Q: What do you do when some members of the organization try really hard to talk down the major change initiative we are trying to make?  Is this what they mean when they talk about “shooting the stragglers?"

Answer:  The answer depends on what phase of the Change Initiative you are in when the “talking down” occurs.  First, if your company is considering a change and trying to define the best direction of change, the answer is … listen respectfully as people talk about both the pros and the cons, about why the change is a good deal for all concerned and why it is not.  During phase one, your goal should be to get as much information about what to do as possible.  Note clearly the idea of “respectfully listening” to opponents of the change … rather than taking a knee-jerk reaction to put those guys down or even out of the company.  These “opponents” must be looked at as devils advocates and possible sources of risk information that need to be taken into account in any change decision. 

If your company has advanced to phase two … you know the direction of change and you are now committed to its implementation, the answer changes.  In this case, folks who continue to talk down the change after the decision has been made are out of bounds and need to be told directly and firmly that “you appreciated their dissent during the change decision, but now that the decision has been made, you would appreciate them spending their time and energy making the change work.”  This is not the time for dissent; it is time for action.  And if someone fails to act in the agreed-to direction, he/she does qualify as a straggler who may be shot if not on board immediately.  In fact, failure to aggressively deal with associates who are not “acting the change” will put the entire change initiative in jeopardy.  Good luck!