
Someone asked : why do some groups & some people resist change even in situations like the current where doing what one has been told is obvious & critical.
Our hidden biases work like under-cover agents. They make us passively resist change which otherwise appears reasonable. At surface levels they support change but passively resist it.
A failed political party, a candidate overlooked for promotion, a social community with frustrated agenda - all represent actors who could potentially be having conflicting committments.
When people resist change, they are not opposing it logically. They are channelising their energies to further the cause of their hidden 'competing committments'
Don't mistake. It could even be you shoveling the sand against the tide, sometimes. People nurture Competing Committments as 'hidden agenda'.
Robert Kegan says in - 'The Real Reason People Won't Change' - it is not about identifying unproductive behaviours or making plans to correct it. Treating symptoms never cures a disease.It is not coaxing nor cajoling. It is about understanding complexities of people's behaviour, guiding them through a productive process & bringing their competing committments to the surface to help them cope with their inner conflicts.
U r a pro in understanding human dynamics. Thought provoking writeup.
Idiots are damn sure always and intelligent always confused!