For those of us who make a living observing and analyzing the inner workings of hundreds of companies, there isn't a more potent, paradoxical or equal-opportunity killer of progress and good intentions. Resistance to change is an important part of human beings' innate instinct to survive - yet, taken to extremes, it will result in their destruction. Maintaining the right balance is key to any organization's ongoing health and prosperity. Consequently, nothing undermines change like the failure to think through who will have to let go of what.
Fear is palpable in companies pursuing change initiatives.
In breaking through fear-fueled resistance, it's critical to identify who's losing what, anticipate overreaction, acknowledge the losses and give something back. Look for signs of grieving and allow workers to openly vent their anger and frustration. Provide information until it slowly sinks in. Explicitly define what's over and what's not, mark endings and treat the past with respect, symbolically and even literally, by letting people take a piece of the old ways with them. Keep change teams small.