Resistance to Change

Change Resistance and Support in an Organization

Change is something which is not accepted by all the people or employees in an organization. There are different factors that trigger change resistance or support which includes an individual’s personality like emotional intelligence, short-term focus, routine seeking, and cognitive rigidity. Also, the organizational structure also determines whether the employees will support or resist a change depending on the motivators in place. People have different ratings of total-resistance to (RTC) change. For me, my RTC is average and I agree with the results. I am that kind of a person who first evaluates both short-term and long-term effects of a change and then makes a decision on whether to agree with it or withstand it. I do not easily accept a change due to the evaluation process I do of both its benefits and cons.

Acceptance of Change: A Case Study

For instance, last year the organization I work in introduced a change in the information management system which could increase both the customer’s experience and improve service provision by the employees. The reason for the change is to have a competitive advantage of e-commerce against the competitors who are still slow on the same. In this case, I accepted it. One factor that the organization used to win our minds was an effective communication. The agents of the changed carefully planned for it and that is why almost everyone in the organization, including me, accepted to support it. According to Wittig (2012), “one specific method of communication that strongly impacts employees’ reactions is employee participation in decision making (PDM)”. All the employees of the organization were well represented as there was a team that worked with the agents of the change to make it a success. As asserted by Ready (2013), “the people in organizations ’need to know where they stand, to know what the company needs them to do, how the company is performing, and to know to some degree what to expect tomorrow and the day after’. It is an act that inspires and motivates employees and my organization really considered this and I supported the idea.

Overcoming Challenges and Resistance

The ultimate outcome was encouraging and intriguing. The agents of change were able to deal with some of the challenges and resistance by a few employees. Of course, even if the benefits of a change would be more than the challenges, costs, and disadvantages, not every employee will support it. It is because ”change is neither sought after nor welcomed. It is disruptive and intrusive. It upsets the balance“ (Strebel, 1996). Organizations should understand this and employ the best strategies that can help them overcome resistance by employees. After a while, the change in information management system was successfully implemented and everyone including the customers became satisfied with the new service provision experience.

Lessons Learned and Recommendations

I learned that it is not easy or difficult to introduce a change to people but how the concerned plans it determines the nature and success of the process. Employees are part of an organization and should be included in every decision-making process because whatever commitment is made affects them in a way. Furthermore, employees should plan to improve their emotional intelligence which not only important in change management but also when interacting with others. It can improve their flexibility in making decisions as it enables them to understand what is good for them and for the others.

References

Ready, K. (2013). A Hidden Risk of Big Organizational Change.

Strebel, P. (1996). Why do employees resist change? Harvard business review, 74(3), 86.

Wittig, C. (2012). Employees’ reactions to organizational change. Od practitioner, 44(2), 23-28.