Your company announces a new CRM, a new structure, an AI workflow, and regardless of the potential upside — people are more inclined to roll their eyes, than roll with the change.
People rarely get excited when a change is announced — unless that change involves more change in their pockets.
Behavioural scientists put the very human resistance to change down to loss aversion. We feel a loss more strongly than a gain of the same size.
Researchers have found that a loss is weighted roughly twice as much as an equal gain. That’s why when return to office mandates were landed in employee inboxes — people focused far more of the pain of a new commute and the loss of flexibility than on the joys of being back in person (that sounds sarcastic but there is actually much joy to be derived from in person time).
How to make it sting less
Name the losses out loud. People are counting their loses - and they want them to be acknowledged.
Say what stays the same. Loss is measured against what people have now. The more you can speak to what remains familiar, the smaller the perception of loss.
Make the gain crystal clear: If a loss counts double, a vague benefit won't balance it. Be specific about what's in it for them, not just for the business.
Invite input. A change people help shape feels less like something being taken away.
Change will always sting a little but the above 4 steps can help to make it sting a little less. If you’d like to chat through a change you’re leading, book a free 30 minute consultation and I’ll do my best to help.
Source
Brown, A. L., Imai, T., Vieider, F. M. and Camerer, C. F. (2024). Meta-analysis of Empirical Estimates of Loss Aversion. Journal of Economic Literature, 62(2), 485-516.