Examining Resistance in the Change Management Process

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Running head: EXAMINING RESISTANCE IN THE CHANGE MANAGEMENT

ExaminingResistance in the Change Management Process

ExaminingResistance in the Change Management Process

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Sincechange is inevitable, failure to prepare for and adapt to changingatmospheres leads to organizations’ exit from the market.Initiating the process is not easy, as it requires advancepreparation of all stakeholders (Boin &amp Renaud, 2013). Lack ofpreparation is purely the main cause of resistance, where in manycases portrays the management failure. Therefore, it is important tofirst deal with management’s competence to introduce transformationbefore addressing the employees’ confrontation to change (Cullen,Edwards, Casper, &amp Gue, 2014).In other words, it is the duty of the management to prepare employeestowards the anticipated adjustment, hence eliminating or reducingresistance.

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Managersought to be aware of the modification and its impact on the workplacebehavior. Preparing employees means that the managers take charge ofinforming workers about the new structure and guiding them on how tocope with the same (Hon,Bloom, &amp Crant, 2014).In such scenario, the organization experiences limited opposition andcoping becomes much easier. The presentation highlights the processof change as well as the reasons that cause people to oppose newprocesses.

ReasonsPeople Resist Change

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Peoplefeel that a change will affect their position in the organization,especially if they have not prepared themselves for the process. Forexample, if a company wants to design financial and human managementsystems, some employees will think that the structures will renderthem redundant. In this regard, they fear job loss, their long-termsecurity in the firm, and diminished identity

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Theprocess starts with the leadership ability to foresee and preparepeople towards the future occurrences. Some changes are foreseeableand others are not. However, the organizational leadership has themandate to initiate projects and programs that would prepareemployees towards adjustment (Boin &amp Renaud, 2013). Theseprojects and programs should work towards facilitating themodification of behavior and attitude of employees before initiatingthe change management process. In other words, employees’opposition is a clear indication of failure on the part of themanagement to prepare them beforehand (Lord, Dinha, &amp Hoffman,2015). Change should not be a surprise to employees, rather somethingthey anticipate for a long period. When employees expecttransformation, they prepare the response in advance and evaluatevarious courses of action. Such aspect facilitates psychologicalpreparedness, which sends the employee to the drawing board inplanning what to do in the event of change. Lack of this aspectcontributes to defiance, which further leads to inefficiency in theorganization (Honet al., 2014).

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Failureto engage employees creates suspicion and mistrust towards managers,hence creating a rift between employees and management (Oner, Benson,&amp Beser, 2014). It is this gap that makes it difficult formanagers to successfully initiate programs that would prepare peopletowards adjustment, thus leading to resistance. Despite the nature ofchange, efficient organizations always prepare employees towardsresponding to future uncertainties (Kuipers, et al., 2014). Thepreparedness makes employees think of how to benefit from theprocess, instead of thinking of how change is likely to negativelyimpact on their job.

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Oppositionis a clear indication of unpreparedness. When there is a lack ofpreparation, employees do not understand change, and may easily failto tap opportunities that might come along with it (Cabrey, Haughey,&amp Davis, 2014). People are most likely to resist purely based ona misunderstanding, especially when the new structure seems tointerfere with one’s comfort or convenience. Instead of looking foropportunities, employees interpret it as a threat to their fortunes(Cullenet al., 2014).The organization should prepare employees on the positive impact ofchange, and how they stand to benefit in the long run when theyadopt. The management should sensitize employees on upgrading theirskills to remain relevant in the course of inevitable transformation.For instance, employees should seek to advance knowledge ontechnology due to constant advancement of technology in productionand other areas of operation.

Typesof Resistance to Change

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Factorscontributing to resistance to transition determine the type ofopposition exhibited. Sometimes employees may not have any problemwith modification, but conflict with the management based on time toadjust and cost implication. Logical resistance arises when employeestend to contend with rational facts on the implication of newstructures in the organization (Rafferty, Jimmieson, &amp Armenakis,2013). Despite agreeing to adjust, workers may find it difficult toaccept the duration of time they need to take to fully benefit fromthe change. For example, some may resist the need for further studiesto comply due to the cost associated with going back to class tolearn.

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Whenthere is fear or mistrust between employees and the employer, thereis a perception that the management is using change to punishemployees (Yilmaz &amp Kilicoglu, 2013). This aspect raises apsychological or emotional opposition. Finally, people may be rigidand not be willing to sacrifice their comfort and convenience. Whenit interferes with personal or group norms and culture, themanagement is likely to experience the sociological resistance.

Positiveversus Negative Resistance

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Developingproper mechanism for preparing employees towards change helps toeliminate negative resistance to change. Failure to have this elementin place hinders progress in the operations and overall growth of theorganization.

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Inmost cases, organizations resist change but end up facing negativeconsequences. Positive resistance is temporal and its benefits cannotlast. When it comes, organizations have no choice but to adopt it andintegrate it as part of the system (Boin &amp Renaud, 2013). Anyform of opposition results in negative consequences eventually.Developing proper mechanism for preparing employees towards changehelps to eliminate negative resistance. Failure to have this elementin place hinders progress in the operations and overall growth of theorganization.

Recommendation

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Preparinginternal stakeholders towards change ensures people are ready for andwilling to take advantage of the situation to derive benefits. Fromthe onset, the management should make it clear that process isinevitable, and all employees should be ready to cope with theever-changing work environment (Prewitt &amp Weil, 2014). In thiscase, the organization should equip employees with the necessarycapacity to benefit from the foreseeable change.

Conclusion

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Theprocess is an inevitable phenomenon, which affects organizationsacross the world. It comes as an advancement of technology oradjustment of theory and practice, hence requiring adjustment ofbehavior. Employees should adapt to new processes instead ofinhibiting their development. They should be ready to adopttransformation and alter their behavior for benefits that arise.Prior preparation creates a positive attitude and reduces chances ofresistance thus, the management should prepare workers towardstransitory periods.

References

Boin,A., &amp Renaud, C. (2013). Orchestrating joint sense-making acrossgovernment levels: challenges and requirements for crisis leadership.Journalof Leadership Studies,7(3), 41-45.

Cabrey,T.S., &amp Haughey, A., Davis, T.C. (2014). PMI’s pulse of theprofession in-depth report: enabling organizational change throughstrategic initiatives. ProjectManagement Institute,12(6), 1-13.

Cullen,K. L., Edwards, B. D., Casper, W. C., &amp Gue, K. R. (2014).Employees’ adaptability and perceptions of change-relateduncertainty: Implications for perceived organizational support, jobsatisfaction, and performance. Journalof Business and Psychology,29(2),269-280.

Hon,A. H., Bloom, M., &amp Crant, J. M. (2014). Overcoming resistance tochange and enhancing creative performance. Journalof Management,40(3),919-941.

Kuipers,B. S., Higgs, M., Kickert, W., Tummers, L., Grandia, J., &amp Vander Voet, J. (2014). Themanagement of change in public organizations: A literature review.PublicAdministration,92(1),1-20.

Lord,R.G., Dinha. J.E., &amp Hoffman, E.L. (2015). Quantum approach totime and organizational change. Academyof Management Review,40(2), 263–290.

Oner,M.A., Benson, C., &amp Beser, S.G. (2014). Linking OrganizationalChange Management and Organizational Foresight. Journalof Strategic Change,23(1), 185-203.

Prewitt,J.E., &amp Weil, R. (2014). Organizational opportunities endemic incrisis leadership. Journalof Management Policy and Practice,15(2), 72-86.

Rafferty,A. E., Jimmieson, N. L., &amp Armenakis, A. A. (2013). Changereadiness: A multilevel review. Journalof Management,39(1),110-135.

Yilmaz,D., &amp Kilicoglu, G. (2013). Resistance to change and ways ofreducing resistance in educational organizations. Europeanjournal of research on education,1(1),14-21.