Seek first to understand where the resistance is coming from. Then work together to move any barriers. Communicate and involve with them to help them be part of the change, rather than the change happening to them!

Many studies have agreed on 5 triggers of change resistance: - Uncertainty - Fear of failure - Mistrust or lack of confidence - Emotional Response - Time constraints Managers should make sure their efforts to ease the change resistance are tapping on these triggers. Team involvement in the change crafting indeed helps. It ease the uncertainty, fear of failure, emotional response and also time constraints, as they will be involved in proper planning for the change. Mistrust and lack of confidence should be addressed by managers with their teams, thought thoroughly and tackled if possible. By tapping the 5 triggers of change resistance, the team will be better equipped to embrace the culture change they are heading for.

Pushback should be welcomed. If you don't get any pushback, you may have inadvertently created a cult instead of a culture !!!!!!!

Win them over by listening actively, highlighting benefits, involving team members in decisions, providing support through training, and celebrating early adopters' successes. These steps foster engagement and make culture change initiatives more acceptable to your team. 🌟💬

Listen and truly acknowledge the concerns. Be curious! If it is a controllable, fix it. If it’s not a controllable concern, acknowledgement, empathy, and explanation of the overall greater vision and a transparent plan goes such a long way in achieving buy in.

- Active listening to understand their concerns - Address the concerns by showing the value proposition (usually the other side of the coin) - Plan the change in smaller steps where possible. The more little wins you can achieve the more trust worthy you become and the more willing they will be to change - Involve change agents from within their teams (some whom they trust)

It makes me think perhaps the initiatives being used to launch/embed the new culture aren't the right ones for that specific business, there is no one size fits all approach that is successful for Culture change in every business, so ensuring the actual activities including communications are designed intentionally for that specific audience, the change will not happen

Pushback is inevitable—and valuable. Listen with intent to uncover their concerns, involve them in shaping the change, and make the benefits tangible. Show how the culture shift isn’t about losing what works but about removing what doesn’t. When people feel heard and see their input shaping the future, they’ll move from resistance to advocacy.

Change can feel unsettling, especially when people think their emotions are being overlooked. Taking the time to truly understand how your team feels—what excites them, what worries them—creates a foundation for trust. When you address these emotions head-on, you pave the way for genuine buy-in and collaboration.