Chapter 6

Overcoming Resistance
to Change

An Experiential Approach to Organization Development 7 th edition Chapter 6

Slide 1
 Learning Objectives (part 1 of 2)

Identify forces within individuals and

organizations that cause resistance to
change.
Recognize strategies that can increase
motivation to change.

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 Learning Objectives (part 2 of 2)

Diagnose forces driving and resisting

organization change.
Experience reactions to a change situation.

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 Toys Are Mattel (part 1 of 2)

The toy industry is going through radical

change.
Mattel has history of nearly falling apart every
decade since the 1970s.

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 Toys Are Mattel (part 2 of 2)

CEO Eckert moving Mattel to redefine core

business.
Better control inventory
Streamline manufacturing
Develop more toys in-house.
Expand overseas as toys mature in the U.S.

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 Change and Reinvent (part 1 of 2)

Many organizations being forced to radically

change.
Organizations face major challenge in
managing change.

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 Change and Reinvent (part 2 of 2)

Organizations need capacity to adapt quickly.

People are focus of most serious challenges.
Large scale changes often incur significant
problems and challenges.

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 Changes on Personal Level

Set patterns of behavior.

Defined relationships with others.
Work procedures, and job skills.

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Changes on Organizational Level

Policies.
Procedures.
Organization structures.
Manufacturing processes.
Work flows.

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 Life Cycle of Resistance to
Change (part 1 of 5)
The response to change tends to move through
a life cycle of 5 phases:
Phase 1.
Only few people who see need for
change.
Resistance appears massive.

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 Life Cycle of Resistance to
Change (part 2 of 5)
Phase 2.
Forces for and against change become
identifiable.
Change more thoroughly understood.
Novelty of change tends to disappear.

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 Life Cycle of Resistance to
Change (part 3 of 5)
Phase 3.
Direct conflict and showdown between
forces.
This phase probably means life or death
to change.

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 Life Cycle of Resistance to
Change (part 4 of 5)
Phase 4.
Remaining resistance seen as stubborn.
Possibility that resisters will mobilize
support to shift balance of power.

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 Life Cycle of Resistance to
Change (part 5 of 5)
Phase 5.
Resisters to change are as few and as
alienated as were advocates in first
phase.

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 Major Factors Affecting
Success of Change

Advocates of Impact on culture

change Evaluation of
Degree of change change.
Time frame

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 Figure 6.1
Change Factors

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 Advocates of Change

Person leading change program is often most

important force for change.
Internal or external OD practitioners may be
brought in to assist.

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 Degree of Change

Is change minor or major?

The greater the degree of change, the more
difficult it is to implement.

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 Time Frame

Greater chance of success if change is gradual

and in longer time frame.
Some organizations only chance for survival
depends on radical change introduced swiftly.

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 Impact on Culture

The greater the impact on existing culture,

the greater the resistance and difficulty to
implement change.

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 Evaluation on Culture

Standards of performance developed to

measure change and impact on
organization.

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 A Change Model (part 1 of 5)

Two major considerations in organizational

change are:
Degree of change.
Impact on organizations culture.

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 Figure 6.2
Change Model

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 A Change Model (part 2 of 5)

Quadrant 1
Minor change, minor impact on culture.
Resistance will be at lowest level and success
will be most probable.

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 A Change Model (part 3 of 5)

Quadrant 2
Minor change, major impact on culture.
Some resistance can be expected.

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 A Change Model (part 4 of 5)

Quadrant 3
Major change, minor impact on culture.
Some resistance is likely.
Good management can probably overcome it.

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 A Change Model (part 5 of 5)

Quadrant 4
Major change, major impact on culture.
The greatest resistance can be predicted.
The probability of success is low.

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 Driving Forces Toward
Acceptance of Change
Driving forces are anything that increases
organization to implement proposed change.
Driving forces include:
Dissatisfaction with present situation.
External pressures toward change.

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 Momentum Toward Change
Once change underway, certain forces tend to
push change along.
Those involved probably become committed.
When money is committed to start a change,
organization likely will want to continue.
Change in one part of organization may set off
chain reaction in other parts.

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 Motivation by Management

Manager or advocate of change becomes

motivating force.
Top managements encouragement can
motivate change.

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 Our Changing World:
Globalization of Worlds
Business?
(part 1 of 3)
Globalization has occurred for hundreds of
years but recently experienced exponential
growth.

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 Our Changing World (part 2 of 3)

Reasons for Increase Include:

Improvements in communications and
transportation.
More efficient global banking systems.
Surpluses in capital in US, Japan, Europe.
Worldwide lowering of trade barriers.

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 Our Changing World (part 3 of 3)

Statistics of globalization include:

By 2000 number of MNCs above 63,000.
1,000 largest MNCs account for 80% of worlds
industrial production.
MNCs are based all over world:
US 37%. Japan 21%. Europe
25%.
Also based in developing countries.

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 Restraining Forces Blocking
Implementation of Change
(part 1 of 2)
Uncertainty regarding change.
Fear of unknown.
Disruption of routine.
Loss of benefits.

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 Restraining Forces Blocking
Implementation of Change
(part 2 of 2)
Threat to security.
Threat to position power.
Redistribution of power.
Disturb existing social networks.
Conformity to norms and culture.

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 Driving Forces and Restraining
Forces Act in Tandem
Effective change programs increase driving
forces and decrease restraining forces.
Force-field analysis model (see Ch 5) is useful
way to view driving and restraining forces.

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 Strategies to Lessen Resistance
(part 1 of 2)

Education and communication.

Create a vision.
Participation and involvement of members.
Facilitation and support.
Negotiation and agreement.

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 Strategies to Lessen Resistance
(part 2 of 2)

Leadership.
Reward systems.
Explicit and implicit coercion.
Climate conducive to communications.
Power strategies.

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 OD In Practice:
How Dupont Shortened
Its Stove-pipes (part 1 of 3)
Industrial Polymers Division (IPD) shows how
DuPont can change.
Products out-dated.
Problems included low morale and low
productivity.
Top and middle management understood need
to improve.
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 OD in Practice (part 2 of 3)

Only major change would improve division.

Forces for change included:
People aware of average performance.
They had desire to turn things around.
Widely held belief that survival of division and
personnel hung in balance.

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 OD in Practice (part 3 of 3)

Vision statement was developed by employees.

Plans made to implement team efforts and self-
management.
No customary stove-pipe hierarchy of
supervisors and no formal departments.

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 Keywords and Concepts

Driving forces - increases client system to

implement proposed change.
Employee stock ownership plan (ESOP) -
grant stock or stock options to broad section
of employees.

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 Gain sharing - reward system that recognizes
value of specific group.
Knowledge-based pay - reward system based
on the knowledge or skills a worker has.
Open-book management - employees see
companys financial records to analyze
problems for themselves.

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 Power strategies - technique for lessening
resistance to change that uses power
structure in an organization.
Profit-sharing - uses the performance of
business to calculate employee pay.
Restraining forces - forces that block
implementation of a change program.

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 Preparations for Next Chapter
(part 1 of 2)

Read Chapter 7.
Complete Step 1 of OD Skills Simulation 7.1,
form teams of six, and assign roles.
Complete Steps 1 and 2 of OD Skills
Simulation 7.2.

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 Preparations for Next Chapter
(part 2 of 2)

Read and prepare for Step 1 of OD Skills

Simulation 7.3.
Read and analyze Case: The OD Letters.

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