"Natural Resistance"
By Michelle James
Creativity, by its nature, births into the world something new.
It is a naturally transformative force. A process that has the
potential to unleash real creativity into a system, which results
in real change, will likely meet up with natural resistance somewhere
along the way. There is something organic happening that goes
beyond "fear of risk taking." That's why simply talking about
risk taking doesn't make people risk-takers. There is a readying
process — a preparing of a system — for change that helps it go
more smoothly.
Natural resistance is an organic force found throughout nature’s
own creative process. It serves as the organism's protection until
the critical moment it outgrows its purpose. The bud’s resistance
to the bloom is felt most profoundly at the critical point just
before the flower is about to blossom — that’s when the bloom
feels the most resistance of the bud up against it. The resistance
of the shell to the chick is felt more profoundly as the chick
is about to hatch — the chick has to break through the resistance
of the shell to be born into the world.
In nature, there is an embedded dynamic trajectory, or life energy,
that helps the process. At the moment of birth, the chick’s momentum
to be born is stronger than the shell’s programming to protect.
Resistance becomes no match for the life that is bursting forth.
A similar resistance shows up in individuals, groups and organizational
systems as they seek to birth a new vision, product, strategy,
service or working paradigm. The following are three of the many
ways to navigate the terrain of natural resistance — preparing
the system for change:
- Discover the dynamic trajectory — the passion, mission, purpose,
intention, enthusiasm, life energy, motivating directive — that
is strong enough to move through the accompanying resistance... and
work from that dynamic momentum. Every person, team and organization
has an embedded collective intelligence that forms its co-creative
potential. Putting that into motion is a powerful, generative
force that enables change.
- Recognize and acknowledge natural resistance as
it shows up. Just as the bud is pliable and the egg is breakthrough-able,
natural resistance is ultimately maneuverable. It has a quality of mutability
no matter how much push-back it wields at first. By acknowledging
resistance as a part of the process, without judgment, people
feel safer and less guarded, and it loses much of its power.
- Practice the non-habitual... habitually. By consistently applying
innovative techniques that challenge people to think and act in
unfamiliar ways as part of the cultural norm, natural resistance
to change measurably reduces over time. •
© 2006 Michelle James
 About the Author | More by Michelle James
Michelle James, CEO of the Center for Creative Emergence, is a creativity catalyst, consultant and coach to individuals and organizations. Along with designing and facilitating corporate and public creativity programs internationally, Michelle is a performer of improvised plays, an artist, and founder of the Capitol Creativity Network in Washington, DC.
06/02/06
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