How do you overcome resistance to change among employees?

#Burnout can make people be resistant to change. Did you know that the World Health Organization recently added burnout to its International Classification of Diseases? It has three elements: 1)Feelings of exhaustion or energy depletion 2)Increased mental distance from one's job, or feelings of negativity or cynicism related to the job 3) Reduced professional efficacy So burnt-out employees cant adopt or support change. It's a callout to take care of employees' #mentalhealth in the workplace so they don't resist it and are open and excited by change.

?? and be mindful that sometimes the resistance is in management (many times unknowingly) and employees are taking their queue from them.

The short answer: Learning is easy, but forgetting is hard, particularly the longer you've been doing a job, mastering a skill set, and developing internal systems, habits, and routines to hit the expectations of your organization. But when the world changes, as it has with the internet, pandemic, and now AI, tossing out the old way of doing things can frustrate some employees and make them resentful because of the loss of control. One way to help them regain a sense of control is by showing examples and case studies of how other people and organizations faced a sea change and reinvented themselves by adopting new tools. But like a good movie or book, the story of change must be inspiring enough for them to sign up for the journey.

Indeed, and its take up will sweep industry and political circles but many won't prepare suitably!! Understanding the increased dynamics placed on those remaining especially in early stages on uptake will require far greater understanding of all levels in their processes and best practice for optimal outcomes!! I upgraded an FT100 co doubling that years profits with comprehensive smart sales, logistics but board rejected retiring chairs proposal to replace him! Afraid they couldn't cope where I hadn't had suitable communications with them just liaising with the chair!! I have since advised central bankers for 6 years on round table matters & EU WEF.

The thought of change, in today's business environment from an employee's perspective, tends to signal the idea of job elimination. This bottom line "threat" needs to be erased from the equation IF it is in fact not one of the intentions of the organization. Thus as a first step the employer must communicate this if true. If the change involves, for example, implementing a new business product which implies system and process changes, there will be the resistance to change by older employees (over 10 years) vs newer employees who will embrace change. This example is used because organizations are always looking to "downsize" leading to increased work for fewer employees. The organization must always look to change as a motivator.

Have them actually participate in identifying the drivers of change and creating the story themselves. This increases awareness, understanding and allows them to practice how they tell it to others.

I believe that this has got to be the first step; as W Bridges’ Transition model encourages - sell the problem/ the ‘why’ of the change initiative in a way that means something to them first. Then allowing people to process the ‘drivers’ will help them work through what the change means to them before giving them trusted sources ie: people or means, they feel safe enough to express any concerns to.

One thing we have noticed in our work is that communication has to be two-way in order to embed the change. Or seeing the change process as one of ‘Engagement’ rather than ‘Cascade’. As other posters have commented, involving the teams and people affected is an essential way of creating buy-in. I also like Kevin’s point, above, about asking people about the consequences of taking no action. This reminds me of the Change Equation (Beckhard and Harris) which identifies that some ‘dissatisfaction’ with the current state is necessary, as well as a clear vision and agreement to the key steps to take; in order to create sufficient momentum to overcome the natural and normal human resistance to change that is always there.

Also acknowledge the downsides to change and how they will be addressed, including being clear of the need for people’s behaviours and mindsets to change. If we only focus on the upsides, we are taking to people like us who enjoy the prospect of change, rather than to the people who will be impacted negatively and need to know that their views are understood, valued and accommodated where possible, but be honest where this will not be possible.

Communicate, communicate, communicate! The unknown is scary, and speculation will fill in the blanks. Keep everyone in the loop during the process, and focused on the vision for the future. Celebrate successful steps along the way.

While it may not be practical or effective to involve every stakeholder in all aspects of the change initiative, it is important to include a diverse range of perspectives at every stage. Even in the early 'Communicate Vision' steps of a change initiative, stakeholders are forming the foundation of how you operate and function together. How do work through consensus? This is the company's operational mindset. Company culture is being formed. Collaboration style and tone is being set. Cohesion or lack there of, is seen and felt by the rest of the organization. Acknowledge power and privilege within your own leadership team and mitigate the biases that it may cause. Employees can sniff through a false sense of ownership in a heartbeat.

One thing I have seen work very well is to anoint an influential employee advocate to champion some part of that change. Often having the pessimist leader, lead the change to have sense of ownership and turn into an optimist.

Search and find something that they can impact, no matter how small. They have valuable knowledge and experience, and need to be actively engaged rather than just treated like a passenger on someone else's change management train.

Every day my team and I are doing innovation prototypes that entail significant changes to organizational systems. But instead of presenting it as "change," we prefer to frame it as a movement and groundswell that comes from the citizens of a company. Employees will get behind a company cause if they can participate and see their input manifested in some tangible form, whether a quote, diagram, reference photos, or idea. To bake an idea, we start with a small core group of thinkers, then we spread the ideas to departments and gather their input until we reach a point where we can bring the whole company together for a rally. These events aren't one-sided, top-down presentations but include on-stage dialogs with staff across the company.

In building an effective change process, one principle that I firmly believe in and have been taught is the importance of pulling in employees instead of pushing them. From the very beginning, it's crucial to actively involve them, fostering their engagement and inviting their input to demonstrate the genuine value we place on their perspectives. By listening attentively to their concerns and responding empathetically, we can cultivate a climate of trust and alleviate anxiety. When we collectively pull together, respecting each other's viewpoints and embracing a collaborative approach, we transform the journey of change into a shared endeavor fueled by a common purpose and the goal of eventual success.

Recognising early adopters publicly, for example in a staff meeting, also encourages others to get on board as they would also like such recognition.

Yes! to recognizing those who at any and all levels in the organization MUST be recognized and applauded. I have found the Help Desk staff are not only early adopters but have key insights as to where, when how and who will not only embrace but advocate a change.

As harsh as it sounds, people have come together as communities for thousands of years, using the norms of shame and reward to steer the behaviors they want to see from their citizens. While that might sound extreme, all one has to do is watch how organizations, clubs, and teams work together to communicate their values of what's in and out of bounds. While we would never suggest shaming any employee, knowing "what not to do" is often more important to understand than knowing "what to do" in a company. So to put a funny spin on this timeless and universal behavior, we've developed a category we call "Brand Felonies," which helps employees know what kind of behavior supports the change and growth in an organization versus what hurts it.

Ideas come in different ways. They may also be significant both from a process and financial perspective. Formal employee suggestions may in fact have a financial reward being evaluated by the organization. "Coin Your Idea" has been a process where employees are motivated to look for ways to improve the organization and can be rewarded for the same if the value is high enough. This is an ongoing process to challenge and motivate employees to help the organization do better.

It is essential to factor in 'learning' when going through change management as issues and opportunities may arise from the innovation and empowerment of your people. Scheduling review and innovation sessions for stakeholders with structured and clear KPIs in mind can help teams achieve greater success. We often see the most resistance to change when opportunities are overlooked in favour of completing the change.

Iteration and adaptation are essential, but they must not be viewed exclusively as "late stage" steps. Many change programs "stumble out of the gate" because they hit unexpected resistance earlier or more forcefully than they imagined. Rather than try to power through, change leads should be willing to step back and re-evaluate their plan at any and all stages. Likewise, a robust change management plan should anticipate frequent course corrections from the outset. By extension, leadership and stakeholders need to be aware that change rollout can be messy and unpredictable and take this into account when planning timelines, deliverables, and budget for any change management initiative.

Most companies develop long-term strategies that require elaborate plans, phases, and steps to achieve. But it can often be hard for employees to see, feel, or sense they're making any headway or progress. One effective way to keep staff motivated is to establish a 10-year vision plan but then break down the milestone markers for where the company will be weekly, monthly, quarterly, yearly, and at the five and seven-year mark. These markers should have metrics attached to them—such as sales volume, number of subscribers, or other measurable features—that are visual and employees can see regularly, perhaps even every month.

This is critical for the change leadership of the initiative. It starts with the leader identified to sponsor the change and how they show up, engage, etc. and the Sponsor showing up also needs to be for the team implementing the change. If they delegate their responsibilities as Sponsor out of the gate, don’t stay participatory in the change, they start to erode trust.

This is so important! One thing that is overlooked is to remember to be aware of how we personally feel about any change initiatives. It we only say we are supporting a change, but inside we do not want the change to happen, people will know! What is happening , our own self awareness must be in line with our message .Otherwise we will work against ourselves. We can not hide from what is true to us. So, alignment of ourselves to our message is always the first step! We ARE the Message!

Humans prefer parents that are consistent with their directions and expectations of them. Similarly, employees like leaders that are consistent with their directions and objectives. But some passionate leaders often change their minds based on the winds of time or other pressures. But what makes it worse is when leaders don't let their staff know they've changed their mind or commitment to achieving a certain goal or dismiss the change as not a big deal. Hitting the predetermined targets is a big deal to employees who have organized their work, processes, procedures, schedules, and teams around specific objectives. While these changes are sometimes necessary, leaders must be sensitive and helpful to staff as they recalibrate their efforts.

Listen to your employees intently to any feedback they may have and either action and adjust on that feedback or explain the rationale of change, if a ready answer isn’t available, then ensure the loop is closed on any feedback received. This will help build trust.

As individuals we MUST acknowledge change is inevitable, knowing it's a fact should make us understand we need to be always ready for change. Did you know that according to career website Zippia people change on average 12 times in their lifetime? That means we need to master change by now and we don't. Those that do, are preparing for it and there is a method to thrive in change! The "Starting from Scratch" six-step model is: 1) Having a learning mindset 2) Working on your mental resilience 3) Building a supportive network 4) Creating a role model 5) Working towards your role model 6) Get rid of baggage

When thinking about the 'what, why, when and how' aspects of a change programme, the most important factor for success in change is the 'who?' Who is it going to affect and whom do I have to get to buy into the change and make then feel that they are part of it, can invest intellectually, emotionally and physically into it, rather than it being just something being done to them.

As mentioned earlier there are many different types of employees. The key one is how long an employee has done the specific jobs being identified. Usually long term (over 10 years), 5-10 years and the 0-5 years, have different perspectives on their jobs. Protecting one's job varies in each of these groups. Weeding out the feelings, approach to change and willingness to embrace change are important in each case. "Fortunately or unfortunately if there is a commitment made to a specific change, there may have to be hard decisions made regarding employees to ensure a positive outcome. Thus in the end focus must be made to measure the effects and support of change overall.

I've often witnessed and encountered resistance when all relevant information hasn't been provided. Once received, associates will typically "get on board" with changes and move initiatives forward. But, there are instances when non-work related issues trigger resistance in associates. It could be related to company politics; difficult relationships between groups/teams/associates; anger over not getting a raise or promotion; work not in alignment with company or associate values; etc. When this happens, it's time to escalate to stakeholders and respective leaders. They can all help by providing more listening ears and information to either influence the associates in the needed direction or adjust the ask.