Strategy: Resistance to change Despite the potential positive outcomes, change is nearly always resisted.

A degree of resistance is normal since change is:

Disruptive, and Stressful

Management trying to implement change will often come across other people in the business responding with phrases such as:

My needs are already being met We dont need to do this This sounds like bad news The risks outweigh the benefits What does this mean for me?

Of course a degree of scepticism can be healthy especially where there are weaknesses in the proposed changes. However resistance will also impede the achievement of business objectives. Some common reasons why change is resisted include:

Parochial self interest

Individuals are concerned with the implications for themselves; their view is often biased by their perception of a particular situation Habit Habit provides both comfort and security Habits are often well-established and difficult to change Misunderstanding Communications problems Inadequate information Low tolerance of change Sense of insecurity Different assessment of Disagreement over the need for change the situation Disagreement over the advantages and disadvantages Economic implications Employees are likely to resist change which is perceived as affecting their pay or other rewards Established patterns of working and reward create a vested interest in maintaining the status quo Fear of the unknown Proposed changes which confront people tend to generate fear and anxiety Introducing new technology or working practices creates uncertainty We have touched earlier on personal barriers to change there are also several organisational barriers to change, including:

Structural inertia Existing power structures Resistance from work groups Failure of previous change initiatives

Change is also resisted because of the poor way in which change is managed! For example, a failure by management responsible for the change to:

Explain the need for change Provide information Consult, negotiate and offer support and training Involve people in the process Build trust and sense of security Build employee relations

As a result of change resistance and poorly managed change projects, many of them ultimately fail to achieve their objectives. Amongst the reasons commonly associated with failed change programmes are:

Employees do not understand the purpose or even the need for change Lack of planning and preparation Poor communication Employees lack the necessary skills and/ or there is insufficient training and development offered Lack of necessary resources Inadequate/inappropriate rewards

http://tutor2u.net/business/strategy/change-management-resistance-barriers.html (retrieved april 23, 2012)

Managing Resistance to Change

by Susan Lee It is normal to experience resistance whenever there is change. Understanding that there will beresistance to change will help you anticipate resistance, identify its sources and reasons, and modify your efforts to manage the issues of change to ensure the success of your change efforts. Resistance is actually healthy. Try not to react against it defensively. It is good for you because it makes you check your assumptions and it forces you to clarify what you are doing. You must always probe the objections to find the real reason for resistance. Many times, it comes down to personal fear. As the leader, you must take the time to understand resistance and you may have to come

at it from several different angles before it is conquered. You must understand what your employees are feeling, as well as thinking. Ways to reduce resistance to change: 1. Involve interested parties in the planning of change by asking them for suggestions and incorporating their ideas.

2. Clearly define the need for the change by communicating the strategic decision personally and in written form. 3. Address the "people needs" of those involved. Disrupt only what needs to be changed. Help people retain friendships, comfortable settings and group norms wherever possible.

4. Design flexibility into change by phasing it in wherever possible. This will allow people to complete current efforts and assimilate new behaviours along the way. Allow employees to redefine their roles during the course of implementing change.

5. Be open and honest.

6. Do not leave openings for people to return to the status quo. If you and your organization are not ready to commit yourselves to the change, don't announce the strategy.

7. Focus continually on the positive aspects of the change. Be specific where you can.

8. Deliver training programs that develop basic skills as opposed to processes such as: conducting meetings, communication, teambuilding, self-esteem, and coaching.

http://www.bia.ca/articles/chng-managing-resistance.htm (retrieved april 23, 2012)

14 key change management elements

0 CommentsPosted in: Change Management | Tags: Business Improvement, Change Management,Culture Change, Employee Engagement, Leadership | By: Torben Rick | May 25, 2011 Managing change has always been difficult and will always be fraught with danger because it is so easy to introduce change the wrong way. So the logical question to ask is if there is a perfect way to introduce and manage change. The answer is no. There is no universal solution which applies to all change programmes. Organisations are different, the reasons for change are different, timescales and budgets are different. Each change programme will have to be implemented on its own merits. But there are things we can do to reduce the level of resistance. Ways to reduce resistance to change: 1. Be timely Announce an impending change as quickly as possible rumors start very quickly. Delivering bad news is one of the biggest challenges managers face 2. The need for change Find lots of ways to demonstrate why the change is necessary. Change management require a compelling change story communicating it to employees and following it up with ongoing communications and involvement 3. Involvement Involve interested parties in the planning of change by asking them for suggestions and incorporating their ideas. If people are involved in change and understand the reasons for it they become supportive of the whole idea and the change process. If people are given the opportunity to take responsibility and accountability for certain parts of a change programme their sense of ownership will make them even stronger advocates 4. Communication Lots of it. Change is unsettling because it brings with it an element of uncertainty. And it is the uncertainty which is a major cause of resistance to change. People can relate to facts good or bad but uncertainty and contradicting messages breed unease and resistance. Therefore, it is important to communicate with everybody about everything in relation to the upcoming changes in order to reduce the uncertainty. Use any communication channels available and remember that it is impossible to over-communicate change 5. The past 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 6. Watch for staff reaction Look for signals that something is not going well with the new change. Rather than trying to force a change, find out what staff doesnt like about it. Work with their concerns or even rethink the proposed change 7. Control staff anxiety Change means a new way of doing things and most people are fearful of the unfamiliar. Provide assurances that there will be support and time to become familiar with the new change. It takes a while for people to adjust 8. Use social media Social media platforms are ideal mechanisms to facilitate change because much of change management boils down to ongoing conversations and dialogue in a company. Business leaders should start asking how can social media platforms help achieve business objectives beyond marketing: shaping company culture, strengthening change management initiatives, improving execution of corporate strategy, facilitating corporate communication, and increasing employee engagement. 9. Storytelling Storytelling can be a powerful tool when you want to drive organizational change. Good leaders tell stories that cast them and their organizations as agents of change, rather than defenders of the status quo. As a leader, you cannot eliminate fear, abolish uncertainty or avoid the prospect of change for your company. But you can leverage these emotional navigational stakes to your greatest advantage by telling a purposeful story 10. Increase engagement by asking questions Have you ever been talked at instead of had someone talk with? It doesnt feel good to have someone talk at you. It leaves you feeling like you might as well not have been there at all. It is much more powerful asking questions. Increase engagement by asking questions when leading change 11. Creat small wins Large change management problems are best broken down into smaller ones with concrete achievable goals. Otherwise it can be so overwhelming that solutions seem unattainable therefore, people often avoid tackling them or come up with single, grand programs that fail. Dont forget to pour champagne on it 12. Training programs Deliver training programs that develop skills that is needed to suppoert the new way 13. Dont change for the sake of change Continual change leads to resistance. Making a change for the purpose of shaking things up makes it more difficult to get acceptance of necessary changes. Save your energy for more important changes

14. Dont be afraid to change your mind Some changes dont turn out as well as others. Why not say forget it. Nothing is gained by forcing staff to accept a change they know isnt necessary. Companies most likely to be successful in making change work to their advantage are the ones that no longer view change as a discrete event, but as a constant opportunity to evolve the business. Organizations, and the people within them, must constantly re-invent themselves to remain competitive. Sustaining success depends on an organizations ability to adapt to a changing environment. Short URL & Title: 14 key elements in reducing resistance to change http://www.torbenrick.eu/t/r/emo(retrieved april 23, 2012)

12 reasons why people resist change

5 CommentsPosted in: Change Management | Tags: Business Improvement, Change Management,Culture Change, Employee Engagement, Performance Management | By: Torben Rick | May 23, 2011 Expecting resistance to change and planning for it from the start of your change management progamme will allow you to effectively manage objections. Understanding the most common reasons people object to change gives you the opportunity to plan your change strategy to address these factors. Its not possible to be aware of all sources of resistance to change. Expecting that there will be resistance to change and being prepared to manage it is a proactive step. Recognizing behaviors that indicate possible resistance will raise awareness of the need to address the concerns. At the end of the day all sources of resistance to change need to be acknowledged and peoples emotions validated. Its far better to anticipate objections than to spend your time putting out fires, and knowing how to overcome resistance to change is a vital part of any change management plan. 12 typical reasons for resistance to change: 1. Misunderstanding about the need for change/when the reason for the change is unclear If staff do not understand the need for change you can expect resistance. Especially from those who strongly believe the current way of doing things works welland has done for twenty years!

2. Fear of the unknown One of the most common reasons for resistance is fear of the unknown. 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 3. Lack of competence This is a fear people will seldom admit. But sometimes, change in organizations necessitates changes in skills, and some people will feel that they wont be able to make the transition very well 4. Connected to the old way 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 thats not trivial 5. Low trust When people dont believe that they, or the company, can competently manage the change there is likely to be resistance 6. Temporary fad When people belief that the change initiative is a temporary fad 7. Not being consulted If people are allowed to be part of the change there is less resistance. People like to know whats going on, especially if their jobs may be affected.Informed employees tend to have higher levels of job satisfaction than uninformed employees 8. Poor communication Its self evident isnt it? When it comes to change management theres no such thing as too much communication 9. Changes to routines When we talk about comfort zones were really referring to routines. We love them. They make us secure. So theres bound to be resistance whenever change requires us to do things differently 10. Exhaustion/Saturation Dont mistake compliance for acceptance. People who are overwhelmed by continuous change resign themselves to it and go along with the flow. You have them in body, but you do not have their hearts. Motivation is low 11. Change in the status quo Resistance can also stem from perceptions of the change that people hold. For example, people who feel theyll be worse off at the end of the change are unlikely to give it their full support. Similarly, if people believe the change favours another group/department/person there may be (unspoken) anger and resentment 12. Benefits and rewards When the benefits and rewards for making the change are not seen as adequate for the trouble involved To win peoples commitment for change, you must engage them on both a rational level and an emotional level.

Short URL & Title: 12 reasons why people resist change http://www.torbenrick.eu/t/r/hwj

12 important elements for successful change management effort

3 CommentsPosted in: Change Management | Tags: Business Improvement, Change Management,Culture Change, Employee Engagement, Leadership, Strategy | By: Torben Rick | March 3, 2011

Sustaining success depends on an organizations ability to adapt to a changing environment whether its an external change, such as a transformative technology or a changing economy, or an internal one, such as a restructuring or key process

overhaul. Unfortunately, 70% of organizational transformations fail. Why? Because to many crucial elements in the change process are skipped. Sometimes we wrongly assume that change is all about improving financial results stock price, profitability, sales. We forget that successful transformation also generates soft benefits, such as trust, new organizational capabilities, and emotional commitment among employees. But even if we strive for financial and non-financial results, additional perils await: painful emotions that boil up in our workforces whenever we ask people to think or do things differently. Whether its anger, alarm, or confusion, we must ease those feelings by cultivating an environment of trust, involvement and empowerment. Nothing about leading change is easy. 1. Create a sense of urgency based on the companys financial performance, competitive situation, market position, technological trends create a burning platform: What will happen if we dont react now? Management need to be able to tell a compelling change story that motivate employees. But before you you get buy-in, people need to feel the problem. People arent going to consider anything until they are convinced there is a problem that truly needs to be addressed. 2. Communicate this information broadly and dramatically, especially with respect to crises, potential crises etc. To successfully implement change initiatives, organizational leaders must identify the need for change and communicate it throughout the organization. 3. When dealing with change management it is often required to have a closer look at the current strategy 4. Determine areas of improvements: Main- & Sub driver 5. Create a shared vision, values and common directions. Make sure to address culture 6. Visualize the journey 7. Communicate the goals/targets in a simple way a surprisingly simple image can express more ideas than a thousand complex words. For goals/targets to be meaningful and effective in motivating employees, they must be tied to larger organizational ambitions 8. Create a dialog Involve the whole organization. When ever possible use storytelling - storytelling can be a powerful tool when you want to drive organizational change 9. Measure early and often and tell about it 10. If you want something to grow, pour champagne on it: Create wins 11. Continuously lookout for inconsistencies Deal proactively with resistance

12. Align performance management processes to drive desired behavior changes