Managing Resistance to change

 

Resistance to Organisational Change:

In planning for change, managers must also take into account the various reasons for which people may resist the change, regardless of how ‘necessary’ it may appear to be.

The following four reasons explain why people resist change:

(i) Uncertainty:

Perhaps the main reason for employee resistance to change is uncertainty. In the face of impending change, employees are likely to become anxious and feel nervous. Diverse feelings among workers may lead to substantial resistance force to change. For example, they may worry about their ability to meet the new job demands, they may think their job security is threatened, or they may simply dislike ambiguity.

(ii) Self-Interests:

Secondly, many impending changes threaten the self-interests of a particular manager or unit. So, he may resist such change.

(iii) Different Perceptions:

It is often observed that a manager recommends a plan for change on the basis of his (her) own assessment of a situation. His peers and subordinates may resist this change because they do not agree with the manager’s assessment or simply perceive the situation differently.

(iv) Feelings of Loss:

Finally, organizational people often resist change simply because of feelings of loss. Many changes involve altering work arrangements, which may disrupt existing social networks. Since social relationships are important to most people, they will resist any change that might adversely affect those relationships. Other intangibles that are threatened by the change include power, status, security, familiarity with existing procedures and self-confidence.

 

Overcoming Resistance to Organisational Change:

A manager should not consider himself helpless in the face of resistance to change. Instead, he should adopt one of the several strategies available for overcoming it. In fact, various useful strategies have been applied to overcome any type of employee resistance to organizational change.

(i) Participation:

Perhaps the most general and, of course, effective technique for overcoming resistance to change is employee participation. By participating in planning and implement­ing a change the employees are better able to understand the reasons for the change.

Through participation, it is possible to reduce uncertainty and project self-interests and social relationships. If employees get an opportunity to express their own ideas and to assume the perspectives of others, such employees are more likely to accept the change gracefully.

(ii) Education and Communication:

Another way of overcoming resistance to change is em­ployee education which is likely to broaden their horizons. This is very important, as most workers have a myopic vision of the organization to which they belong.

As John French has commented:

“Educating employees about the need for and the expected results of an impending change should reduce their resistance. And, if open channels of communication are established and maintained during the change process, uncertainty can be minimized”.

(iii) Facilitation:

Change may be slow and gradual or fast and rapid. The recent history of leading corporations indicates that introducing the change gradually can work wonders.

Making only necessary changes, announcing these changes well in advance, and allowing time for people to new ways of doing things are three surest ways of reducing resistance to change.

(iv) Force-Field Analysis:

Force-field analysis can also help overcome resistance to change. Fig. 15.6 shows how force-field analysis relates to the change process. In any change process, there are forces acting for, and for acting against the change. To fa­cilitate the change, the manager has to strike a balance so that posi­tive forces (i.e., forces working for change) outweigh the negative ones (i.e., forces working against change) such as employee resis­tance.

It is very important to try to remove or at least minimize forces acting against the change. If a pri­mary force pushing against the change is fear that a new work procedure will break up an exist­ing workgroup, the manager should try his best to find ways of keeping the group together. If such a solution can be found, one force acting against the change has been eliminated, and this will tip the balance in favor of the change.

 

(v) Power Coercion :

This approach is the last step if other methods of overcoming resistance to change fail. Managers can force employees into accepting change by making clear that resisting change can lead to losing jobs, firing, transferring or not promoting employees.

(vi) Negotiation & Bargaining : 

The negotiation and bargaining might involve offering better financial rewards for those who accept the requirements of the change program. Alternatively, enhanced rewards for leaving might also be offered.