Resistance to Organization Change

Change Management

Resistance to Organizational Change

Resistance to organizational change is just one of the obstacles that must be managed to implement organizational expansion and growth.

Factors such as lack of motivation, poor channels of communication, and information exchange also contribute to resistance. This suggests that management should encourage employee participation to build confidence in the process, accept constructive criticism, be transparent and communicate clearly the benefits of the change to employees.

Background

Organizations operate within an increasingly volatile environment that is in a state of constant change. The pressure to change stems from a variety of internal and external sources such as political, economic, social, technological and market factors. Organizational change is aimed at adapting to the environment, improvement in performance and changes in employees’ behavioral patterns at the work place. For the sake of survival, growth, and having a competitive advantage, organizations have attempted to anticipate and adapt to changes through strategies including organizational redesign, which often embodies changes to the very culture of the organization.

Even though change is implemented for positive reasons (to adapt to changing environmental conditions and remain competitive), employees often respond negatively toward change and resist the change efforts. This negative reaction is largely because change brings with it increased pressure, stress and uncertainty for employees. The reasons for the failure to effectively implement the needed change range from a lack of understanding surrounding an organization’s capacity for change to other human factors, such as employee resistance toward organizational change. Numerous studies indicating resistance to change as the most common problem faced by management in implementing change.

Organizational change, in this context, is defined as “a reconfiguration of an organization to increase efficiency and effectiveness.”

Resistance to change is defined as “Employee action or inaction that is intended to avoid a change and/or interfere with the successful implementation of a change in its current form.”

If resistance to change is properly managed, by top level management; then it helps to challenge and refine the strategy, action plans and improves the quality of decision making.

Change occurs in three steps:

Preparation      The process of getting people ready to accept the change

Action               Involves getting people to accept the new, desired state

Incorporation    Makes the new practices and behaviors the new normal

Change derives from two forces, those internally driven and those imposed.

Participation is defined as the active involvement of employees in the decision-making process of an organization.

This is the point of failure. Management’s failure to implement a process where influence is shared among individuals who are hierarchically unequal.

The lack of participation of employees was a major cause of disappointing results with organizational change. Employees must believe that their opinions have been heard and given respect and careful consideration.

There is empirical evidence that the communication process and organizational change implementation are inextricably linked processes.

Communication is highly important in the successful implementation of the change processes, because it is used as a tool for announcing, explaining and preparing the change.

The change message should address: the need for change, the benefits of the change, the appropriateness of the change, and confidence in the capacity of individuals and the organization to undertake the change.

The message should also indicate that there is top management support for the change and outline the benefits associated with the change.

Top level management support must be apparent to each employee and top level management must not allow mid-level managers or supervisors to dilute the message or detract from its importance to each employee. Top level management must put a face on the message and that face must be known personally by each and every employee.

Conclusion

Most change programs fail due to lack of energy devoted to internal public relations to help those affected by change to better understand it. Again, for an organization to be effective, it needs to cultivate an atmosphere of reliable and valid communication, which provides for integration and employee commitment to the organizational goals. The message must be carefully delivered and if the mid-level managers or supervisors are not 100% committed to implementing the change, then top level management must decide if they, those mid-level managers or supervisors, are the right people, in the right place, at the right time. If top level management fails to remedy this situation then stakeholders need to decide if they, the top-level managers, are the right people, in the right place, at the right time.

Could your organization benefit from having an effective Change Management strategy?

Could your organization benefit from having an effective Communications Plan?  

Could your organization benefit from having an effective Leadership Commitment?

Please share your thoughts and contact me to discuss how we may work together to solve your most challenging issues!