Understanding The Psychology Of Change Management

I keep returning to Damon Centola’s research on how #change spreads. Not because it’s clever. Because it’s true. Centola found that change doesn’t move like information. You can’t push it through announcements or clever messaging. It spreads through behavior, #trust, and networks. He calls it complex contagion, and it tracks with what I see inside organizations every day. People don’t change because someone at the top says so. They change when they see people they trust doing something new. Then they see it again. Then maybe one more time. That’s when it starts to feel real. That’s when it moves. Here’s what Centola’s research shows actually makes change stick: - Multiple exposures. Once isn’t enough. People need to encounter the new behavior several times from different people. - Trusted messengers. It’s not about role or rank. It’s about credibility in the day-to-day. - Strong ties. Close, high-trust relationships are where change actually moves. - Visible behavior. People need to see it being done, not just hear about it. - Reinforcement over time. Real change takes repetition. One wave won’t do it. This flips most #ChangeManagement upside down. It’s not about the rollout or coms plan. It’s about reinforcing new behaviors inside the real social structure of the organization. So, if you are a part of change, ask your team and self: 1. Who are the people others watch? 2. Where are the trusted connections? 3. Is the behavior visible and repeated? 4. Are you designing for reinforcement or just awareness? Change isn’t a #communication problem. It’s a network pattern. That’s the shift. That’s the work. And that’s what I help teams build.

Change doesn’t happen because you said so. Or because you hit ,Send'. One of the biggest traps leaders fall into is thinking that flooding inboxes with updates and memos will magically remove resistance. It doesn’t. Instead, teams disengage, leaders get blamed for “poor change management,” and transformation stalls before it even begins. 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗶𝘀𝗻’𝘁 𝗮 𝗯𝗿𝗼𝗮𝗱𝗰𝗮𝘀𝘁. 𝗜𝘁’𝘀 𝗮 𝗻𝗲𝗴𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻. If you don’t build emotional milestones alongside project milestones, even the best plan will fail. 🔴 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗠𝘆𝘁𝗵 𝗼𝗳 “𝗠𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻” 𝙑𝙤𝙡𝙪𝙢𝙚 𝙞𝙨𝙣’𝙩 𝙚𝙣𝙜𝙖𝙜𝙚𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩. Resistance isn’t caused by a lack of bullet points. It’s driven by fear, loss of control, and distrust. 𝙎𝙞𝙡𝙚𝙣𝙘𝙚 𝙜𝙧𝙤𝙬𝙨 𝙡𝙤𝙪𝙙𝙚𝙧. When communication feels transactional, people quietly check out. Gallup found only 13% of employees think leaders communicate well during change. That’s how resistance goes underground and derails progress. 🔴 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲 𝗜𝘀𝗻’𝘁 𝗮 𝗠𝗼𝗻𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗴𝘂𝗲 You can’t email your way through resistance. You shift it by having real conversations that acknowledge emotions and invite people to help shape the path forward. 🔴 𝗘𝗺𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗠𝗶𝗹𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗻𝗲𝘀 𝗠𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝙁𝙚𝙖𝙧 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙪𝙣𝙘𝙚𝙧𝙩𝙖𝙞𝙣𝙩𝙮 trigger stress and shut down good decision-making. You can defuse it: 𝗡𝗮𝗺𝗲 𝗶𝘁. - “This shift is hard, and it’s okay to feel uneasy. Let’s talk about it.” 𝗠𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗶𝘁 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹. - Answer, “What’s in this for me?” 𝗦𝘁𝗼𝗽 𝗕𝗿𝗼𝗮𝗱𝗰𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴. 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝗙𝗮𝗰𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴. 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗱𝗲 𝘂𝗽𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗲𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗱𝗶𝗮𝗹𝗼𝗴𝘂𝗲. - Run “Why?” sessions where teams can question and influence the plan. - Equip managers to handle tough conversations with empathy. Use peer influence. Trusted colleagues are often the most credible messengers. 🟢 Mindsets Over Metrics 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗷𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝗺𝗶𝗹𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗻𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝘁𝗮𝘀𝗸𝘀. 𝗘𝗺𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗺𝗶𝗹𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗻𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝘁𝗿𝘂𝘀𝘁. 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝗯𝗼𝘁𝗵. ✅ 𝗖𝗼-𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝘂𝗿𝗽𝗼𝘀𝗲. Bring employees into defining why the change matters. ✅ 𝗔𝘀𝗸 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗶𝗻𝗽𝘂𝘁, 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻. Use surveys and Q&As to create real conversations. ✅ 𝗖𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗯𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗱𝘀𝗲𝘁 𝘄𝗶𝗻𝘀. When teams adopt new ways without pressure, spotlight it. 𝗦𝘁𝗼𝗽 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝘁 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲. 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝗻𝗲𝗴𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺. Because people don’t resist change. They resist being changed. 𝘏𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘢 𝘣𝘳𝘰𝘢𝘥𝘤𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘢 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯? ----- 👋 I’m Lars – delivering transformation that sticks. 🔔 Follow me for more on fractional leadership and change management.

"If you have to force change, you've already failed." This became painfully clear when I learned why the majority of organizational transformations collapse… Last week, in a workshop with Tamsen Webster, MA, MBA, I learned a term that fundamentally altered how I view organizational psychology: Reactance. I now call it "The Corporate Immune System" - and it's quietly destroying your change initiatives. Here's the counterintuitive truth most leaders miss: The harder you push for change, the stronger the organizational antibodies become against it. Consider this paradox: When you mandate transformation, you simultaneously create its greatest obstacle. When you force evolution, you guarantee devolution. When you demand innovation, you breed stagnation. HARD TRUTH: Your brain has a freedom detector. And when it senses a threat, it doesn't just resist - it architects elaborate systems of opposition. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝗰𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗦𝘂𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗳𝘂𝗹 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲: 1. The Autonomy Principle "Don't push the boulder. Build the slope." * Every forced change creates an equal and opposite resistance * The energy you spend overcoming resistance could have been spent creating momentum * Psychological safety isn't a buzzword - it's the foundation of transformation 𝟮. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗣𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗽𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗣𝗮𝗿𝗮𝗱𝗼𝘅 "𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗹𝗼𝘄𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝘄𝗮𝘆 𝘁𝗼 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗰𝗲 𝗶𝘁" * Speed of implementation ≠ Speed of integration * Involvement beats compliance by a factor of 4 * The time you "waste" in collaboration is recovered tenfold in execution 𝟯. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 𝗟𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝗣𝗼𝗶𝗻𝘁 "𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲 𝗵𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗲𝗻𝘀 𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗿𝘂𝘀𝘁, 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝗼𝗳 𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗰𝗲" * Trust is the hidden multiplier in all transformation equations * Authority can mandate behavior but never belief * The best change strategies make resistance harder than adoption Here's what the research shows: * 70% of change programs fail to meet their objectives (McKinsey) * Projects with excellent change management are 6x more likely to succeed (Prosci) * Organizations with effective change management practices report 143% higher ROI compared to those with minimal change management (Prosci) Intellectual humility moment: I had to unlearn a decade of "best practices" to understand this fundamental truth - the most effective change feels chosen, not imposed. What conventional wisdom about change leadership do you need to unlearn? #OrganizationalPsychology #ChangeManagement #LeadershipScience Tamsen Webster - Your reactance framework revolutionized my approach to change.

Change isn’t just about strategy—it’s about people. Yet too often, leaders roll out new initiatives, restructure teams, or shift priorities without providing the necessary context, expectations, or support. The result? Confusion, frustration, and resistance. When change lacks clarity, it also lacks two key emotional intelligence competencies: 💡Empathy (Social Awareness): Leaders who don’t anticipate how change impacts their people miss the opportunity to address concerns proactively. Without empathy, employees feel unseen and unheard. 💡Relationship Management: Change requires trust, communication, and alignment. Without clarity, teams struggle to stay engaged, morale dips, and trust erodes. You know what else happens? Key contributors lose confidence when they no longer feel competent in their roles. People don’t resist change—they resist uncertainty. And uncertainty thrives in the absence of clear, emotionally intelligent leadership. And emotionally intelligent leadership lowers the threat threshold of their team. Before implementing change, ask: ✅ Have I clearly explained why this change is happening? ✅ Have I acknowledged the emotional impact on my team? ✅ Have I created space for questions and dialogue? ✅ Have I prepared proper training to support my team? Emotional intelligence isn’t just about staying calm—it’s about leading with clarity, connection, and care. Because when people feel informed and considered, they don’t just endure change—they help drive it. How have you seen EQ (or the lack of it) impact organizational change? Let’s discuss. ⬇️ #emotionalIntelligent #changeManagement

Change is never just strategic—it’s deeply psychological. During transformation, the biggest risk isn’t resistance. It’s silence. Silence means people don’t feel safe to speak up. And without psychological safety, ❌ Ideas disappear. ❌ Mistakes go unreported. ❌ Trust quietly erodes. That’s why high-trust cultures don’t happen by accident. They’re intentionally built—especially during change. Here’s a framework I use to help organizations foster psychological safety during transitions: 🔹 S — Speak Up Create a culture where people can share concerns or ideas without fear of being shut down. 🔹 A — Acknowledge Emotion Validate that change brings uncertainty. Don’t power through discomfort—address it. 🔹 F — Follow Through Keep your word. Psychological safety collapses when promises aren’t kept. 🔹 E — Encourage Learning Reward experimentation. Normalize failure as part of growth—especially during change. Leaders set the tone. If you want your people to lean in, not check out—start with SAFE. If you're navigating transformations and want to build a culture of trust that lasts, DM me “TRANSFORM”. Let's transform the way your organization leads through change.