Resistance Is Fertile Ground for Change
If you're getting a "Yeah . . . but" response resisting your ideas for creating more tech-integrated, networked learning environments in your school, that's actually a good sign, said Will Richardson and Rob Mancabelli (authors of Professional Learning Networks) in their #ISTE11 session.
"Yeah . . . but" means you're in the change mode, said Mancabelli. What you do next determines whether you get to implementation and further. Resistance will most likely crush your momentum if you rely solely on rational appeals for change, they said. The key is combining rational and emotional arguments.
Mancabelli outlined a general framework for making emotional appeals:
- Have a conversation to get to the root of what underlies resistance to change and identify concerns and needs.
- Identify a person of authority who can share his or her change process, why it's been beneficial, and missteps and how to recover.
- Set long-term goals with incremental checkpoints and smaller goals along the way.
- Create a support group for people to tap into when they run into roadblocks.
Attendees volunteered some of the real "Yeah . . . but" conversations happening in their schools. Big obstacles included time, fear, funding, and skepticism.
Mancabelli suggested considering what people are feeling when they say they don't have enough time and what they need to assuage those feelings. Show that you're willing to reallocate resources to support change, he said, noting that it's important to consider opportunity cost when trying something new. Even good ideas can cut into programming and resources elsewhere, so how will the school adjust to minimize the opportunity cost?
To quote Pee Wee Herman, "What's your big (yeah . . . ) but?" Have you combined rational and emotional appeals to push change in your school?
