Psychologist Jack W. Brehm introduced the concept of reactance back in 1966, observing that people have an intrinsic drive to retain their freedom of choice. When this freedom is threatened, they experience this motivational arousal to regain it.

His theory has since been applied to understand resistance in various contexts, including organizational change, which has direct implications for software teams more specifically.

“If you want to build a ship, don’t drum up people to collect wood and don’t assign them tasks and work, but rather teach them to long for the endless immensity of the sea.” – Antoine de Saint Exupéry

De Saint-Exupéry’s quote is one of the best examples of how to inspire change without bending the team to your will.

Reactance will often rear its ugly head during periods of transition or when a new system or idea is trying to be implemented.

Imagine a new director comes on board with lots of new ideas. Many times there will be resistance to this change. Not because the ideas are inherently bad, but because of the way it may be implemented.

Rarely does forcing our own ideas on the rest of team work out in our favor.

Think about how hard it is to enforce design systems, standardize javascript frameworks or introduce operating models. It isn’t because any of these things are bad, but the individuals on the team generally have specific ways they like to work. Often this goes against whatever the desired change is.

When new ideas are being introduced, it’s important to be mindful of how changes are communicated and implemented to avoid triggering a reactance response.

By involving the team in the change process and providing clear, compelling reasons for new initiatives, managers can help reduce resistance and foster a more cooperative and productive team environment.