Resistance from stakeholders doesn’t have to stall progress. By using these targeted strategies, HR can help turn opposition into collaboration.

Managing stakeholder resistance can be one of the most challenging aspects of HR’s job, but is also a crucial skill for driving meaningful change. 

Stakeholders come with varying perspectives, priorities and concerns, and when these are in conflict with HR’s goals, it can feel like an uphill battle to get initiatives over the line. 

However, applying a strategic approach to these conversations can help HR turn resistance into a platform for constructive dialogue. Often, this is as simple as reframing your perspective going into the discussion, says Johanna Kerrigan, Director at human performance consultancy Be Learning and facilitator of AHRI’s new short course Introduction to Overcoming Stakeholder Resistance.

“We might be telling ourselves this person’s just a pain in the neck, which isn’t useful. It might just be that they’re doing their job, or they’re pushing back [because] they’re seeing risk. So it’s about reframing our thinking, understanding people’s preferences and where they’re coming from, and [thinking about] where we can minimise the differences.”

Below, Kerrigan shares three tips for managing pushback from stakeholders and working towards a mutually beneficial outcome.

1. Separate fact from perception

Before meeting with stakeholders, HR practitioners first need to reflect on how their own mindset and perspectives might shape the discussion. 

One way to do this is by consciously confronting the narrative in your head about the person or group you are dealing with. In her work with HR practitioners, Kerrigan encourages them to write down these feelings and decide which of them are perceptions, and which are facts.

“What are you telling yourself about the situation or the person? [And] what can you say is a concrete, measurable, evidence-based observation?” she says.

She offers an example of a practitioner she worked with who felt he was being sabotaged by a resistant stakeholder. 

“He was an executive in a company, and he had been at loggerheads with someone within their risk department on a project. It had been three months… and [the executive felt] that this guy was being intentionally obstructionist because he didn’t like him.”

After taking the time to consciously unpack this narrative and determine which parts of it were substantiated and which were perceived, the executive’s perspective changed drastically.

“He was able to say, ‘His job is risk [management], and he does have to protect the business – so I guess he is just doing his job.’ It was purely that realisation that made him reframe his thinking. Is it a fact that this guy doesn’t like you? No. That’s how you feel. But there’s no evidence for that, so let that go.”

Shortly afterwards, armed with this knowledge, the executive was able to have a more productive discussion with his colleague and get his idea over the line. 

Taking this approach as a first step allows HR to mitigate stakeholder resistance before even sitting down at the negotiating table.

“It’s about reframing our thinking, understanding people’s preferences and where they’re coming from, and [thinking about] where we can minimise the differences.” – Johanna Kerrigan, Director, Be Learning

2. Tailor your pitch

Managing stakeholder resistance becomes much more complicated for HR when multiple stakeholders are involved, creating the need for tailored messaging depending on the individual’s priorities, motivations and preferred communication style.

A good way to approach this is to consider the stakeholder’s position within the business and determine the key information that applies to their role and priorities.

Some stakeholders who are particularly profit or strategy-driven have a tendency to dismiss HR strategies as “fluff” unless they can connect almost everything they’re hearing to business objectives, says Kerrigan. 

“What we sometimes do is give them too much [information]. We give a long HR blurb without packaging it in a way that stakeholders are going to really know what it means for them. 

“[They might be thinking], is it going to save me time? Is it going to save me money? Is it going to make me money? Is it going to make me look good or feel good? It’s about filtering out information and adapting the messaging to suit them.”

This approach not only helps overcome resistance and get ideas over the line, but also builds HR’s credibility within the business as a trusted strategic partner that understands and aligns with its overall goals.

Consider creating personas for your key stakeholders to help you determine their motivators. You can use this template to get you started.

3. Use the AAA framework to structure the discussion

Key to understanding and addressing resistance from stakeholders is approaching discussions from a place of curiosity, says Kerrigan.

“I [sometimes] see HR practitioners going into these meetings with a script rehearsed in their head. I’ve had that happen to me too, because you’re just so focused on repeating what you’ve practised. But that stops you from being curious.”

To help guide practitioners in listening to stakeholders with curiosity, Kerrigan uses the ‘AAA’ framework, which structures the discussion as follows:

1. Acknowledge 

Stakeholders will only engage constructively if they feel their concerns are being heard. Rather than delivering a rehearsed spiel based on your idea of the stakeholder’s perspective, actively acknowledge what they are saying in the moment. 

“The only way you can come from a place of curiosity is if you’ve truly heard that person,” says Kerrigan. “The acknowledgement part is about feeding on the last thing that they’ve said, acknowledging it, and clarifying it.”

Making a point to respond directly to the last thing a stakeholder has said helps demonstrate active listening and avoid the response feeling rehearsed or disingenuous, she explains.

2. Ask

After acknowledging the stakeholder’s concerns, Kerrigan suggests asking a combination of ‘what’, ‘which’ and ‘why’ questions to home in on their key objectives.

‘What’ questions are about determining the person’s wants and needs – for example, ‘What are your biggest challenges right now?’ or ‘What would success look like for you in this situation?’

‘Which’ questions are about establishing priorities.

“So you’ll say, ‘You mentioned that X, Y and Z are important to you – which of those is most important for you?’ And it’s often not the first thing that they say – it’ll be ones that [come up] further along. 

“And then, [there’s the] ‘why’. Why is that important to you? Because once we can understand what that motivator is, then we can get to a mutually [beneficial] solution.”

Read HRM’s article 5 types of strategic questions that leaders should utilise.

3. Assist 

Moving the conversation towards a solution that aligns with the stakeholder’s priorities is the final and most important way to demonstrate active listening and a sincere desire to meet their needs.

Kerrigan recommends pacing the conversation before finalising the solution, checking in with stakeholders as you go along.

“[This ensures] that you’re not making assumptions, and there’s a [sense of] commonality – you’re looking for that common ground together before you come to a solution.”

When discussions are approached collaboratively like this, HR practitioners can turn stakeholder resistance from an unpleasant obstacle to a force for good. Using these interactions to leverage the perspectives of diverse stakeholders will lead to more cohesion and better outcomes for everyone involved.

However expertly HR practitioners approach the situation, uncontrollable factors such as business pressures and difficult personalities mean that conflict is sometimes unavoidable. As a result, Kerrigan suggests focusing on things you can control – namely, your own mindset and how you care for your own wellbeing. 

“Being able to keep yourself in control is always important in our world, because we deal with a lot of [challenging] things. So keeping ourselves in check and supporting ourselves is really important.”

Manage the competing demands and priorities of HR stakeholders with more skill and confidence by signing up for AHRI’s Introduction to Overcoming Stakeholder Resistance short course. Join Johanna Kerrigan to learn more about how to handle pushback and achieve better outcomes for key stakeholders, your organisation and your HR career.