Introduction
Time has become a scarce commodity. Everything has to happen quickly, employees keep countless plates spinning at once and priorities become ever more pressing. In times of change, that time pressure can be an important source of apparent resistance. The question is: does someone who has "no time" really show resistance, or does the cause lie elsewhere?
"They just don't want to" — or do they?
You probably know the reaction: "I don't have time for this!" Or more subtly — nothing is said, but deadlines slip and commitments aren't met. As a manager, the conclusion is quickly drawn: this person is against the change. But before you decide that, it pays to look at how our working memory works.
Our working memory is limited
Like so many things, the capacity of our working memory is limited. That capacity is roughly divided across three types of task: one part processes the stimuli from our senses (what I see, hear, feel), a second part carries out the task we're engaged in (answering an email, operating a machine, following a meeting), and what remains is available for long-term learning and changing behaviour.
And that's where the problem lies: when someone uses up all that capacity during their normal daily work, there is nothing left to master a new way of working.
The full bucket: why the change doesn't land
The change — and all the expectations that come with it — is then, as it were, tipped into an overflowing bucket. The result: the bucket overflows and nothing happens. You might interpret that inactivity as resistance, whereas in reality it is connected to the amount of available time, or the lack of it.
Making time = freeing up brain capacity
New ways of working and thinking demand capacity from our brain. By deliberately making time, you free up that capacity. So do the check: are your employees getting enough time to adapt to the changed expectations? Sometimes "making room" — literally dropping something else for a while — is the most powerful intervention against apparent resistance.
Your concrete action points
Don't automatically read "no time" as unwillingness; first check whether it is a capacity problem.
Explicitly free up room for learning new behaviour, instead of piling it on top.
During the transition, temporarily reduce the other load, so that brain capacity remains to learn.
Treat resistance as valuable data: the question "do I actually have time for this?" tells you something real about your approach.
