Passive resistance

It is important to take note of proper delegation of authority in managing passive resistance to change.

This is because:

1. Power relations functioning within organisations are generally episodic;

2. Episodic circuits of power are operating under the conditions governed by resource dependency;

3. Situations where resource dependency is prevalent tend to be exacerbated by prohibitive rules (Davenport and Leitch 2005); and,

4. Significant amounts of delegation of authorities could facilitate employees' innovativeness by turning episodic circuits into facilitative circuits of power (Clegg 1989).

Facilitative circuits of power signifies institutions, which aim at facilitating strategic management among stakeholders with different entitlements to power and interests by setting rules that will define (or re-define) relationships among them.

Those rules are usually less rigid and less coercive, rather try to provide significant amounts of autonomy for stakeholders.
This is somewhat overlapping with the concept of "stratigic ambiguity."
Especially in the situation where multiple stakeholders and multiple goals exist, clearly articulated policies or rules tend to be confronted with severe resistance from some of the stakeholders. Therefore, it is a rational strategic option to intentionally leave some ambiguity as a space where stakeholders are allowed to negotiate.

Possible risks attached to facilitative circuits of power, or strategic ambiguity would be that stakeholders, especially those in subordinate positions, suspect increased levels of dominance by authorities. Thus, it is assumed that stakeholders may respond creatively.

I wanted to find out any effective measure to deal with passive resistance to change, and encountered the arguments above.
What I have felt is importance of trust.
Whether managing change, or seeking effective inter-organisational relationship, how to establish collaborative relationships among stakeholders seems critical to success.

It is intersting for me to further investigate what we are actually doing, how we are behaving in our societies, with paying attention not to simply reduce our discursive behaviour.