Navigating resistance to change
A few years ago, I was guest conducting somewhere for the first time.
I was so excited, because I finally had the opportunity to try out my ideas for improving work culture in a musical organization. I really wanted to make an impact. I wanted to engage with the musicians via an egalitarian approach. I wanted to offer space for them to share their musical ideas. I wanted to ask them what help from me looks like. I wanted to be transparent about my shortcomings and ask them for help. I wanted to introduce tiny elements of coaching into their experience with me.
This was my one chance to usher change for the better in the field! (I’ll admit there was a bit of a scarcity mindset driving the bus there.)
And since I’m an overachiever, I did it all. I tried all the things. I had such high hopes, which came crashing down when my attempt at change didn’t go over well. They didn’t respond enthusiastically as I had imagined they would. They didn’t jump at sharing their thoughts. They generally seemed confused. It left me wondering if they simply didn't like the changes, or perhaps just didn't appreciate me for initiating them. And I’m pretty sure I sabotaged my chances of re-engagement (oops).
I learned the hard way that resistance to change is real in musical organizations. And maybe going in strong is not a great strategy, especially as a guest conductor.
I recently read this article by Arthur Brooks that was exactly what I needed all those years ago. It says:
“Researchers have found that our resistance to change is rooted in at least four sources: routine seeking (a preference for boredom over surprise), emotional reaction to imposed change (stress aversion), a short-term focus (seeing change as a hassle of adjustment), and cognitive rigidity (a reluctance to rethink things).”
Reading this was validating. It made me see how it wasn’t that my desire for change is wrong or unfounded. It wasn’t that I was a bad conductor or leader.
Rather, it was my lack of awareness of these four factors: I broke their routine and surprised them. I inundated them with a lot of change and that made it stressful. The context was short-term because I was there for only a brief time. I underestimated cognitive rigidity and assumed they would welcome the change.
In the future, I can account for these factors when I advocate for change. Here are the four things I would do differently:
Create routines for change. Something like one new thing per rehearsal. This helps maintain a sense of comfort with the ability to predict when the change would happen.
Make change less stressful. One way to do this is to frame change as experiments. It doesn’t feel like a full commitment. And experiments can have a stopping point. This all makes trying the change less stressful.
Bring a long-term context. Even if I’m a guest conductor for a few weeks or a few days, I can frame the change in a long-term context, such as individual well-being and artistic growth, or contributing to a more inclusive workplace.
Expect the resistance. I would expect cognitive rigidity as a default response and not place judgment on that fact. I would point out that change is uncomfortable and that is OK.
Have you ever had an experience like this where your good intentions for change fell flat? How could you have accounted for the factors that make us naturally change resistant?
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