Resistance to ChangeOrganizational Development

Prepared By

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Manu Melwin JoyAssistant Professor

Ilahia School of Management Studies

Kerala, India.Phone – 9744551114

Mail – manu_melwinjoy@yahoo.com

Resistance to Change

Three Factors

Organizational Resistance

Group Resistance

Effort to block new ways of doing things

Individual Resistance

Individual Resistance• Individual sources of resistance to

change reside in basic human characteristics such as perceptions, personalities & needs.

• Reasons of individual resistance:• Economic Reason –The

economic reason of resistance to change usually focus on:

• Fear of technological unemployment.

• Fear of reduced work hours & consequently less pay.

• Fear of demotion & thus reduced pay.

Individual Resistance

• Fear of Loss- When a change is impending, some employees may fear losing their jobs, status particularly when an advanced technology is introduced.

• Security – people with a high need for security are likely to resist change because it threatens their feeling of safety.

• Status quo- change may pose disturbance to the existing comforts of status quo.

Individual Resistance• Peer Pressure- individual

employees may be prepared to accept change but refuse to accept it for the sake of the group.

• Disruption of Interpersonal Relation- employees may resist change that threatens to limit meaningful interpersonal relationships on the job.

• Social Displacement- Introduction of change often results in disturbance of the existing social relationships. Change may also result in breaking up of work groups.

Group Resistance• Organizations, by their very nature

are conservative. They actively resist

change. Reason of organizational

resistance

• Resource constraint: resources

are major constraints for many

organizations. The necessary

financial , material & human

resources may not be available to

the organization to make the

needed changes.

Group Resistance

• Structural inertia – some

organizational structures have in-

built mechanism for resistance to

change. Eg in bureaucratic

structure where jobs are

narrowly defined & lines of

authority are clearly spelled

out, change would be difficult.

Organizational Resistance

• Organizational resistance means the

change is resisted at the level of the

organization itself.

• Some organization are so designed

that they resist new ideas, this is

specifically true in case of

organization which are conservative

in nature.

• Majority of the business firm are

also resistance to changes.

Organizational Resistance

• The major reason for organizational

resistance are:-

• Threat to power

• Group inertia

• Organizational structure

• Threat to specialization

• Resource constants

• Sunk costs

Communication • Highest priority and first strategy for change• Improves urgency to

change• Reduces uncertainty (fear

of unknown)• Problems -- time

consuming and costly

Minimizing Resistance to Change

Communication • Provides new knowledge and skills• Includes coaching and

action learning• Helps break old routines

and adopt new roles• Problems -- potentially

time consuming and costly

Minimizing Resistance to Change

Training

Communication • Increases ownership of change• Helps saving face and

reducing fear of unknown• Includes task forces,

search conferences• Problems -- time-

consuming, potential conflict

Minimizing Resistance to Change

Training

Employee Involvement

Communication • When communication, training, and involvement do not resolve stress• Potential benefits–More motivation to change– Less fear of unknown– Fewer direct costs

• Problems -- time-consuming, expensive, doesn’t help everyone

Minimizing Resistance to Change

Training

Employee Involvement

Stress Management

Communication

• When people clearly lose something and won’t otherwise support change• Influence by exchange--

reduces direct costs• Problems– Expensive– Increases compliance, not

commitment

Minimizing Resistance to Change

Training

Employee Involvement

Stress Management

Negotiation

Communication

•When all else fails• Assertive influence• Firing people -- radical

form of “unlearning”• Problems–Reduces trust–May create more subtle

resistance

Minimizing Resistance to Change

Training

Employee Involvement

Stress Management

Negotiation

Coercion