CHANGE RESISTANCE

Employees affected by change

I. Consultant IA - name: George SOARE
George is a product manager who has worked in his departtment for the last 4y.
Because of some management changes, he will be promoted/sent to a different
department in order to solve the conflicts over there. George objects because:
a.) he will be exposed to a new environment which has nothing to do with what
he has worked till date;
example: has to generate a presentation for the "steam drum" product within 5day
(dead-line); he doesn't have, at this time enough information.
b.) George doesn't have experience in a middle management position. He is afraid
of the conflicts that will apear in the new department, because he will have to face and
resolve them.
example: George has to solve a conflict between the technical department and the
commercial department. The deadline for the technical description of the "steam
drum" product is not ready yet. Deadline expired 2days ago. Technical department
suggests it didn't have enough support from the functional description.
c.) because George doesn't know the members of the new department, he will
have to get used to the people he will work with; a lack of communication between
departments.
example: George has to manage a team of 5 people, but he doesn't know what are
their strengths/weaknesses. He will have to build up the team.
II.

Consultant IB - name: Lucretia DINU

Lucretia is considered to be 1 man-department after all members quit their jobs or

have been moved in different departments. Because all members left their previous
jobs in a short period of time, the HR department didn't find replacements
yet. Lucretia is unsatisfied because:
a.) She had to take over all the activities in department. She is overwhelmed by
deadlines and doesn't have the resources to manage the activities.

b) Lucretia has an overloaded schedule; she finishes work at 20.00 everyday and
sometimes has to work in week-ends, in order to cover all activities. This is one of the
factors that will bring Lucretia in a state of mental black-out.
c) Although she tries to cover/work on most of the projects in her department,
Lucretia has difficutlties in respecting dead-lines for each project. Because of this
aspect, she begins to have doubts regarding her managing capabillities.

III.

Consultant IC - name: Monica Giurgulescu

Monica is working on the same position/job for the last 8y. Although she achieved
good results in her activity, she was never proposed to be promoted. Recently, a
friend from a different department was offered a simillar position in France.
a.) Monica receives no positive feedback from the work she is doing; she is bored
for doing the same tasks all over again.
b.) Monica receives no proffesional satisfaction, due to the fact that she is not
facing motivation anymore.
c.) Monica wants to change what she is doing, and know she is motivated by the
collegue that will leave for France.

Overcaming Resistance to Change

In our case, we can talk about the organization inertia, mainly a strong desire
among the employees to maintain the status quo of the organizational structure.
People knew where they stand, what to do and how to manage their tasks. Everything
was familiar to them.

The change involved learning new skills, attitudes together with new ways of doing
things. The management realized that it was not easy for people to give up their
beliefs, to acknowledge new skills and expertise.
1. Education and information. In the first phase, a sense of awareness of the need to
change was created. The following measures were taken:
The initial dialogue session was conducted between the management and employees
from all departments involved in the change (Commercial department, Design and
Production Department, Logistics and Purchasing Department). All employees were
gathered together at the same time in order to avoid rumors. Agenda:
- The scope of change: detail on the organizational change( structure, the impact
on workforce, timelines)
- The implementation plan proposal: the goals and objectives of the change
- The presentation of the new structure of the commercial department and also
the change agent was presented briefly, showing his competencies, expertise
and experience in order for the employees to gain that feeling of trust and
stability
Questions like Why do we need to change the structure of the commercial
department? What will happen if we dont change? were answered.
A proactive newsletter was developed to inform employees about every incremental
change that took place inside the commercial department, as a part of the counseling
service for the workforce.
A master bulletin board was created in the central area of the offices and employees
were requested to post their feedback. Any kind of suggestions and complaints were
welcomed. This initiative was found very creative and fun by the employees, but also
very useful due to the fact that anyone could post an anonymous relevant comment.
2. Participation and involvement. We had to involve the employees in the change
process, to request their opinions and ideas for improving the communication within
the departments and the efficiency in serving the client.
A meeting was held on a weekly basis and employees were requested to evaluate the
current situation and to come up with new better ideas. Also, during the meeting the
employees could talk free about their concerns, fears about the change.
For example the Design and Production department came up with better solution of
particularizing the offers.
3. Facilitation and support. A three day team-building program was initiated twice
during the implementation of the change. In the first month the program aim was to
get people to know each other, to get comfortable and improve the communication

between them. The second programs aim was to consolidate the relationships already
formed.
Output:
- Strengthening employee loyalty
- Development of professional skills and knowledge
- Entertainment and relaxation
- Development of cooperation and communication between colleagues, between
superiors and subordinates, and between departments
- Resolution of problems in teams
4. Negotiating and motivating. Having all details about the structure change,
understanding the scope of the change and building a new team were not enough for
people to give up their resistance. Each employee had a particular or many desires,
fears about the future. So, negotiating with each individual in private was necessary.
For example, the wages were negotiated with the product manager, George Soare and
Lucretia Dinu. They both got a 25% salary raise due to the promotion in a more
demanding position in the company.
Employees like Lucretia Dinu, who worked after schedule, were paid double for all
extra hours.
Employees like Monica Giurgulescu, who dedicated almost a decade of work in the
same position to the company, were promised a future promotion and were given an
extra bonus for the loyalty shown.
New employees were hired in the Human Resources Department at the request of
Lucretia Dinu and she was released from some of her duties.
5. Manipulating. The change agent used all his leadership skills in order to influence
employees adopt a positive attitude towards the change. Many informal
communication sessions were held; each time an employee had a problem in adapting
to the new environment or needed practical guidance. Effort and achievement was
recognized and people were praised for their performances