People are resistant to change for two reasons: 1) skepticism that the change will improve things (fear that change will fail) and 2) the threat that the change will endanger their position (fear that change will succeed, but lead to their own failure).
In implementing change within your group, you mustn’t kid yourself. Skeptics can be addressed — partially — by means of education, propaganda, evangelisation. Those who sit on the fence can be brought on side. But those who feel threatened are probably correct in their appraisal of the situation: and represent an internal danger.
Whatever the constitution of your group — if people are not fully on board, if they fail to grasp the vision, then you will fail to implement the change required.
You must therefore act appropriately. How to act appropriately? It begins with the comprehension that these rules of change management operate at a higher level: change is being implemented above you, at a higher level. Change that you are resisting. When you become aware of this, and cease to resist, and get on board with this higher level agenda, you will know what to do.
