Heuristics

Treat Resistance as a Valuable Signal

Authors: Paul Rayner, Andrew Harmel-Law, Kenny Schwegler, Andrea Magnorsky

Submitter: Paul Rayner

How should we react when team members push back against a proposed design or practice change?

View resistance not as an obstacle to overcome, but as a resource providing critical information. Instead of pushing back harder, investigate the source of the resistance to understand underlying concerns, threats, or misunderstandings. This exploration is key to finding a viable path forward together.

Examples

When a team is reluctant to adopt a new technique, do not just insist on its value. Instead, ask why they are pushing back to uncover if they feel threatened, do not understand, or have a valid alternative perspective.

 

Tags

Follow us

Read our latest news from Virtual DDD on any of these social networks!

Recent heuristics

Discussed content

The Hidden Weight of Rank: How Well-Intended Improvement Sessions can Drive Teammates Away