ABSTRACT
This chapter explores what happened when Copperdale City Council relocated 1,500 back office staff to the new, temporary building and how it became a site for struggle. It considers the role that the Change Agent (CA) played in creating an open plan, flexible, ‘hot desking’ work environment and how they understood and sought to resist the resistance they confronted. The chapter focuses on experiences and understanding of resistance as expressed by the CAs as opposed to those on the receiving end of change. The implication of resistance being a ‘tool’ of management is that it can be accommodated and managed. A negative view of resistance with its emphasis on ‘overcoming’ resistance continues to dominate mainstream management studies and the Change Management literature. The chapter considers a different representation of resistance, one that did not simply seek to dismiss or repress employee grievances but sought to engage with and understand some of the issues it raised as potentially productive.
