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The importance of social issues is well established in the literature on resistance to change. However, much can be gained by including physical objects in the analysis. Using actor‐network theory, this paper aims to explore the resistance of non‐human actors in organizational change and contribute to an expanded understanding of resistance to change.

The article is based on a longitudinal case study of the introduction of lean in a large Swedish manufacturing company. The empirical basis consists of interviews, observations and document studies. Actor‐network theory is used as a theoretical lens to identify non‐human resistance to change.

The paper proposes that non‐human actors can inhibit change through a lack of alignment with the overall change initiative. This may cause large variation in the interpretation of the proposed change and a lengthy …