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Concluding Thoughts

14 December, 2015 - 16:34
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Concerning the resistant employee and disagreement in the organization, Champy (1996) states:

A culture that squashes disagreement is a culture doomed to stagnate, because change always begins with disagreement. Besides, disagreement can never be squashed entirely - it gets repressed, to emerge later as a pervasive sense of injustice, followed by apathy, resentment, and even sabotage. (p. 82)

Innovation and change often freeze because principals and other leaders fail to learn from those who disagree with us. WE MUST CHANGE OUR THINKING ABOUT RESISTANCE: it is not only likely to occur but must be viewed as necessary and a positive component of innovation and change. Disagreement and resistance can make a positive contribution to the implementation of programs and ideas in our schools. Maurer (1996), in a book entitled Beyond the Wall of Resistance, reminds us:

Often those who resist have something important to tell us. People resist for what they feel are good reasons. They may see alternatives we never dreamed of (a la "Integrative Thinking," author's note). They may understand problems about the minutiae of implementation that we never see from our lofty perch atop Mount Olympus. (p. 49)

Herein lies the power of including the thoughts of all and the danger of heading off with a small group of like-minded teachers committed to the idea. In my experience with new programs and innovation, rarely has a small, select group of faculty had a significant influence on the resisters and saboteurs. To the contrary, such results have created further resistance between the in-groups and the out-groups.