[Solution] Step 2: Managing Organization Change
Created at:
Author: Emily Carter
Managing Resistance to Change
Because people often feel uncomfortable with change, the manager must often overcome employee resistance for organization change to be successful.
Why Employees May Resist Change
People resist change for a variety of reasons, which managers must address. Here are some of the most common reasons people are reluctant to change:
- Change is inherently uncertain, so people often feel anxious about whether the change will negatively affect them.
- Threatened self-interest arises when people know the change will reduce their influence or cause the organization to value their jobs less.
- Sometimes people resist a change because they disagree with it. They have different perceptions of the situation or different opinions about the best response, and so they try to block the manager from acting.
- Employees may feel a sense of loss during organization change, as their jobs, procedures, systems, status, and workplace relationships change.
For example, Shanice manages the technical support team. The chief technology officer has decided that each technical support specialist should work on just one product and should report to the business lead for that product. Shanice was not consulted about this change and believes it will reduce the quality of technical support for the company's products (she disagrees with it). Her team will be broken up, eliminating the need for her job, and she is unsure whether she will be given a different job or be laid off (anxiety about uncertainty). Furthermore, she believes that if she is given a different job, it will have less responsibility and prestige than her current role (threatened self-interest). Finally, she will miss interacting with her direct reports and her network of stakeholders, as well as the daily routine she has developed in her current role (sense of loss).
Select the word or phrase that best completes the following sentence.
When employees are uncertain about how organization change will affect them, they often feel .
View Explanation
A common human reaction to uncertainty is anxiety. Even if employees think a change is likely to be beneficial for the organization and for themselves personally, if they are unsure what all the ramifications will be, they probably feel some anxiety.
Which of the following techniques are NOT likely to help a manager overcome resistance to organization change? Check all that apply.
- Ignore forces acting against change, since once the decision to change has been made, change is inevitable.
- Change as little as necessary and give employees ample time before and after the change to adjust to it.
- Tell employees the minimum necessary information about the change so that they can continue to do their jobs without added stress.
- Make sure employees know that they should not share their opinions, since senior management has too much to accomplish in this time of transition.
View Explanation
Four techniques that can help managers overcome change are:
- Encourage employees to participate in planning and implementing the change.
- Communicate openly with employees throughout the change.
- Change no more than is necessary and give employees time to adapt.
- Conduct a force-field analysis by identifying the forces acting for and against change, then reducing the forces against change while boosting the forces for change.
