Managing Resistance to Change Essay Example
Abstract
While some resistance to change is inevitable, most resistance can be managed and actually is beneficial. In order to manage resistance to change, managers must first understand what attributes to the resistance and how the resistance is beneficial. Resistance to change can be healthy, because it forces you to check your assumptions and clarify what you are doing, as well as how you are planning to achieve it. The many reasons for resistance are explored and practical solutions, based on findings of research studies, are offered. How to Manage Resistance to Change
It was once stated by Gerard Egan (1988) that there are three certain things in life: death, taxes, and resistance to change. David Foote (2001) is quoted as saying “resistance to change is one of the nastiest, most debilitating workplace cancers.” However, Fine (1986, pp 88-89) states that some resistance to change may even be positive because it sometimes slows down the speed with which innovation might otherwise proceed and allows time for people to adjust to it.
To manage resistance to change effectively, administrators must understand that resistance to change is inevitable and they must allow for some resistance when they are planning to implement a change, big or small. Management also must understand not just what the employee is feeling or thinking, but why their initial response to a new proposal resulted in an acceleration of negative behavior such as decreased job performance or sabotage. Knowing the possible reasons for resistance is needed in order to effectively manage the change, and the resistance that comes along with it.
As a general rule, it is not the proposed changes that people resist, but the impact the changes will have on them, personally. People become comfortable in their jobs, in their areas of expertise, and in their relationships with coworkers and managers. Even when personnel are not very satisfied with the current workplace and therefore welcome
While some resistance to change is inevitable, most resistance can be managed and actually is beneficial. In order to manage resistance to change, managers must first understand what attributes to the resistance and how the resistance is beneficial. Resistance to change can be healthy, because it forces you to check your assumptions and clarify what you are doing, as well as how you are planning to achieve it. The many reasons for resistance are explored and practical solutions, based on findings of research studies, are offered. How to Manage Resistance to Change
It was once stated by Gerard Egan (1988) that there are three certain things in life: death, taxes, and resistance to change. David Foote (2001) is quoted as saying “resistance to change is one of the nastiest, most debilitating workplace cancers.” However, Fine (1986, pp 88-89) states that some resistance to change may even be positive because it sometimes slows down the speed with which innovation might otherwise proceed and allows time for people to adjust to it.
To manage resistance to change effectively, administrators must understand that resistance to change is inevitable and they must allow for some resistance when they are planning to implement a change, big or small. Management also must understand not just what the employee is feeling or thinking, but why their initial response to a new proposal resulted in an acceleration of negative behavior such as decreased job performance or sabotage. Knowing the possible reasons for resistance is needed in order to effectively manage the change, and the resistance that comes along with it.
As a general rule, it is not the proposed changes that people resist, but the impact the changes will have on them, personally. People become comfortable in their jobs, in their areas of expertise, and in their relationships with coworkers and managers. Even when personnel are not very satisfied with the current workplace and therefore welcome