Resistance line

As explained in Collaborative Software Design: How to facilitate domain modeling decisions

A resistance line is a model showing common stages of behavior that people exhibit when they feel unheard or undervalued in group decision-making.

The resistance line models the common stages people display when they feel unheard or undervalued in group decision-making. Resistance is normal, appearing individually or collectively, and facilitators look for coherent patterns rather than dismissing behavior as childish. section 8.1.3

Resistance can surface through observable behaviors such as:

• Poor communication or breakdown, including staring out of a meeting window or turning off a camera remotely. section 8.1.3
• Sarcastic jokes that interrupt the conversation and make the group lose track of its discussion. section 8.1.3
• Excuses for not following a decision, such as claiming something was about to be done before a more important task intervened. section 8.1.3

Figure 8.2 The resistance line. The further down the line the minority group goes, the less efficient the group will be able to function.

Use the resistance-line figure to see how deeper resistance by a minority group can reduce the group’s efficiency. section 8.1.3

How Collaborative Software Design: How to facilitate domain modeling decisions covers it

How deep it goes

Defines common stages and illustrates behaviors, but does not enumerate the complete line or prescribe responses in the supplied evidence.

Examples

Uses staring out a window, turning off a camera, sarcastic jokes, and excuses as concrete resistance behaviors.

What it assumes

Assumes group decision-making and facilitation contexts while framing resistance as normal behavior everyone can exhibit.

What you can do after

Diagnose recurring resistance patterns without treating normal conflict behavior as childish or necessarily disruptive.

How it connects

Connects resistance with Deep Democracy, conflict resolution, facilitation, group decision-making, and poor communication.

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Related concepts

• Lewis Deep Democracyused by · Lewis Deep Democracy is a facilitation method for surfacing diverse perspectives, minority viewpoints, and group dynamics in collective decision-making.
• resistance to changecontrasts with · Resistance to change is opposition or reluctance to adopt or participate in a change to established practices, processes, structures, or ways of working.

This explainer was generated by Manning's knowledge graph from the text of Collaborative Software Design: How to facilitate domain modeling decisions. The section links point to the parts of the book it draws on.