Institutional inertia
In most human activity systems a change in the functioning of the whole system requires a significant number of people within the system to change; they may have to change some or all of their habits, behaviour and values. [1]

"When progress on an issue requires people to change their beliefs, behaviours or values then, according to Heifetz and co-workers, the issue is an "adaptive issue" and requires a different leadership style – known as Adaptive Leadership. [2]

One of the key insights from Heifetz‟s work is that people resist change because they perceive the losses more clearly than the benefits. The losses may be of familiarity, of dearly held values or beliefs, of some aspect of self-esteem or simply loss of resources or power.

Heifetz and his colleagues stress that one of the key tasks in facilitating change is to acknowledge these losses. What they do not emphasise is the degree to which this requires those fostering the change to appreciate the perspectives of those involved so that the nature and depth of loss can be acknowledged." [1]

Immediately related elementsHow this works
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Tackling obesity in the UK Â»Tackling obesity in the UK
Barriers to change Â»Barriers to change
Institutional inertia
Create a strong, focused, coherent anti-obesity pressure group Â»Create a strong, focused, coherent anti-obesity pressure group
Develop a patient charter for those with obesity problems Â»Develop a patient charter for those with obesity problems
Public-health campaigns on obesity Â»Public-health campaigns on obesity
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