Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Resistance to Change
Learning Objectives
Identify signs of resistance to change.
Understand reasons for resistance to change.
Be alert to resistance from within the rank of
management.
Recognize the strengths and weaknesses of various
approaches to the management of resistance to change.
Change threatens the investment you have already made in the status quo.
The fear of loss of status, money, authority, friendship, personal
convenience, or other benefits. Older employees have generally invested
more in the current system and thus have more to lose by changing.
- The other cause of resistance to change is the persons belief that change is
incompatible with the goals and interests of the organization. For example
an employee who believes that a proposed new job procedure will reduce
product quality or productivity can be expected to resist the change. This
resistance is positive than it is beneficial for the organization.
- One reason is self interest. How will this affect me. How much will depend
on how strongly they feel their self interests are affected.
- Misunderstanding and lack of trust. People are against change when they
dont understand it. Managers mistrusting employees and fearing power
loss often oppose efforts to involve employees in work decisions.
- Individuals have low tolerance for change to adjust to new situations. They
have a fear of not learning new skills and behaviors entailed.
1.
React negatively to change when they feel that there is no need for the
change. For example what seems obvious to some (we must change) is
not necessarily seen this way by others (What is the problem).
Lack of Clarity as to what is Expected: For example A brilliant business
strategy is of little use unless people understand it well enough to apply it.
Belief that the Specific Change being Proposed is Inappropriate: Those
affected by proposed change are likely to form a view that it is either a
good idea (we needed to do something like this) or a bad idea (whose
crazy idea is this?). In some cases resistors might be right, the proposed
change may not be a great idea that its proposers assume. That is
sometimes the voice of resistance can keep us from taking untimely or
foolish actions.
Belief that the Timing is Wrong: People may resist, not because they think
that the proposed change is wrong they may like the idea but because
they believe the timing to be wrong.
Excessive change: which they characterize as having two forms.
The first form occurs where an organization is pursuing several change
initiative at once and these are perceived by people in the organization as
unrelated.
Managing Resistance
A Situational Approach:
this proposes six methods for managing resistance
that should be chosen based on contextual
factors.
Method
Context
Education & Communication
Managing Resistance
The Resistance Cycle, aka Let Nature Take Its
Course:
here resistance has four psychological
states through which people progress
denial, resistance, exploration and
commitment. This has implications for how
managers may intervene.
Creative Counters to Expressions of
Resistance:
this focuses on a micro-aspect of change
comments that might signal resistance and
comments that managers may use to
counter the expressed sentiment.
Managing Resistance
Thought Self-Leadership:
Resistance to change can be overcome by influencing the
perceptions of individuals that drive the way they react to
change.
Tinkering, Kludging, and Pacing:
This reconfigures existing business practices and models to
make change successful.
The Power of Resistance:
Resistance can be used to build support for change in the
organization.
1. maintain clear focus,
2. Embrace resistance,
3. respect those who resist,
4. relax,
5. join with the resistance.