Is passive resistance the biggest threat to your project?

Change is an inevitable part of project management, but it often comes with resistance. While you might assume you’ll discover what people think of the change you’re implementing, it’s the silence that can be most damaging. Known as passive resistance, this silent rebellion has the ability to significantly undermine your progress, delay any outcomes and reduce your stakeholder buy-in. Unlike active opposition which can show up in the form of vocal criticism or outright refusal to comply, passive resistance is a much more subtle force. It occurs as a result of disengagement, through delayed responses, a quiet air of non-compliance or even a reluctance to fully commit to any transition.

But no-one’s complaining…

It can be difficult to spot because it does not involve any degree of overt objection. However, passive resistance undermines your progress in ways that can often go unnoticed until they begin to have an effect on the timeline and outcomes of your project.

Yet, it is important to identify these behaviours as soon as you can and also to implement strategies to ensure the successful adoption of any change initiatives.

Let’s take a look at the various forms of passive resistance, explore some underlying causes and also present some actionable approaches to overcome this issue.

Recognising passive resistance

It can be particularly challenging to recognise passive resistance because people can appear to be outwardly cooperative while, inwardly, and for the most part silently, they may be opposing the change. However, there are some common behaviours that are a good indication of passive resistance.

Subtle forms of resistance

One of the most common forms of resistance to change is a lack of engagement. Some people, for example, may choose to avoid meetings, they may fail to contribute meaningful feedback and show indifference towards the development of the project.

As a project manager you may also notice that responses to emails or requests for information take longer than they have previously. This can create bottlenecks in your project and is a clear indication that there is passive resistance.

Team members who were happy to take responsibility for tasks within previous projects may now be reluctant to do so as a result of a specific change, preferring to wait for others to act instead. They may not reject the changes outright, instead cling to the old, preferred, methods, tools or processes.

Psychological and organisational influences

If you want to craft effective solutions, then it is important to understand why passive resistance occurs.

A fear of the uncertain is one of the key factors. Employees are often wary when it comes to change as they worry that it may affect their job security, expectations on their performance or simply the dynamic in the workplace. They can also feel as though they have been excluded from important decision-making and this lack of ownership can result in them disengaging from the entire process.

Impact of passive resistance on projects

When passive resistance goes unchecked, it has the power to derail the momentum of your project in a number of ways.

Project delays

These occur when stakeholders fail to engage and when they do not provide timely responses, resulting in the timelines of the project suffering.

Reduced team morale

Those team members who may have been enthusiastic can become discouraged if they perceive that other members of the team are subtly resisting.

Lower productivity

When there is a reluctance to embrace the change there is a possibility that this may result in inefficiencies within the team.

Erosion of trust

When project managers fail to address passive resistance there is a high probability that confidence in the management may decline.

Missed innovation opportunities

A resistance to change can all too often prevent an organisation from capitalising on its competitive advantages. These missed innovation opportunities can result in potential loss of future business and may even result in the need to downsize the project team.

What can I do about it?

Communicate well

Clear, two-way communication is vital to dismantle passive resistance. So, explain the reasons behind the change, and encourage open dialogue so people feel able to voice concerns.

Build trust

It is also essential to build trust as resistance can very often occur when there is a lack of control or uncertainty. One way of doing this is to involve those who are most resistant by giving them responsibility in shaping the change process.

A hurdle, but not an insurmountable one

Passive resistance is one of the single most challenging hurdles a project manager can face because it operates quietly and under the surface. It can have an impact on progress before you realise it is even there. But, through a careful focus on communication, and structured accountability with motivational frameworks, passive resistance can be transformed into active participation.