What You Need To Know About Resistance To Change

 It is uncommon for people to accept change quickly. It is a natural instinct to resist change. Businesses are adversely affected by this. A Successful Business requires constant change. Organizations that lack innovation and business agility will not survive. People will experience a great deal of change due to this, however. 

What exactly is resistance to change?

Change can be challenging and scary. It is easier to maintain an established habit than to adopt a new one. The possibility of failure increases when you try something new. For most people, staying in familiar territory is safer than taking risks.

Changing jobs can be challenging for anyone, even those who enjoy change. Personal change is fundamentally different from organizational change imposed above. It is because most employees have no choice but they resist change in the workplace. As a result, they feel insecure and out of control.

Suppose a new software system is implemented organization-wide. Employees may not understand the need for a new system if they are competent in using the old platform. The basic functions will have to be relearned. The change may cause them to worry about how it will affect their job performance, whether consciously or subconsciously. Employees are too often focused on what they could lose, rather than what they could gain.

Who is resistant to change?

The change affects everyone, not just low-level workers as is commonly believed. From maintenance to upper management, the effects of change are felt by everyone. Resisting change does not necessarily reflect intelligence. No one is immune to the fear of impending changes, not even the smartest among us.

What causes resistance?

There are many reasons why people fear change, but the obvious one is that they are scared of the unknown. Humans have a tendency to feel this way in and out of work, but at work, uncertainty and unpredictability come from fear of the unknown. There is a common saying that goes "If it ain't broke, don't fix it," and therefore employees who cannot comprehend why the change is necessary may resist it as it threatens their job security.

In the same way, employees who feel out of control will resist. The changes they are experiencing will be resisted if they believe they are being forced. It is important to ensure that managers and employees communicate two-way so that they feel a sense of ownership and like their opinions matter.

Conversely, improper communication results in resistance to change. It is common for employees to resist change and to become indifferent to it when they feel uninvolved in the process or not informed of project progress. Change cannot be delivered with either of these reactions since you need cooperation across all levels. In a change process wherein the reasons for the change are clearly communicated and employees understand how the change will benefit them on a daily basis, they will not resist the change. 

Last but not least, we are all creatures of our experiences. People will project any fear of organizational change they've experienced onto the current change if they've had bad experiences with it in the past. To avoid repeating similar mistakes, change managers must listen carefully to their employees' experiences. Employees are more likely to accept change when their voices are heard, and therefore less likely to resist it.

Identifying resistance to change

It is possible to manifest resistance to change in several ways. Employees may miss deadlines, fail to meet commitments, and be absent from meetings. 

There are also more obvious signs of resistance to change. Be attentive to your employees' general moods when change is occurring, and whether they are making more jokes or dealing with requests in a snide or sarcastic manner. 

An employee may speak out against a proposed change in some cases. There could be an official union formed or it could simply be a group of individuals that share the same views. Employees will also be able to communicate with management via this representative. Managers should utilize such people to provide positive information regarding the changes to the group for combating resistance.

Resisting change has unexpected benefits

It is not inherently bad for people to resist change, despite what some people believe. On the contrary, it can actually prove beneficial.

To start with, it makes management pick their battles carefully. A lack of employee support makes them wonder, “Will this change result in significant growth?" Or, is it worth the effort? It prevents resources from being wasted on initiatives that aren't likely to pay off.

Secondly, it encourages communication and planning. In order to prevent resistance, management must identify where it is likely to occur. Understanding what underlies resistance to change is essential to effective change management. Once you know what employees are concerned about, you can address those issues.

Final Thoughts

When it comes to undergoing an effective digital transformation, the thought-process and workings of your employees need to be changed as well. This will naturally invite a lot of resistance to the new changes. With this post, you now have a solid understanding of what resistance to change is and why it happens. 

If you are ready to digitally transform your business, reach out to us at Accelery. We start at the ground level through our Employee Training and Development strategies which minimize resistance to change thus ensuring a successful digital transformation. Contact us to know more!