How do I get a resistant team to actually move on change when I can't bluntly tell them the full stakes?
I manage a team of senior staff (not people managers but still leaders) in an org that's had to make some hard but essential decisions to remain financially viable. They know about the financial position and were consulted on the change plan, but I can't come out and say "if we contunue making a loss as of X date our department will shut down."
Things have improved, but we still have work to do. We're now three months into the change plan. Since then this team pushes back on basically everything. Not just questions, but refusing to come up with solutions and pushing back on implementing decisions that are already made. I've tried being transparent, giving them input into decisions, one on one conversations. It's still happening and I'm struggling. It feels like it's easier for them to sit on the sideline and criticise and not have accountability for decisions we all need to be making together. I've had leadership above me come present and answer questions too. There is a minority of vocal people against, the majority are realistic and ready to get on with it but can be swayed by the vocal people. We have data on industry benchmarks guiding our decisions, so what we are asking is realistic but new to our teams and the org culture.
Anyone dealt with getting a team to move from resistance to action when you can't use the full truth as leverage?
Posted Jul 13, 2026, 10:40 AM UTC