Resistance doesn’t necessarily surface in standardized ways. It can be overt,
implicit, immediate, or deferred. It’s easiest for management to deal with
overt and immediate resistance, such as complaints, a work slowdown, or a
strike threat. The greater challenge is managing resistance that is implicit or
deferred. These responses—loss of loyalty or motivation, increased errors or
absenteeism—are more subtle and more difficult to recognize for what they
are. Deferred actions also cloud the link between the change and the reaction
to it and may surface weeks, months, or even years later. Or a single change of
little inherent impact may be the straw that breaks the camel’s back because
resistance to earlier changes has been deferred and stockpiled.