Resistance among administrative professionals to participatory approaches is analyzed by means of a case study involving the implementation of community-based forest management (CBFM) in India. The model consists of two dimensions of attitudinal resistance to change—disapproval of CBFM regime by forest managers (a) at individual level and (b) at organizational level—and four categories of factors influencing resistance: personality traits, organizational factors, external environmental factors, and socialization factors. The model is empirically tested using the perceptions of forest managers working in state Forest Departments of four states in India. The empirical findings are used to suggest strengthening of organization and public administration theories on four aspects and to suggest some specific measures to deal with the attitudinal inertia of public administrators.
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