Organizational Change: The Causes Of Resistance To Change

1063 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Literature review on employee resistance to change

Change is actually one of the things in life that can never be avoided, no matter how hard we try; it is the one constant in life. When it comes to organizations however, change can often be difficult, if not impossible, depending on a number of factors including employee receptiveness. There have been many studies completed on the cause of resistance to change. In Coch and French’s research study (1948) they asked two important questions surrounding resistance, “(1) Why do people resist change so strongly? and (2) What can be done to overcome this resistance?” Most change program experts will certainly name resistance to change as one of the largest obstructions to successfully executing change programs. Coch and French believed that resistance …show more content…

When change initiative does not coincide with or support the existing cultural understandings and meaning systems, culture-based resistance will be the resulting consequence”. We have seen throughout research that it is culture, not individuals that make up the resistance to change component. It is not as simple as a disgruntled employee who is just reluctant to learn something new or to develop or improve an existing system. Resistance to change is a cultural phenomenon that will continue to impede the implementation of programs for organizations who don’t get it right. Ruthvo and Bullis provide five lessons organizations can learn to improve the outcome of their change programs. Others, such as Bernard Burnes (2015), further demonstrate that resistance does not rise from individuals, but ”from situations where organizations create a conflict between their espoused values of rationality and fairness and actual practices which employees see as unfair and irrational”. In all, it is clear that indicating employees as the primary source of resistance to change is not exclusively accurate. We must continue to refine our research as we seek to better understand resistance and to discover what the barriers for overcoming it

Show More
Related

  • Heart Of Change Essay

    2170 Words  | 5 Pages

    In today’s ever changing world people must adapt to change. If an organization wants to be successful or remain successful they must embrace change. This book helps us identify why people succeed and or fail at large scale change. A lot of companies have a problem with integrating change, The Heart of Change, outlines ways a company can integrate change. The text book Ivanceich’s Organizational Behavior and Kotter and Cohen’s The Heart of Change outlines how change can be a good thing within an organization. The Heart of Change introduces its readers to eight steps the authors feel are important in introducing a large scale organizational change. Today’s organizations have to deal with leadership change, change in the economy,

    Read More

  • Goal Setting and Overcoming Immunity to Change

    2746 Words  | 6 Pages

    Kegan, R. & L. Laskow Lahey. (2009). Immunity to Change: How to overcome it and unlock potential in yourself and your organization. Boston, MA: Harvard Business Press.

    Read More

  • Sigitek Case

    1306 Words  | 3 Pages

    Resistance to change appears to be a common phenomenon, it can take many forms and it may be difficult to identify the exact reason for the opposition. Although organizations have to adapt to their environment, they may set up defenses against changes and they prefer to concentrate on the routine things they perform well.

    Read More

  • “Leading Change: Why Transformation Efforts Fail”

    860 Words  | 2 Pages

    Changing situations throughout the world affect all organizations in business today. Therefore, most organizations acknowledge the need to experience change and transformation in order to survive. The key challenges companies face are due to the advancements in technology, the social environment caused by globalization, the pace of competition, and the demands regarding customer expectations. It is difficult to overcome the obstacles involved with change despite all the articles, books, and publications devoted to the topic. People are naturally resistant to fundamental changes and often intimidated by the process; the old traditional patterns and methods are no longer effective.

    Read More

  • Understanding Individual Resistance in Organizational Change

    2820 Words  | 6 Pages

    According to Mullins (2005) despite the outcome, change is often resisted at both the individual and the company level. Also both Molinsky (1999) and Agocs (1997) attribute resistance to managers (primary change agents) as well as to employees. Agocs (1997) argues that not only do individuals experience change in different ways, they also vary in their ability and willingness to adapt to change. Organisation need to understand that emotion plays a significant role in contributing to the interaction of the individuals within the group that is likely to reconfirm self of the individual (Kool, and Dierendonck 2012). In term of employees resistance is often cause by fear of the unknown, habit, inertia, conformity and so on, however organisation itself can contribute to resistance. The beliefs themselves are established and embedded within the organization, and those in power control resources. These dominant individuals hold the power to resist change when change is threatening to their positions...

    Read More

  • Implementing Change Within The Workplace

    741 Words  | 2 Pages

    Implementing change in the workplace is a dynamic process. Although change itself can be controlled and limited to some degree, innovation is substantially even more dynamic. This dynamic, unpredictable process introduces vulnerability, which can lead to employee frustration. Just as the scenario addresses, many individuals become motivated at the thought of change and innovation; however, the change does not occur due to resistance or other obstacles. Much of this resistance arises from the unpredictability and vulnerability of the process. Managers must be able to prevent or manage resistance by using tools and strategies to smooth the process.

    Read More

  • Managing Resistance to Change during a Merger

    1256 Words  | 3 Pages

    People often resist change based on fear of the unknown, fear of loss, fear of failure, disruption of interpersonal relations, personality, politics, and cultural assumptions and values. However, there are numerous other reasons people resist change. Many of these center on the notion of reactance, that is, a negative reaction that occurs when individuals feel that their personal freedom is threatened. Some of the major reasons for resisting change are fear of the unknown, fear of loss, fear of failure, personality, politics, and cultural assumptions, and values. The reasons for resistance are as diverse as the workforce itself and vary with different individuals and organizations. The challenge for managers is introducing change in a positive manner and managing employee resistance. Traditionally, resistance is seen as a barrier or negative which can increase resistance. However, many strong leaders today are looking at resistance as a learning tool and form of feedback. If feedback is used correctly it can be used to manage the change process productively and positively.

    Read More

  • The Importance Of Organizational Change

    1054 Words  | 3 Pages

    All people resist change even from the top of the organization down to the level of people doing the work for many reasons, mostly due to the way it alters the company’s culture. For instance, people resist change because of the uncertainty it brings, like fear of losing their jobs, fear of their capabilities, and even outcomes or failures of the past, or to challenge managers in proving the decision is wrong. Even CEOs will resist change if they see no rewards (Tanner, 2017). However, this list could go on, especially with the global economy, the rate of technological growth, change, it is enviable for companies’ survival, and change should not be resisted. Thus, the bottom line is management should expect resistance to change and learn how to manage the resistance, and provide and get feedback from all of those who are involved in identifying the gaps to why the people feel the way they

    Read More

  • A Perspective on Organizational Changes

    2637 Words  | 6 Pages

    An organization goes through many barriers when implementing changes to restructure the daily routines when the foundation is surrounded by a person in charge changing on a recurring basis. Let's take a look at a variety of levels a company endure when making changes to shaping and anticipating the future of an organization. The company will need to assess their weaknesses and strengths to possibly move into opportunities to improve the mission and goals while an organization goes through changes. The next level is to define the mission with expectations by attempting to create a strategic plan to put into action when making changes in an organization. And then, the company move into implementing the plan to reorganize the goals to substantially fulfill or work toward productivity, customer service, effectiveness, and the quality of work of a specific organization. Finally, the last stage is working toward changing the process. It will best to take small steps into getting employees accumulated to changes in order for it to focus on the less important changes to existing and future work processes. Ultimately, the goal must be measureable to determine if the changes will be useful or counterproductive and the best way to test the method is through a plan or strategies because they look at the how, which is very similar to the goal and evaluate what will transpire in the course of each level. The goals are sought by taking advantage of the moment in time before the opportunity passes by. Also, can the goal be attainable, realistic, a step by step action and come to the conclusion of observable results that can be accomplished through the many changes an organi...

    Read More

  • A Configuration Model Of Organizational Culture

    1008 Words  | 3 Pages

    In addition to the driving forces of change, implementations of any OD change program needs to take account of the restraining forces of change. The advocates of the transmutation may surmise that everyone will actively support the transmutation because its goals are worthwhile, but this is sometimes not what transpires. Since change always alters the status quo, managers should anticipate some employee resistance and plan for this eventuality in the vicissitude strategy. The failure of management to win acceptance of the proposed changes can be one of the most paramount obstructions to an OD change program (Brown, 2014 p.126).

    Read More

  • Understanding Employee Resistance to Change

    850 Words  | 2 Pages

    Employee resistance participants gave a variety of reasons forresistance by employees and managers. The top-five reasons for employee resistance were:

    Read More

  • Importance Of Organizational Change

    1922 Words  | 4 Pages

    A question that arises is why do employees resist change. People would rather stick with the status quo than adjusting to the change. It is important to understand why change is so hard to deal with to begin with so managers can get the gist of how to keep employers motivated. First, employers tend to resist change because they think it is going to conflict with their self-interests. Change can increase the employee 's workload and in return, there can be a loss of power, prestige, pay, or benefits. Employees avoid this type of change because they want to avoid loss. Second, employees have a lack of understanding and trust. They often do not trust the purpose behind a change. Employees second-guess the changes, whether they benefit or lose from it. Third is uncertainty. Uncertainty is the fear of not knowing about what is going to happen in the future. Employees find changes threatening because they do not know if the change is going to affect them in the end. Fourth is different assessment 's and goals. Employees see changes more differently than managers do. Managers may see changes as a good thing for the company, but employees think otherwise. Employees would rather stick to the same routine and to

    Read More

  • Resistance to Change in the Workplace

    1161 Words  | 3 Pages

    Human beings have a tendency to resist change even when the change contributes to growth and development, increased productivity, and greater efficiency (Baker, 1989, p.53). In most cases, resistance to change occurs in the workplace because changes in an organization affect the individuals within the organization. Moreover, individuals within an organization resist change because of fear of unknown based on the potential impact of the change on their job performance, relationship with co-workers, and other job related issues.

    Read More

  • What Are The Challenges Of Diversity In The Workplace

    1042 Words  | 3 Pages

    Resistance to Change: As a more diverse population is hired, employers may encounter many of their tenured employees expressing a “we’ve always done it this way” type of mentality. There will always be that one person that is resistant to change. This type of attitude can hinder new ideas and limit progress of others (Greenberg, 2006).

    Read More

  • Managing Organizational Change: Overcoming Resistance and Ensuring Success

    873 Words  | 2 Pages

    Changes that occur within an organization do not occur on its own. Organizational change entails detailed management and planning. Organizational change does not occur overnight and resistance within the employees is inevitable. Having organized management who is prepared to provide leadership is imperative in providing solutions to the issues of resistance. Although resistance to change is inevitable, an organization must experience change in order to sustain changes, whether economical, technological, or financial. The success of an organization depends on how well the organization manages and responds to the change. It is imperative for an organization to involve the employees in the change since the employees

    Read More

More about Organizational Change: The Causes Of Resistance To Change

Open Document