TPC Analysis seeks to identify, label, and understand sources of resistance as Technical (sunk costs, lack of skills, and lack of critical resources), Political (issues of power and authority), or Cultural (norms, mindsets, and habits). Building on the Key Component Map Template and the Attitude Chart Template, this tool helps the team more clearly understand the nature of the resistance they are likely to face and begin to develop a strategy to eliminate or lessen it.

We often assume that once we have discovered a given population regarding the attitude toward change that it currently exhibits, we are ready to develop an effective strategy to win their support. Yet too often our analysis of reason is superficial or inaccurate. This tool allows the team to fully understand the nature of the resistance and the specific strategy to use to influence and gain support.

Steps used to perform the TPS analysis

1. Select one of the groups affected by the change initiative from the pie chart analysis conducted during the Stakeholder Analysis, Key Components Map, or Attitude Chart.

2. Ask team members to list all the reasons this population resists the change initiative, and then proceed to contain each of the three source areas.

3. Assign a percentage to each of the three areas (example: a team may decide that only 20% of the resistance is truly technical and the remaining 80% split into 60% political and 20% cultural). This analysis should inform the team’s strategy, regarding how to apply influence pressure to win support (example: don’t waste valuable time trying to argue the virtues of the project on technical grounds if 60% of the resistance comes from politics company or cultural norms). ).

4. At a minimum, the team should be able to agree on the nature of the resistance and what it will take to frame the need for change with this perspective in mind.

5. OPTIONAL: Use this tool to understand the nature of the resistance the team is facing from specific individuals within a population, and help the team develop tailored proposals for each individual’s identified need for change based on their concerns or problems.

Although generally used early in the change initiative cycle, this tool can and should be used whenever a new source of resistance is identified. Even during the final stages, resistance should be expected. This tool can save the team valuable time in understanding the nature of resistance.

Teams sometimes have difficulty distinguishing between the three forms of resistance. It is important that teams discuss each type of resistance before proceeding with the analysis so that all team members use the same definition of what each type means. Then, get general agreement on which of the three resistance categories is most likely to drive the resistance the team is facing, which will help the team target their resources and energy accordingly.