Most of us don't deal well with the unknown. The unknown is scary, it makes us feel out of control, insecure, and generally as if we would like to go to bed, pull the covers up over our head, and stick our thumb in our mouth. And while you may not be seeing many employees literally walking around with their thumbs in their mouths, you are probably seeing them do so figuratively. In their effort to hang on to the status quo, and retain some feeling of control, employees will resist change in a variety of ways. Overt vs. Covert Resistance Resistance can be overt or covert.
Overt resistance is out there for everyone to see and hear.
It may come in the form of questioning the need for the change, challenging the data you put forward to support the change, protesting assignment to the project, or, if it is coming from your management, outright refusal to fund the project. Covert resistance, on the other hand, will probably be camouflaged by so many layers of masking behavior that you wonder if you're losing your mind. You outline the project. You involve the staff in the design. You communicate the objective often.