Mapping Resistance¶
Understanding Who Will Oppose You and Why¶
"Know your enemy and know yourself, and you need not fear the result of a hundred battles." — Sun Tzu
"But in organizations, enemies are rarely enemies. They're people with different interests, fears, or information." — This document
Why Map Resistance?¶
Coalition building isn't just about finding allies. It's about understanding the terrain, including who will oppose you and why.
Understanding opposition helps you: - Anticipate objections before they arise - Craft messages that address concerns - Avoid provoking unnecessary conflict - Convert opponents into allies (sometimes) - Neutralize opposition you can't convert - Protect yourself and your coalition
The Opposition Ecosystem¶
Not Everyone Who Opposes You Is Your Enemy¶
| Type | Description | Approach |
|---|---|---|
| Enemies | Actively trying to defeat you | Defend, contain, or route around |
| Opponents | Disagree with your position | Persuade, negotiate, or neutralize |
| Skeptics | Unconvinced but open | Provide evidence and address concerns |
| Threatened | Fear consequences of change | Address fears, offer reassurance |
| Competing Interests | Want different outcomes | Find common ground or accept conflict |
| Indifferent | Don't care enough to engage | Can sometimes be activated |
Each requires a different approach. Treating skeptics like enemies creates enemies.
The Opposition Archetypes¶
The Blocker¶
Who they are: Someone who has formal power to stop your initiative.
Why they oppose: - Your initiative threatens their control - They have different priorities - They've been burned before - They're protecting someone else - They genuinely disagree
Their tactics: - Demanding more analysis - Raising process objections - Requiring approvals that never come - Stalling in committees - "Yes, but not yet"
Your options: - Find a champion who outranks them - Go around them (risky) - Address their underlying concern - Wait them out - Build enough coalition they can't block
Warning signs: - They control key approval points - They have a history of blocking - They're connected to leadership - They're politically skilled
The Skeptic¶
Who they are: Someone who doubts your approach but isn't hostile.
Why they oppose: - They've seen similar things fail - They don't have enough information - They have legitimate concerns you haven't addressed - They're naturally cautious - They haven't been convinced
Their tactics: - Asking challenging questions (good faith) - Wanting more evidence - Raising edge cases - Expressing doubt in meetings
Your options: - Provide better evidence - Address their specific concerns - Involve them in shaping the approach - Give them a role that addresses their concerns - Convert them into an expert ally
Warning signs that they're not really skeptics: - Questions are designed to delay, not understand - Goalposts move when concerns are addressed - They never seem satisfied with any answer
The Threatened¶
Who they are: Someone whose position, power, or identity is threatened by change.
Why they oppose: - Job security fears - Loss of relevance - Challenge to expertise - Disruption to comfortable routines - Status reduction
Their tactics: - Passive resistance - Malicious compliance - Raising "concerns" that are really objections - Coalition building against you - Appealing to tradition/stability
Your options: - Address the fear directly - Find a role for them in the new world - Involve them so change is done with, not to - Wait for them to move on - Contain their influence
How to recognize: - Resistance seems disproportionate to their stated concerns - Concerns shift when addressed - They're not just skeptical—they're upset - Their identity is tied to what's being changed
The Competitor¶
Who they are: Someone pursuing a different agenda that conflicts with yours.
Why they oppose: - Resource competition - Different vision for the future - Protecting their territory - Personal/political rivalry - Different priorities
Their tactics: - Promoting their alternative - Criticizing your approach - Competing for champions - Undercutting your credibility - Making your success their failure
Your options: - Find common ground - Merge approaches if possible - Compete openly if necessary - Get leadership to choose - Accept coexistence
How to recognize: - They have their own initiative - Opposition coincides with their advancement - They're not against AI—they're against your AI - They'd be happy if you failed, even if AI failed
The Captured¶
Who they are: Someone who's been co-opted by interests opposing yours.
Why they oppose: - Vendor relationships - Political loyalty - Career dependency - Prior commitments - Personal relationships
Their tactics: - Advocating for specific solutions - Shaping requirements to fit predetermined answers - Excluding alternatives - Influencing from within governance
Your options: - Expose the conflict of interest (carefully) - Create transparency requirements - Bring in independent voices - Document the capture - Accept and work around
Warning signs: - Strong opinions without obvious basis - Consistent support for one vendor/approach - Relationships that create conflicts - Resistance to alternatives
The Ideologue¶
Who they are: Someone whose opposition is based on deep beliefs, not interests.
Why they oppose: - Fundamentally different values - Ideological commitment - Moral opposition to your approach - Belief systems that conflict with AI
Their tactics: - Moral arguments - Principled opposition - Unwillingness to compromise - Framing issues in absolute terms
Your options: - Find shared values to build on - Agree to disagree on some things - Respect their position while advocating yours - Minimize their influence - Accept some positions can't be reconciled
How to recognize: - Opposition isn't transactional - They can't be bought off with changes - Arguments are moral, not practical - They've been consistent on this for years
The Opposition Map¶
For each significant opponent, map:
Opponent Assessment Card¶
| Opponent | |
|---|---|
| Name | ________________ |
| Role | ________________ |
| Archetype | ________________ |
Why do they oppose? (Check all that apply)
| ☐ Formal power threatened | ☐ Informal influence threatened |
| ☐ Resources at risk | ☐ Different priorities |
| ☐ Genuine disagreement | ☐ Fear of change |
| ☐ Protecting others | ☐ Personal animosity |
| ☐ Competing initiative | ☐ Capture by external interest |
| ☐ Ideological opposition | ☐ Unknown |
| Their Power | Level |
|---|---|
| Formal authority | High / Medium / Low |
| Informal influence | High / Medium / Low |
| Network position | Central / Connected / Peripheral |
| Leadership relationships | Strong / Moderate / Weak |
| Tactics Observed | ________________________________ |
| Convertibility | |
|---|---|
| Are they convertible? | Yes / Maybe / No |
| What would it take? | ________________________________ |
| Strategy | ☐ Convert ☐ Neutralize ☐ Route around ☐ Contain ☐ Defeat |
| Specific Approach | ________________________________ |
Conversion Strategies¶
Converting Skeptics¶
Keys: - Acknowledge their concerns are legitimate - Provide evidence, not just assertion - Address specific objections specifically - Involve them in shaping the approach - Give them a win
Tactics: - One-on-one conversation to understand their real concerns - Share information that addresses those concerns - Invite them to contribute their expertise - Propose modifications that address their issues - Recognize their contribution publicly
Converting the Threatened¶
Keys: - Address the fear, not just the objection - Show them a future where they're still valued - Involve them in designing that future - Give them agency over change
Tactics: - Acknowledge the change is real and disruptive - Explore what role they could play - Identify skills that transfer - Protect them from blame for past approaches - Make them part of the change story, not a victim of it
Converting Competitors¶
Keys: - Find where interests overlap - Create mutual benefits - Accept some competition is permanent - Get leadership to broker
Tactics: - Explore merger of approaches - Identify complementary rather than competitive roles - Agree on how to coexist - Compete openly and fairly if necessary - Don't make it personal
Neutralization Strategies¶
When conversion isn't possible:
Isolation¶
Reduce their influence by: - Building a stronger coalition around them - Ensuring they're not in key decision forums - Connecting directly with people they influence - Making them irrelevant rather than opposed
Routing Around¶
Avoid their chokepoints by: - Finding alternative approval paths - Going to their superiors with a champion - Creating new decision forums - Reframing so it's not their domain
Exposure¶
Make their opposition visible by: - Forcing them to state objections publicly - Documenting their positions - Creating situations where they must choose - Revealing conflicts of interest
Exhaustion¶
Wear them down by: - Persistence over time - Outlasting them - Waiting for them to move on - Incrementally building momentum they can't stop
Defensive Measures¶
Expect Counter-Moves¶
Opponents will: - Try to discredit you personally - Undermine your coalition - Compete for your allies - Misrepresent your position - Create delays and obstacles - Report on you to leadership
Protect Your Coalition¶
- Maintain confidentiality about who's involved
- Don't expose allies unnecessarily
- Keep communication secure
- Prepare allies for being approached
- Have a response ready for accusations
Document Everything¶
- Keep records of what opponents say and do
- Note who said what when
- Maintain evidence of obstruction
- Create paper trails that protect you
- Store documentation safely
Stay Clean¶
- Don't give them ammunition
- Don't misrepresent your position
- Don't attack personally
- Don't violate policies
- Let them be the ones who look bad
The Moveable Middle¶
Between your coalition and active opposition is the middle: people who could go either way.
Why the Middle Matters¶
- Most people are in the middle
- The middle often decides outcomes
- The middle can be moved
- Moving the middle isolates opponents
- A large middle gives the appearance of consensus
How to Move the Middle¶
Make it easy to agree with you: - Simple, clear message - Low-risk initial support - Social proof (others are on board) - Benefits to them specifically - No barriers to alignment
Make it hard to oppose you: - Don't make opposition feel necessary - Don't force them to take sides prematurely - Make opposition look extreme - Make your position the reasonable center - Let opponents marginalize themselves
The Opposition Readiness Checklist¶
Before taking action:
- Do I know who will oppose this?
- Do I understand why they'll oppose?
- Have I classified them correctly?
- Have I identified who's convertible?
- Do I have strategies for each significant opponent?
- Is my coalition strong enough to handle opposition?
- Am I protected from the most likely counter-moves?
- Have I tested my assumptions about opponents?
If you can't check all of these, you may not be ready for conflict.
A Final Note on Enemies¶
True enemies—people who will actively try to destroy you—are rare. Most opposition is: - People with different interests - People with different information - People with different fears - People you could work with under different circumstances
Treat opponents as humans with reasons for their position, not as evil to be defeated. This doesn't mean being naive—some people will try to harm you—but it means: - Most opposition can be managed without war - Making unnecessary enemies weakens your position - Former opponents can become allies - You might be wrong about some things they're right about
The goal is to advance responsible AI, not to defeat everyone who disagrees. Sometimes that means compromise. Sometimes it means coexistence. Sometimes it means accepting you won't win everything.
"Understand your opposition, but don't become obsessed with it. Your energy is better spent building something than destroying something."