Dealing with Detractors: Inspire, Don’t Intimidate

Successfully managing cultural resistance doesn’t require removing people. In fact, exercising authority should be your last resort, not your first move. Instead, anticipate resistance and incorporate it into your strategy for execution. Some departments may not respond to inspirational speeches or leadership appeals—especially if they’ve seen leaders come and go. But they may start to take notice when a peer department receives greater funding, public recognition, or leadership support for demonstrating model behaviors that align with the culture shift.

Reframe Change as Empowerment, Not Leadership-Driven Mandates

Many initiatives are framed as “coming from leadership,” but civil servants understand that leadership changes frequently. To build lasting buy-in, anchor change in employee empowerment, not leadership authority. Make the case that embracing new approaches—like data-driven decision-making or service design—is about making programs easier to implement, adapt, and defend regardless of who’s in charge. Point to real examples from other jurisdictions—especially in public health, policing, or housing—where frontline insights helped redesign systems for greater effectiveness.

Make Change Feel Co-Owned

Employees are far more likely to embrace change when they feel like drivers, not passengers. Avoid sweeping reorganizations or parachuting in an entirely new team at the outset. Instead, identify and uplift existing pockets of excellence—teams or individuals already modeling the desired culture—and use them to demonstrate what's possible. Strategically bring in fresh perspectives where progress has stalled, but always integrate them respectfully into the existing culture.

Lead with Positive Reinforcement

Change sticks when it’s reinforced positively. Publicly celebrate examples of progress, encourage peer-to-peer recognition, and create visible rewards for the behaviors you want to scale. Avoid relying on criticism, which can entrench resistance. Aim to inspire, not intimidate.

At the same time, be realistic: team-building activities alone do not equal transformation. Sustainable cultural change comes from aligning incentives, systems, behaviors, and storytelling—not just workshops or retreats.

Finally, if after repeated, good-faith efforts to engage a detractor they remain unwilling to adapt, it may be time to help them transition out of the role or organization. Change requires persistence, not perfection—but it also requires the right people in the right seats.