By Georgie Cooke
You’ve nailed the strategy, your leadership is on board – and yet, momentum fizzles before it ever begins. All too often, change initiatives fail not because the plan is weak, but because human psychology fights back.
Here are the six – very human! – barriers that can prevent people from getting on board with your change initiative, and how HR can tackle each one with techniques from the Inspire phase of the Inspire, Train, Sustain framework for learning that drives change:
1. Status quo bias
The risk: We lean on what we know – even when it’s no longer working.
Fix: Reframe the “old way” and standing still as riskier than the new.
2. Risk aversion
The risk: Change feels unsafe, and we dread loss much more than we crave gain.
Fix: Provide certainty. Use social proof, data, trends, or expert analysis to show that change can, and will, deliver results.
3. Ostrich effect
The risk: Overwhelmed by negative messages, people check out.
Fix: Avoid overload. Make change communications focused, clear, and actionable.
4. Reactance
The risk: When change feels forced, people resist – even by doing nothing.
Fix: Offer choice. Let people decide how and when they engage, which builds ownership.
5. Low salience
The risk: If change isn’t noticeable or relevant, it won’t tap into behaviour.
Fix: Make it visible and meaningful. Connect change to real-world implications people care about.
6. Low motivation
The risk: It’s hard to act on something you don’t value, enjoy, or see the payoff in.
Fix: Build both extrinsic and intrinsic motivation. Kick off change with rewards or recognition – and cultivate satisfaction, mastery, and purpose for the long term.
How to make change happen
HR teams that weave these solutions into early messaging can create real readiness and motivation for change, not just compliance. It doesn’t stop there – you then need to build capability and ensure change sticks.
Dive into the detail of the full Inspire, Train, Sustain framework.
About Georgie Cooke
Georgie is a learning and change strategist with over 14 years’ experience helping businesses turn strategy into action. She’s designed smart, scalable digital solutions for global brands like PepsiCo, John Lewis, Diageo and HSBC, always with a sharp focus on real-world impact.
As Co-founder of Lima Delta, Georgie leads the creation of digital tools, assets and learning experiences that make change stick. Her work is rooted in behavioural science and shaped by a deep understanding of how people learn, adapt and grow, especially in fast-moving organisations.
A regular speaker and coach, Georgie is a Learning Technologies Awards judge and has featured on podcasts including Marketing for Learning, Mind the Skills Gap and People Unboxed. She brings clarity, warmth and insight to every conversation about learning, change and the human side of work.
