12 reasons why people resist change - change management

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12 reasons why people resist change

May 23, 2011 / By: Torben Rick / 15 Comments / Change Management Organisational Development

Expecting resistance to change and planning for it from the start of your change management progamme will allow you to effectively



1. Misunderstanding about the need for change/when the reason for the change is unclear If staff do not understand the

need for change you can expect resistance. Especially from those who strongly believe the current way of doing things works

welland has done for twenty years!

2. Fear of the unknown One of the most common reasons for resistance is fear of the unknown. People will only take active

steps toward the unknown if they genuinely believe and perhaps more importantly, feel that the risks of standing still are

greater than those of moving forward in a new direction

3. Lack of competence This is a fear people will seldom admit. But sometimes, change in organizations necessitates changes in

skills, and some people will feel that they wont be able to make the transition very well

4. Connected to the old way If you ask people in an organization to do things in a new way, as rational as that new way may

seem to you, you will be setting yourself up against all that hard wiring, all those emotional connections to those who taught

your audience the old way and thats not trivial

5. Low trust When people dont believe that they, or the company, can competently manage the change there is likely to be

resistance

6. Temporary fad When people belief that the change initiative is a temporary fad

7. Not being consulted If people are allowed to be part of the change there is less resistance. People like to know whats going

on, especially if their jobs may be affected. Informed employees tend to have higher levels of job satisfaction than uninformed

manage objections. Understanding the most common reasons people object to change gives you the opportunity to plan your change

strategy to address these factors.

Its not possible to be aware of all sources of resistance to change. Expecting that there will be resistance to change and being

prepared to manage it is a proactive step. Recognizing behaviors that indicate possible resistance will raise awareness of the need to

address the concerns.

Classic psychological reactions to change:

At the end of the day all sources of resistance to change need to be acknowledged and peoples emotions validated.

Its far better to anticipate objections than to spend your time putting out fires, and knowing how to overcome resistance to change is

a vital part of any change management plan.

12 typical reasons for resistance to change:



employees

8. Poor communication Its self evident isnt it? When it comes to change management theres no such thing as too much

communication

9. Changes to routines When we talk about comfort zones were really referring to routines. We love them. They make us secure.

So theres bound to be resistance whenever change requires us to do things differently

10. Exhaustion/Saturation Dont mistake compliance for acceptance. People who are overwhelmed by continuous change resign

themselves to it and go along with the flow. You have them in body, but you do not have their hearts. Motivation is low

11. Change in the status quo Resistance can also stem from perceptions of the change that people hold. For example, people

who feel theyll be worse off at the end of the change are unlikely to give it their full support. Similarly, if people believe the

change favours another group/department/person there may be (unspoken) anger and resentment

12. Benefits and rewards When the benefits and rewards for making the change are not seen as adequate for the trouble involved

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12 reasons why people resist change http://www.torbenrick.eu/t/r/hwj

Expecting resistance to change and planning for it from the start of your change management progamme will allow you to effectively

manage objections. Not dealing proactively is one pitfall but there are many other common mistakes:

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Torben Rick

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developing, driving and managing business improvement and development and change management.

International experience from management positions in Denmark, Germany and Switzerland. View full profile

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Duncan BrodieMay 24, 2011 8:12 am

Excellent blog post.



Change in my experience is one of those areas that seems simple in theory but tough in practice. The key in my experience is to

change hearts and minds.

Duncan Brodie

Goals and Achievements Ltd

SurabhiMay 24, 2011 9:41 am

Nice thoughts, All relevant.

well said at the end that To win peoples commitment for change, you must engage them on both a rational level and an emotional

level. Something I too believe in.

Surabhi Rastogi

Draft n Craft

Norm NopperMay 24, 2011 7:30 pm

I have posted this list previously on the web, but it bears repeating. It reinforces what you are saying with your list of 12 items.

In my experience, here are the top 5 enablers or assets that assist change, followed by the top 5 obstacles to change.

Top Enablers/Assets:

1)Your organization and you are experiencing a crisis, perhaps one that threatens your existence and, like a tsunami coming ashore,

relentlessly drives you before it.

2)Everyone is focused on that crisis. Have you ever been on a plane and heard a loud boom!? Everyone goes quiet; people look

around or at each other, and wonder What was that? They are alert and prepared to meet the danger.

3)Leadership that shows the way forward, and channels peoples fears and panic, hopes, dreams of survival and better days, and

energies.

4)A willingness to link arms and work together to emerge from the crisis together.

5)A strong survival instinct, where the tagline is failure is not an option.

Top Obstacles to Change:

1)A comfort level or even fixation with the way things are, remarkably, no matter how miserable or painful. People would rather

complain than change.

2)A fear of the unknown, or better the devil you know than the devil you dont know.

3)Weak or non existent leadership.

4)Infighting.

5)The belief that failure is a perfectly acceptable option, and maybe even the preferred solution.

Christian PaulsenMay 26, 2011 7:14 pm

Excellent list and explanation! Awareness of these reasons why people resist change can go a long way towards overcoming that

resistance. Seeking input, communicating plans, and listening to concerns go a long way towards resolving many of these obstacles



to successful change implementation.

Thanks for sharing!

Chris

RichJune 11, 2011 1:17 pm

Last sentence is key for me. Too many people assume that because the business case and rationale stacks up people will change.

Emotional engagement trumps rationale every time

benbvsrJune 13, 2012 5:35 pm

I would suggest these traits of management style that set the environment for failure. Communication, Trust, competence, old

ways etc. re enforce a stagnant culture. As we all know, if management isnt demonstrating the behavior that is desired, why would

anyone else??

peterahunterJune 25, 2012 1:28 pm

The last sentence replaces the rest of the article.

When the workforce are engaged with change they will support it.

When they are not they will resist it.

If we know how to engage the workforce we will do so and experience the amazing experience of working with the workforce instead

of against them.

If we dont know what to do to allow the workforce to engage we will continue to look in lists like this for the things that we can do to

them to prevent them from resisting what someone else wants to do to them.

Engagement is not something we do to others to achieve an end.

Engagement is the way that people feel about what they do and we cant change that.

What we can do is to create the environment that will allow people to engage, then they will choose to engage, we cant make them.

Peter A Hunter

http://www.breakingthemould.co.uk

peterahunterJune 25, 2012 1:40 pm

The last sentence replaces the whole of the article.





If we know how to engage the workforce we will do so and experience the amazing feeling of working with the workforce instead of

against them.

If we dont know what to do to allow the workforce to engage we will continue to look for lists like this for the things that we can do to

prevent them from resisting what someone else wants to do to them, change.

Engagement is not something that we do to others to achieve an end.

Engagement is the way that people feel about what they do, and we cant change that.

What we can do is to create the environment that will allow them to engage, then they will choose to engage for themselves, we cant

make them engage.

Peter A Hunter

Rick FowlerJune 26, 2012 12:51 am

There is one more source of resistance, though maybe something on this list is meant to cover it. The loss or threat of loss of

something important. Sometimes the uncertainty of what will be lost generates the fear and resistance. Sometimes what is being lost,

is very clear, e.g., power and control, privileges or benefits, status, identity, and of course many other possible things. When change

takes something away that is important, some kind of resistance may arise.

Traci BuxtonJune 29, 2012 3:29 pm

Excellent article! Change is hard for many people and requires repeated reassurance, very clear communication for both

management and staff as well as a great deal of patience in order to achieve long-lasting results.

KatokaAusJuly 5, 2012 2:41 pm

Such common sense, yet so often forgotten. Thanks for the reminder

anupsoansSeptember 26, 2012 7:57 am

The graph is more powerful than the 12 reasons from trainers perspective.



Leave a Comment

Torben RickDecember 6, 2012 10:28 am

The last sentence replaces the whole of the article.



If we know how to engage the workforce we will do so and experience the amazing feeling of working with the workforce instead of

against them.

If we dont know what to do to allow the workforce to engage we will continue to look for lists like this for the things that we can do to

prevent them from resisting what someone else wants to do to them, change.

Engagement is not something that we do to others to achieve an end.

Engagement is the way that people feel about what they do, and we cant change that.

What we can do is to create the environment that will allow them to engage, then they will choose to engage for themselves, we cant

make them engage.

Peter A Hunter

BobElingerFebruary 2, 2013 11:37 pm

The gross presumption of the writer and management attendees of the article is not surprising considering the degree of

dysfunctionality of the worldview presented. If the cause for change comes from management itself, that management itself operates

from fallacious principles, then resistance is necessary. If a workforce is subject to abrasive, belligerent, and threatening

management then common morality and ethics mandates resistance. The hypocracy of modern American business is that while

persons in management conduct their own lives under common conventions of social contract and morality, they demand to be

excused from the same conventions in the business place they insist on treating subordinates in any manner they please for the

good of profits, stockholders, or the mere ego of the CEO. Moreover, the perspective of the writer assumes that might is right, that

authority bears no responsibility in its actionsas long as the flow of authority is maintained. I submit that this cancerous false pride

within American management is the poison pill that has brought our nation to its knees economically. Without ethics and morality

in business, the pursuit of profit becomes a workplace nightmare. With millions upon millions of Americans unemployed by no fault of

their own, the premise of this article is beyond preposterous.



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