Seven years ago, my best friend had a stroke. He had been born with a heart defect, it had been (inadequately) repaired when he was an infant, but then he almost died in his mid-30's. Since then, he's been pretty much trapped in a body that was waiting to die from heart failure... until late last month. My friend received a heart transplant. After an all-nighter in the Operating Room, he's now working on recovering... with a prognosis that's just about as good as you can possibly expect!

(Side quest - if you haven't declared yourself an organ donor, DO THAT NOW. You could give the gift of hope... of life... to someone else!)

Cool story, Blink, but... what's that got to do with technology?

Part of my friend's recovery process involves a cocktail of drugs that suppress his immune system. You see... his body sees the new heart as a foreign object, and in response it will dispatch all of its weapons to defend itself against this new "invader". This is the wild part: His body is completely unaware that the only reason he hasn't died yet is this "foreign invader". It's actively trying to kill the very thing that's keeping him alive.

And THAT got me thinking

Multiple times in my career, I've found myself in the role of "Change Agent". I see something in my employer's organization that could be more efficient, that I know how to improve... and I work to make it better.

Almost every time I embark on this journey of a change agent, I encounter resistance. Just like my friend's immune system, some parts of the organization act like antibodies and energetically attack the new "foreign body" of whatever innovation I'm working to implement. As you might imagine, it's incredibly frustrating at times - to have this idea that you know deep in your heart will improve how we operate, but because you're not part of the status quo you're treated as a threat.

Now I'm willing to admit, not every idea I've ever had was a complete banger - but I very much believe in the power of experimentation and continual adjustment. Simply squashing anything new because it's not "The Way We've Always Done It" is something I simply can't let pass. It's like my friend's immune system trying to kill this new heart as it actively works to keep him alive.

Every Organization Has Antibodies

It's important to realize that people who act as "Organizational Antibodies" actually do serve a valuable purpose. Just like in the human body, organizational antibodies exist to protect the organization. They keep processes aligned and prevent entropy in our work. Organizations need this to keep us from descending into chaos... to keep us following the rules in the rulebook.

When the Antibodies Become a Problem

Just like with the heart transplant, the problem arises when we begin looking to effect significant change to core processes. Now we're rewriting the rule book - but the antibodies merely observe the deviation from the old rulebook and assume the worst. Just like in the organ transplant scenario they see a large foreign object, which elicits an escalated response from the immune system. In the organization scenario, this means we now have a group of people actively trying to prevent innovation from occurring.

What we need is some kind of "Organizational Immunosuppresant".

Enter: The Organizational Immunosuppressants

Just as modern medicine has developed ways to help the body accept a life-saving organ, we need tools, processes, and — most importantly —cultures that allow organizations to accept and nurture beneficial change.

Organizational immunosuppressants aren't about shutting down resistance entirely... because that would be just as dangerous as having no immune system at all. Instead, they’re about creating enough psychological safety, cross-functional trust, and intentional communication that the organization can distinguish between harmful chaos and healthy innovation.

What does an Organizational Immunosuppressant look like?

They can take several forms; and just like their pharmaceutical counterparts, you likely need a cocktail of them to be effective. Here are a few examples:

Executive sponsorship: A leader who publicly backs the change effort can neutralize antibodies before they swarm. If you're in an executive role, you need to remain consciously aware of the role you play... either as an antibody or as the immunosuppressant!

Change advocates: Allies embedded within teams who can explain, translate, and defend the intent behind the new ideas. We all know that unilateral, top-down "Cultural Initiatives" fail. You need to have people reaching upward to partner with the executive who's communicating downward.

Transparent feedback loops: When people can voice concerns and see them addressed, they're more likely to see the innovation as part of the organism rather than as a threat to it.

Iterative rollouts: Big changes dropped suddenly will provoke strong reactions; gradual changes give the system time to adapt.

Empathy and storytelling: Humans need narratives. When we help people understand why a change is happening, they’re less likely to resist it reflexively. Note the emphasis on storytelling here - simply showing up for an all-hands where you say "Hey we're doing ___" isn't storytelling. You have to _connect with people - emotionally as well as logically - and build their investment in what's happening.

The Ask

1. Are you the organizational antibody?

   • If change makes you bristle, ask yourself whether you’re defending the organization or defending comfort. As a bonus here, ask someone else what they perceive about you... because your intent may not match your image!

2. Are you the change agent?

   • Ask yourself what immunosuppressants you’ve put in place to help your idea survive its early days. Are you thinking long and hard about the consequences of what you're proposing? What are the likely reactions? What would drive those reactions? How can you address those problems early?

3. Are you in a leadership position?

   • You have immense responsibility on your shoulders! Every action you take as a leader is amplified - because people are taking their cues (consciously or otherwise) from their leaders. If you have "antibody" tendencies... those will be shared and increased in others. If you have "immunosuppressant" tendencies... those also will be shared and increased.
   • I'm begging you: Be the immunosuppressant your innovators need. Without your support, even the most life-saving changes might be rejected before they can take hold.

Wrapping up

Organizational change is hard, especially in the case that you're trying to change something that's endured for a long time. And it's important to remember that the people in charge got to be in charge because they worked well in the very system you're trying to change!

If you're trying to influence a change, be gracious as you work with people who you know are struggling with the change. And if you're struggling with a change, it's ok. Be curious instead of defensive, and look for ways to engage in genuine debate. You may have information they're missing, and they may have information you're missing.