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Resistance to Change in the Workplace:
Main Reasons |
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Fear of the unknown. Change
implies uncertainty, and uncertainty is uncomfortable. Not knowing
what may potentially happen often leads to heightened anxiety.
Resisting change is one of the anxiety-reducing actions.1
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Fear of failure. The new order may
require skill and abilities that may be beyond our capabilities. There
is resistance to trying a new approach as people know how to operate
in the existing order, but fear they will not be able to the new
skills and behavior that will be required of them.
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Disagreement with the need for change.
Associates may feel that the new direction is a wrong direction.
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Losing something of value. All
associates want to know how the change will affect them. If people
believe they will wind up losing as a result of the change, they will
resist.
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Misunderstanding and lack of trust.
People resist change when they do not understand its implications and
perceive that it might cost them much more than they gain. Such
situations often occur when trust is lacking between the person
initiating the change and the employees.2
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Inertia. Change requires effort,
oftentimes, a significant one. So, don't underestimate the power of
fatigue and burnout.
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Overcoming Resistance to Change: Most
Common Ways2 |
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Education and communication
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Participation and involvement
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Facilitation and support
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Negotiation and agreement
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Manipulation and co-optation
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Explicit and implicit coercion
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Why Resistance to Change?
Most people don't like change because they don't like being
changed. When change comes into view, fear and resistance to change follow -
often despite its obvious benefits. People fight against change because
they:
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fear to lose something they value, or
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don't understand the change and its implications, or
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don't think that the change makes sense, or
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find it difficult to cope with either the level or pace of
the change.3
Resistance emerges when there s a threat to something the
individual values. The threat may be real or it may be just a perception. It
may arise from a genuine understanding of the change or from
misunderstanding, or even almost total ignorance about it.
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