Overcoming Resistance to Change: Top Ten Reasons for
Change Resistance
by A. J. Schuler, Psy. D.
Top Ten Reasons People Resist Change:
1. THE RISK OF CHANGE IS SEEN AS GREATER THAN THE RISK OF
STANDING STILL
Making a change requires a kind of leap of faith: you decide to move in the direction of
the unknown on the promise that something will be better for you. But you have no
proof. Taking that leap of faith is risky, and people will only take active steps toward the
unknown if they genuinely believe – and perhaps more importantly, feel – that the risks
of standing still are greater than those of moving forward in a new direction. Making a
change is all about managing risk. If you are making the case for change, be sure to set
out in stark, truthful terms why you believe the risk situation favors change. Use
numbers whenever you can, because we in the West pay attention to numbers. At the
very least, they get our attention, and then when the rational mind is engaged, the
emotional mind (which is typically most decisive) can begin to grapple with the prospect
of change. But if you only sell your idea of change based on idealistic, unseen promises
of reward, you won’t be nearly as effective in moving people to action. The power of the
human fight-or-flight response can be activated to fight for change, but that begins with
the perception of risk.
2. PEOPLE FEEL CONNECTED TO OTHER PEOPLE WHO ARE IDENTIFIED
WITH THE OLD WAY
We are a social species. We become and like to remains connected to those we know,
those who have taught us, those with whom we are familiar – even at times to our own
detriment. Loyalty certainly helped our ancestors hunt antelope and defend against the
aggressions of hostile tribes, and so we are hard wired, I believe, to form emotional bonds
of loyalty, generally speaking. If you ask people in an organization to do things in a new
way, as rational as that new way may seem to you, you will be setting yourself up against
all that hard wiring, all those emotional connections to those who taught your audience
the old way - and that’s not trivial. At the very least, as you craft your change message,
you should make statements that honor the work and contributions of those who brought
such success to the organization in the past, because on a very human but seldom
articulated level, your audience will feel asked to betray their former mentors (whether
those people remain in the organization or not). A little good diplomacy at the outset can
stave off a lot of resistance.
3. PEOPLE HAVE NO ROLE MODELS FOR THE NEW ACTIVITY
Never underestimate the power of observational learning. If you see yourself as a change
agent, you probably are something of a dreamer, someone who uses the imagination to
create new possibilities that do not currently exist. Well, most people don’t operate that
way. It’s great to be a visionary, but communicating a vision is not enough. Get some
people on board with your idea, so that you or they can demonstrate how the new way
can work. Operationally, this can mean setting up effective pilot programs that model a
change and work out the kinks before taking your innovation “on the road.” For most
people, seeing is believing. Less rhetoric and more demonstration can go a long way
toward overcoming resistance, changing people’s objections from the “It can’t be done!”
variety to the “How can we get it done?” category.
4. PEOPLE FEAR THEY LACK THE COMPETENCE TO CHANGE
This is a fear people will seldom admit. But sometimes, change in organizations
necessitates changes in skills, and some people will feel that they won’t be able to make
the transition very well. They don’t think they, as individuals, can do it. The hard part is
that some of them may be right. But in many cases, their fears will be unfounded, and
that’s why part of moving people toward change requires you to be an effective
motivator. Even more, a successful change campaign includes effective new training
programs, typically staged from the broad to the specific. By this I mean that initial
events should be town-hall type information events, presenting the rationale and plan for
change, specifying the next steps, outlining future communications channels for
questions, etc., and specifying how people will learn the specifics of what will be
required of them, from whom, and when. Then, training programs must be implemented
and evaluated over time. In this way, you can minimize the initial fear of a lack of
personal competence for change by showing how people will be brought to competence
throughout the change process. Then you have to deliver.
5. PEOPLE FEEL OVERLOADED AND OVERWHELMED
Fatigue can really kill a change effort, for an individual or for an organization. If, for
example, you believe you should quit smoking, but you’ve got ten projects going and
four kids to keep up with, it can be easy to put off your personal health improvement
project (until your first heart attack or cancer scare, when suddenly the risks of standing
still seem greater than the risks of change!). When you’re introducing a change effort, be
aware of fatigue as a factor in keeping people from moving forward, even if they are
telling you they believe in the wisdom of your idea. If an organization has been through
a lot of upheaval, people may resist change just because they are tired and overwhelmed,
perhaps at precisely the time when more radical change is most needed! That’s when you
need to do two things: re-emphasize the risk scenario that forms the rationale for change
(as in my cancer scare example), and also be very generous and continuously attentive
with praise, and with understanding for people’s complaints, throughout the change
process. When you reemphasize the risk scenario, you’re activating people’s fears, the
basic fight-or-flight response we all possess. But that’s not enough, and fear can produce
its own fatigue. You’ve got to motivate and praise accomplishments as well, and be
patient enough to let people vent (without getting too caught up in attending to
unproductive negativity).
6. PEOPLE HAVE A HEALTHY SKEPTICISM AND WANT TO BE SURE NEW
IDEAS ARE SOUND
It’s important to remember that few worthwhile changes are conceived in their final, best
form at the outset. Healthy skeptics perform an important social function: to vet the
change idea or process so that it can be improved upon along the road to becoming
reality. So listen to your skeptics, and pay attention, because some percentage of what
they have to say will prompt genuine improvements to your change idea (even if some of
the criticism you will hear will be based more on fear and anger than substance).
7. PEOPLE FEAR HIDDEN AGENDAS AMONG WOULD-BE REFORMERS
Let’s face it, reformers can be a motley lot. Not all are to be trusted. Perhaps even more
frightening, some of the worst atrocities modern history has known were begun by
earnest people who really believed they knew what was best for everyone else.
Reformers, as a group, share a blemished past . . . And so, you can hardly blame those
you might seek to move toward change for mistrusting your motives, or for thinking you
have another agenda to follow shortly. If you seek to promote change in an organization,
not only can you expect to encounter resentment for upsetting the established order and
for thinking you know better than everyone else, but you may also be suspected of
wanted to increase your own power, or even eliminate potential opposition through later
stages of change.
I saw this in a recent change management project for which I consulted, when
management faced a lingering and inextinguishable suspicion in some quarters that the
whole affair was a prelude to far-reaching layoffs. It was not the case, but no amount of
reason or reassurance sufficed to quell the fears of some people. What’s the solution?
Well, you’d better be interested in change for the right reasons, and not for personal or
factional advantage, if you want to minimize and overcome resistance. And you’d better
be as open with information and communication as you possibly can be, without reacting
unduly to accusations and provocations, in order to show your good faith, and your
genuine interest in the greater good of the organization. And if your change project will
imply reductions in workforce, then be open about that and create an orderly process for
outplacement and in-house retraining. Avoid the drip-drip-drip of bad news coming out
in stages, or through indirect communication or rumor. Get as much information out
there as fast as you can and create a process to allow everyone to move on and stay
focused on the change effort.
8. PEOPLE FEEL THE PROPOSED CHANGE THREATENS THEIR NOTIONS OF
THEMSELVES
Sometimes change on the job gets right to a person’s sense of identity. When a factory
worker begins to do less with her hands and more with the monitoring of automated
instruments, she may lose her sense of herself as a craftsperson, and may genuinely feel
that the very things that attracted her to the work in the first place have been lost. I saw
this among many medical people and psychologists during my graduate training, as the
structures of medical reimbursement in this country changed in favor of the insurance
companies, HMO’s and managed care organizations. Medical professionals felt they had
less say in the treatment of their patients, and felt answerable to less well trained people
in the insurance companies to approve treatments the doctors felt were necessary. And
so, the doctors felt they had lost control of their profession, and lost the ability to do what
they thought best for patients.
My point is not to take sides in that argument, but to point out how change can get right
to a person’s sense of identity, the sense of self as a professional. As a result, people may
feel that the intrinsic rewards that brought them to a particular line of work will be lost
with the change. And in some cases, they may be absolutely right. The only answer is to
help people see and understand the new rewards that may come with a new work process,
or to see how their own underlying sense of mission and values can still be realized under
the new way of operating. When resistance springs from these identity-related roots, it is
deep and powerful, and to minimize its force, change leaders must be able to understand
it and then address it, acknowledging that change does have costs, but also, (hopefully)
larger benefits.
9. PEOPLE ANTICIPATE A LOSS OF STATUS OR QUALITY OF LIFE
Real change reshuffles the deck a bit. Reshuffling the deck can bring winners . . . and
losers. Some people, most likely, will gain in status, job security, quality of life, etc. with
the proposed change, and some will likely lose a bit. Change does not have to be a zero
sum game, and change can (and should) bring more advantage to more people than
disadvantage. But we all live in the real world, and let’s face it – if there were no
obstacles (read: people and their interests) aligned against change, then special efforts to
promote change would be unnecessary.
Some people will, in part, be aligned against change because they will clearly, and in
some cases correctly, view the change as being contrary to their interests. There are
various strategies for minimizing this, and for dealing with steadfast obstacles to change
in the form of people and their interests, but the short answer for dealing with this
problem is to do what you can to present the inevitability of the change given the risk
landscape, and offer to help people to adjust. Having said that, I’ve never seen a real
organizational change effort that did not result in some people choosing to leave the
organization, and sometimes that’s best for all concerned. When the organization
changes, it won’t be to everyone’s liking, and in that case, it’s best for everyone to be
adult about it and move on.
10. PEOPLE GENUINELY BELIEVE THAT THE PROPOSED CHANGE IS A BAD
IDEA
I’ll never forget what a supervisor of mine said to be, during the year after I had
graduated from college, secure as I was in the knowledge of my well earned, pedigreed
wisdom at age twenty-two. We were in a meeting, and I made the comment, in response
to some piece of information, “Oh, I didn’t know that!” Ricky, my boss, looked at me
sideways, and commented dryly, “Things you don’t know . . . fill libraries.” The truth is,
sometimes someone’s (even – gasp! – my) idea of change is just not a good idea.
Sometimes people are not being recalcitrant, or afraid, or muddle-headed, or nasty, or
foolish when they resist. They just see that we’re wrong. And even if we’re not all
wrong, but only half wrong, or even if we’re right, it’s important not to ignore when
people have genuine, rational reservations or objections.
Not all resistance is about emotion, in spite of this list I’ve assembled here. To win
people’s commitment for change, you must engage them on both a rational level and an
emotional level. I’ve emphasized the emotional side of the equation for this list because I
find, in my experience, that this is the area would-be change agents understand least
well. But I’m also mindful that a failure to listen to and respond to people’s rational
objections and beliefs is ultimately disrespectful to them, and to assume arrogantly that
we innovative, change agent types really do know best. A word to the wise: we’re just
as fallible as anyone.
Using the Change Curve
Accelerating change, and increasing its likelihood of success.
Initially, many people want to cling to the past.
© iStockphoto/gunnar
Here's the scenario: You have invested vast amounts of time and dollars in the latest systems and processes; you have
trained everyone; and you have made their lives so much easier (or so you think.) Yet months later, people still persist
in their old ways: Where are the business improvements you expected? And when will the disruption you're
experiencing subside?
The fact is that organizations don't just change because of new systems, processes or new organization structures. They
change because the people within the organization adapt and change too. Only when the people within it have made
their own personal transitions can an organization truly reap the benefits of change.
As someone needing to make changes within your organization, the challenge is not only to get the systems, process
and structures right, but also to help and support people through these individual transitions (which can sometimes be
intensely traumatic, and involve loss of power and prestige... and even employment.)
The easier you can make this journey for people, the sooner your organization will benefit, and the more likely you are
to be successful. However if you get this wrong, you could be heading for project – and career – failure.
The Change Curve is a popular and powerful model used to understand the stages of personal transition and
organizational change. It helps you understand how people will react to change, so that you can help them make their
own personal transitions, and make sure that they have the help and support they need.
Here, we first look at the theory behind the Change Curve. Then we look at how you can use it to accelerate change and
improve its likelihood of success.
Note 1:
The Change Curve is widely used in business and change management and there are many variations and adaptations.
It is often attributed to psychiatrist Elisabeth Kubler-Ross, resulting from her work on personal transition in grief and
bereavement.
Note 2:
Here we're describing major change, which may be genuinely traumatic for the people undergoing it. If change is less
intense, adjust the approach appropriately.
The Change Curve:
The Change Curve model describes the four stages most people go through as they adjust to change. You can see this in
figure 1, below.
When a change is first introduced, people's initial reaction may be shock or denial, as they react to the challenge to the
status quo. This is stage 1 of the Change Curve.
Once the reality of the change starts to hit, people tend to react negatively and move to stage 2 of the Change Curve:
They may fear the impact; feel angry; and actively resist or protest against the changes.
Some will wrongly fear the negative consequences of change. Others will correctly identify real threats to their
position.
As a result, the organization experiences disruption which, if not carefully managed, can quickly spiral into chaos.
For as long as people resist the change and remain at stage 2 of the Change Curve, the change will be unsuccessful, at
least for the people who react in this way. This is a stressful and unpleasant stage. For everyone, it is much healthier to
move to stage 3 of the Change Curve, where pessimism and resistance give way to some optimism and acceptance.
Tip:
It's easy just to think that people resist change out of sheer awkwardness and lack of vision. However you need to
recognize that for some, change may affect them negatively in a very real way that you may not have foreseen. For
example, people who've developed expertise in (or have earned a position of respect from) the old way of doing things
can see their positions severely undermined by change.
At stage 3 of the Change Curve, people stop focusing on what they have lost. They start to let go, and accept the
changes. They begin testing and exploring what the changes mean, and so learn the reality of what's good and not so
good, and how they must adapt.
By stage 4, they not only accept the changes but also start to embrace them: They rebuild their ways of working. Only
when people get to this stage can the organization can really start to reap the benefits of change.
Using the Change Curve
With knowledge of the Change Curve, you can plan how you'll minimize the negative impact of the change and help
people adapt more quickly to it. Your aim is to make the curve shallower and narrower, as you can see in figure 2.
As someone introducing change, you can use your knowledge of the Change Curve to give individuals the information
and help they need, depending on where they are on the curve. This will help you accelerate change, and increase its
likelihood of success.
Actions at each stage are:
Stage 1:
At this stage, people may be in shock or in denial. Even if the change has been well planned and you understand what
is happening, this is when reality of the change hits, and people need to take time to adjust. Here, people need
information, need to understand what is happening, and need to know how to get help.
This is a critical stage for communication. Make sure you communicate often, but also ensure that you don't overwhelm
people: They'll only be able to take in a limited amount of information at a time. But make sure that people know where
to go for more information if they need it, and ensure that you take the time to answer any questions that come up.
Stage 2:
As people start to react to the change, they may start to feel concern, anger, resentment or fear. They may resist the
change actively or passively. They may feel the need to express their feelings and concerns, and vent their anger.
For the organization, this stage is the "danger zone". If this stage is badly managed, the organization may descend into
crisis or chaos.
So this stage needs careful planning and preparation. As someone responsible for change, you should prepare for this
stage by carefully considering the impacts and objections that people may have.
Make sure that you address these early with clear communication and support, and by taking action to minimize and
mitigate the problems that people will experience. As the reaction to change is very personal and can be emotional, it is
often impossible to preempt everything, so make sure that you listen and watch carefully during this stage (or have
mechanisms to help you do this) so you can respond to the unexpected.
Stage 3:
This is the turning point for individuals and for the organization. Once you turn the corner to stage 3, the organization
starts to come out of the danger zone, and is on the way to making a success of the changes.
Individually, as people's acceptance grows, they'll need to test and explore what the change means. They will do this
more easily if they are helped and supported to do so, even if this is a simple matter of allowing enough time for them
to do so.
As the person managing the changes, you can lay good foundations for this stage by making sure that people are well
trained, and are given early opportunities to experience what the changes will bring. Be aware that this stage is vital for
learning and acceptance, and that it takes time: Don't expect people to be 100% productive during this time, and build
in the contingency time so that people can learn and explore without too much pressure.
Stage 4:
This stage is the one you have been waiting for! This is where the changes start to become second nature, and people
embrace the improvements to the way they work.
As someone managing the change, you'll finally start to see the benefits you worked so hard for. Your team or
organization starts to become productive and efficient, and the positive effects of change become apparent.
Whilst you are busy counting the benefits, don't forget to celebrate success! The journey may have been rocky, and it
will have certainly been at least a little uncomfortable for some people involved: Everyone deserves to share the
success. What's more, by celebrating the achievement, you establish a track record of success: Which will make things
easier the next time change is needed.
Adjusting to Changing Organization Culture
The work culture represents the ideologies, principles, policies and beliefs of the organization. The individual’s style of working, his
behaviour and ways of interaction also contribute to the culture of the organization.
There are several reasons which lead to a change in the organization culture. Change in management, poor financial conditions,
revisions in goals and targets bring a change in the culture of the organization.
Accepting changes in the work culture is the toughest thing to do for an employee. Not all employees can happily adapt to
organizational changes.
Employees need time to cope up with a new culture. Miracles can’t happen overnight and habits do not change all of a sudden.
employees must spend some time to understand and adjust to the new culture. One should work with an open mind and willingly ac
things. Don’t always crib as it leads to no solution. The employees must try their level best to accept the changes with a smile and w
accordingly. One should never be in a rush. The management must also give time to the employees for them to gel with the new cu
Don’t pressurize anyone to accept changes all of a sudden.
The employees must design new strategies, new plan of actions and policies to meet the new
challenges. Try to find out the exact reasons for the change. The ideas which were successful earlier might
now fall out of place. One should not be adamant. Sit with your team leader, discuss all possible options and
try to implement something which would work best in the new culture and benefit you as well as your
organization.
An employee must change his behaviour and thought process as per the culture. It is essential to be
flexible. Being adaptable at the workplace always pays in the long run. Remember everything happens for
the best. One should always try to look at the positive aspects of life rather than cribbing on things which are
beyond anyone’s control.
Janet worked with an organization of repute. Her organization followed a culture where the employees never
reached office on time. There were no strict rules and regulations for the employees. Janet found her work
culture very comfortable as there was no pressure on her to reach work on time.
Very soon her organization hired someone from its competitor to take charge of the organization. He made
several changes in the work culture, the first and the foremost being fixed timings for all the
emloyees.Everyone irrespective of the designation had to reach office on time. All the employees had to
adhere to the guidelines and policies of the organization.
Condition A
Janet found it very difficult to adjust to the new culture. She could not accept the sudden change in the work
culture, cribbed amongst her fellow workers and found her work as a burden.
Condition B
Janet happily accepted the change and tried her level best to adjust to it.She was intelligent enough to
understand that after all the change was for the benefit of the organization. She got up little early everyday
and reached office on time. She gave her best everyday and won the appreciation of her superiors as well
as the management.
Which situation do you feel is better ?
Obviously Situation B
One should always remember that a little change in one’s behaviour can make the organization a better
place to work.
Few tips to adjust to the changing organization culture.
 Give time to adjust
 Be flexible
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Work with an open mind
Never crib
Look at the positive side
Develop alternate plans
Don’t get too attached to someone at the workplace
8 Steps to Managing and Implementing
Organizational Change
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By kathyclark
8 Steps to Managing and Implementing Organizational Change
Change is a word that provokes uneasiness for the majority of people. The definition of
change is “to become different, to become altered or modified, to be transformed or
converted .”
Since we are creatures of habit, change is a difficult thing for most people. We would all
agree that change can sometimes be good – a new job, a marriage, children or a new house
are all examples of positive changes for us. So then, why is it so difficult for people to adapt
to change at work?
When a change is presented in the workplace to challenge the status quo, employees will
inevitable resist it. I worked with a woman years ago who we moved from a small cubicle to a
large shared office. The new office was at least twice the work space and had new furniture.
We mistakenly thought she would be excited about this change but she was very upset and
kicked and screamed her way into the new office. She told us over and over again that she
“did not like change.” Fortunately months later, when she was settled in and adjusted, she
thanked us for the new work space.
This is a good example of how we all perceive and process things differently and what is
exciting for one person may be a major upset for another. We all have the tendency to get
comfortable, set in our ways and resist change because it disrupts our fine tuned daily
habits.
Research of successful organizations tells us that continually doing things the same way
produces the same results and often it requires changing things to help get an organization
to the next level. Examples of workplace changes are changes in benefit plans,
new workplace safety procedures, an office change or perhaps a new computer software
program - the management of change dictates its ability to be successful.
So if the saying is true, “change is constant”, why do so many people resist change? Many
times it is fear of not knowing how the change will affect them, and not knowing, makes
people feel like they have no control. Organizational leaders are responsible for minimizing
the negative impact on employees by managing the change efforts. This is done by
communicating as much information as possible in an effort to help people understand the
reasons the change is being made.Employees will be less resistant to change if they are
communicated with in a timely manner and really understand the reasons for the change.
8 Steps to Change Implementation
1. Making a Case for Change
Changes should only be done when there is a data-driven reason for making a change.
There are many sources of data that can drive change. It could be product defect rates,
customer comment cards, employee satisfaction survey results, customer satisfaction survey
results, workplace safety issues, business goals or budgetary pressures. Utilizing available
data is the best way to find areas that need improvement.
2. Senior Leadership Support
One of the most important aspects of change management is having senior leader support. It
is critical for senior leaders to help communicate the reason for the change and interact with
employees through the change implementation. Employees will be less resistant if they see
senior level leaders supporting the change process.
3. Communication Plan
The process of change communication should be systematic and structured. Employees look
to their leadership to inform them of changes whether global or area specific. Poor
communication fuels the rumor mill which can create resistance to change. Proactive
communication about change initiatives help employees feel like they are part of the process
and valued.
4. Employee Partners
A major mistake many organizations make is not involving frontline employees in change
projects. Whether a change is large or small, the reason behind it needs to be appropriately
communicated as well as how the change will impact the way an employee does their job.
Employees are the knowledge experts in how work gets done and offer a wealth of
information that can help with the planning andimplementation of changes. Whether it is
looking for ways to reduce costs, improve customer satisfaction or changing a work process,
employees can add much needed value to planning the change process.
5. Removing Barriers
For successful change implementation, barriers need to be removed. Barriers can be other
departments, poor preparation or training, lack of equipment and supplies or resistant
employees. In these situations management is responsible for stepping in to help resolve
issues. This may include dealing with resistant employees or removing other obstacles that
affect successful implementation. There are occasions when some employees don’t adjust to
changes and just need to be moved on.
6. Change Initiative Implementation
The implementation of the change initiative should be put in a timeline that shows the order
of the implementation. A well planned timeline will ensure that any new equipment, needed
supplies or training takes place before the change is fully implemented. Failing to do so can
create frustration for those affected employees. An example of this would be upgrading an
employee’s computer software before the employee has gone through the software training.
This could create employee frustration as well as a slowdown in work processes.
7. Change Assessment
After a change is implemented, there should be follow-up to see if the change delivered the
desired results. Change often exceeds desired results but occasionally a change does not
work as planned. When this happens, management should acknowledge what failed and try
to make adjustments until target results are achieved.
8. Celebration
It is important to acknowledge and celebrate success as changes are made. Celebrating
even small changes can help build momentum for bigger changes. These celebration
moments help make employees feel engaged and want to participate in the process.
Successful change implementation comes when employees have a good understanding of
why a change is needed and are given the opportunity to be part of the planning and
implementation of the change