinking Processes) to Improve Improvements (Part 8)

Summary – Layers of Resistance and Thinking Process tools to deal with them

What to change?

The Core Conflict Cloud Process and Current Reality Tree link diverse undesirable effects to root causes or conflicts that are the most efficient/effective things to attack. What to change becomes the logically demonstrated and agreed upon source of problems. (Layer 1)

To what to change to?

The Evaporating Cloud identifies an out-of-the-box starting point – a direction for the solution (Layer 2). The Future Reality Tree fleshes out the complete solution – the complete strategy for turning the collection of local undesirable effects into desirable outcomes (Layer 3). Finally, the Negative Branch Reservation completes that strategy/vision by adding things needed to avoid unintended negative consequences (Layer 4).

How to make the change happen?

The Prerequisite Tree turns obstacles into an implementation plan so that ambitious outcomes can be achieved. The building of a plan as a group, based on individual input of foreseen obstacles, allows the team to become synchronized in its understanding of the task ahead of them and how their parts fit in to the whole. The Transition Tree (when necessary) gets into deeper levels of detail for paths of action, relating them to expected outcomes along the way (Layer 5).

The TOC Thinking Processes, addressing the six layers of resistance, help link the three questions into a seamless process to assure complete construction, coherent communication and collaborative co-ownership for truly meaningful and powerful improvements.

This article was originally presented at and included in the proceedings of the Institute of Industrial Engineers (IIE) Solutions Conference (Dallas, May, 2001) by Francis S. "Frank" Patrick of Focused Performance. It is broken down here into sections for ease of reading on-line. For off-line reading and sharing, it can be downloaded in Adobe Acrobat (pdf) format at resistancetext.pdf. The associated presentation handout can also be downloaded at resistanceslides.pdf.

Part 1 -- Abstract, Introduction, and Underlying Concepts of the TOC Thinking Processes

Part 2 -- Layer 1 -- Lack of agreement on the problem
-- The Core Conflict Cloud (CCC) and the Current Reality Tree (CRT)

Part 3 -- Layer 2 -- Lack of direction for a solution
-- Evaporating the Core Conflict Cloud

Part 4 -- Layer 3 -- Lack of agreement that the solution will truly address the problem
-- The Future Reality Tree (FRT)

Part 5 -- Layer 4 -- Concern that the solution will lead to new undesirable side effects
-- The Negative Branch Reservation (NBR)

Part 6 -- Layer 5 -- Lack of a clear path around obstacles to the solution
-- The Prerequisite Tree (PRT) and Transition Tree (TT)

Part 7 -- Layer 6 -- Lack of follow-through even after agreement to proceed with the solution
-- Unverbalized fear or concerns

Part 8 --Summary -- Layers of Resistance and Thinking Process tools to deal with them
-- What to change?
-- To what to change to?
-- How to make the change happen?