Resistance To Change: Resistance To Change

1.3 Resistance to Change
Resistance to change is generally defined as ‘any conduct that serves to maintain the status quo in the face of pressure to alter the status quo’ (Zaltman and Duncan, 1977: 63). Folger and Skarlicki (1999: 36) conceptualized resistance as a ‘resentment based’ construct, defined as ‘reactions by disgruntled employees regarding the perceived unfairness of a change’. In the categorizing resistance to change that results from individuals and organizational factors.
Individual Resistance
Individuals resist change because they fear what will happen to them. Members of individual impediments to change have been uncovered through research conducted in organizational settings.
Change Agents
Change agents mean a leader who is also in a position of power and a rare combination. The change agent a person with power and charisma, so he/she can have effect his/her own lifetime, whereas a leader’s influence may not be felt until after his/her death. Change agents are philosophers and rebels. They must have the ability to see clearly and the ability to help others to see

This kind of uncertainty always puts employees at risk. Their knowledge and skills might be out of date; their valued work space, or social relationships might be removed and disrupted. Therefore, people resist change out of worry that they cannot adjust to the new work requirements or they will produce unknown costs. Issues such as “fear of the unknown” and “the inability to see the need for change” are common in resistance to change research (Hickins, 1998; Wienbach, 1994). For instance, if change had been poorly implemented during the past and employees have been subject to broken agreements, unfair treatment and poor management decision making, it is unlikely that trust damaged by such actions will be easily restored (Dent and Goldberg, 1999; Ford et al., 2008; Piderit, 2000). Ultimately, employees also would feel bad towards