Addressing Resistance: The Change Agent Perspective

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2024-09-23

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en

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In recent years, management ideas have been at the forefront of both academia and practice. In addition, resistance has been one of the most reasons for failure of implementing management ideas. While existing literature predominantly views resistance to change from a change recipient perspective, this research shifts the focus to a change agent perspective. Hereby, with the use of a sensemaking perspective, this research deepens our understanding of the role of human agency during the implementation of management ideas. By conducting 12 semi-structured interviews with external and internal change agents who have experience in Lean, this research explores how change agents interpret and respond to resistance. The findings of this research identify four key interpretations of change recipients’ behaviour, and outline seven corresponding responses by change agents based on their interpretation. By highlighting how change agents respond to resistance based on their interpretations, this research offers new insights into how resistance can be addressed more effectively during the implementation of management ideas.

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Faculteit der Managementwetenschappen