Managing resistance to change

The top obstacle to successful change is employee resistance at all levels: Front-line, middle managers, and senior managers.

A change in employee attitude
IS possible!

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Growing pains
Change is not the problem: it's resistance; I want what I want when I want it. I will not be an expert anymore. I will be a senior beginner!

Excerpts from the 2005 Best Practices in Change Management, Benchmarking report. This report presents comprehensive findings from 411 companies on their experiences and lessons learned in change management.

Employees want to hear messages about change from two people: the CEO or their immediate supervisor (and these messages are not the same).

The top two reasons for employee resistance are

1. A lack of awareness about the change
2. Comfort with the ways things are and fear of the unknown.

The Top 10 Reasons Employees Resist Change

1. The individual's personal predisposition to change.
2. Surprise and fear of the unknown.
3. Climate of mistrust.
4. Fear of failure.
5. Loss of status and/or job security.
6. Peer pressure.
7. Disruption of cultural traditions and/or group relationships.
8. Personality conflicts.
9. Lack of tact and/or poor timing.
10. Not seeing the benefits.

The key phases for managing employees during change:

1. Awareness of the need to change
2. Desire to participate and support the change
3. Knowledge of how to change (and what the change looks like)
4. Ability to implement the change on a day-to-day basis
5. Reinforcement to keep the change in place

The six phases personal or professional change

1. Anticipation. The waiting stage. They really don't know what to expect so they wait, anticipating what the future holds.
2. Confrontation. People begin to confront reality. The realize that change is really going to happen or is happening.
3. Realization. Post change - Realizing that nothing is ever going to be as it once was.
4. Depression. Often a necessary step in the change process. This is the stage where a person mourns the past. Not only have they realized the change intellectually, but now they are beginning to comprehend it emotionally as well.
5. Acceptance. Aacceptance of the change emotionally. Although they may still have reservations, they are not fighting the change at this stage. They may even see some of the benefits even if they are not completely convinced.
6. Enlightenment. In Phase 6, people completely accept the new change. In fact, many wonder how they ever managed the "old" way. Overall, they feel good about the change and accept it as the status quo from here forward.

It is important to note that people in your organizations will proceed through the different phases at different rates of speed. One person may require two months to reach Phase 6 while another may require twelve. To make things even more complex, the cycle of change is not linear. In other words, a person does not necessarily complete Phase 1 through 6 in order. It is much more common for people to jump around. One person may go from Phase 4 to Phase 5 and then back to Phase 2 again. That is why there is no easy way to determine how long a change will take to implement. However, by using the skills we've outlined above, you increase your chances of managing the change as effectively as possible.

Take for example the implementation of a new software tool. If the change is implemented and you believe it was not needed (i.e., you were not aware that any changes were required), then your reaction might be: 

• “This is a waste of time.”
• “Why change if it was working just fine before?”
• “If it ain't broke, don't fix it.”
• “They never tell us what’s going on!”

Our natural reaction to change, even in the best circumstances, is to resist. Awareness of the business need to change is a critical ingredient of any change and must come first.

If someone had taken the time to explain that the old software would no longer be supported by the vendor, and that new software was necessary to meet the needs of your customers, then your reaction (based on this awareness) would likely be very different: 

• “How soon will this happen?”
• “How will this impact me?”
• “Will I receive new training?”

Take this same example one step further. Assume you were made aware that a change was required, but you had no desire to participate or support the change.

• “What’s in it for me.”
• “I doubt they are really serious about this.”

Now the tables are turned, and you may become the target of an emotional response from individuals within the organization. You may be labeled as difficult, inflexible or unsupportive. Some may say you lack initiative or vision. You may be called a cynic or pessimist.

Awareness and desire are two critical components of the change model.

Resistance to Change

Most people prefer predictability and stability in both their personal and professional lives. People typically avoid situations that upset order, threaten their self-interests, increase stress or involve risk. When faced with changes to the status quo, people usually resist initially. The resistance continues and, in some cases increases, until they are able to recognize the benefits of change and perceive the gains to be worth more than the risk or threats to their self-interests. James O'Toole points out in his book, Leading Change, that people resist change due to the fundamental human objection to having the will of others imposed upon them.

People resist change when:

• They believe change is unnecessary or will make the situation worse.
• They fear that the change will mean personal loss - of security, money, status, friends or freedom.
• They had no input into the decision.
• The change was a surprise.
• They are not confident that the change will succeed.
• They feel manipulated because the changes were kept secret during the planning stage. 
• They subscribe to the belief, "If it's not broken, don't fix it."
• They believe that the organization lacks the necessary resources to implement the change.
• People support change when:
• They expect that it will result in some personal gain.
• They expect a new challenge as a result.
• They believe that the change makes sense and is the right thing to do.
• They were given an opportunity to provide input into the change.
• They respect the person who is championing the change.
• They believe it is the right time for the change.

Leaders should anticipate resistance to any change effort, prepare for it, and make special efforts to assess and deal with individual reactions to change.

Leaders must develop the proper attitude toward resistance to change and realize that it is neither good nor bad. In fact, resistance can serve as a signal that there are ways in which the change effort should be modified and improved. The following steps should help leaders faced with resistance to their change attempts:

• Actively seek out people's thoughts and reactions to the proposed changes. 
• Listen carefully. Do not launch into lengthy diatribes justifying the change - in the early stages, people are not interested in that. They want to be heard and have their concerns attended to. Recognize that it takes time to work through reactions to change.
• Engage people in dialogue about the change. Leaders should do this only after fully understanding the specific concerns of others. 
• Involve Others

There is no better way to minimize resistance to change than to involve those responsible for implementing it and those affected by it. If there is no involvement early on in the planning, during the implementation and throughout perpetuation, the change effort will fail. When people feel that they are valued participants in planning and implementing the change, they are more likely to be motivated toward successful completion. The following techniques are effective ways to get people involved and gain their commitment to change efforts: 

• Determine who must be involved in planning the change and include them in the decision making process. Err on the side of involving more people rather than fewer. If there is a question as to whether or not a certain person's support will be needed, include them. 
• Ensure that people from all levels of the organization are involved in planning the change process. This means involving the people that are at the on the floor level as well. It will be these people who will make the change process succeed or fail. 
• Consult with employees from the areas affected by the change when determining the steps needed for change.
• Seek input from people at all levels to establish realistic time frames for specific actions. 
• When possible, run a test program with a selected work unit and solicit feedback on what is working well, where the problem areas are and how to work out any difficulties.
• Publicly recognize any employees whose suggestions are used in the change process. 
• Design a mechanism that provides ongoing feedback from employees throughout the change effort. Involved people are an effective barometer of what is working well and what is not working well. Ask them to suggest improvements.

Monitor for Results 

All change efforts are results-oriented - leaders implement change to realize new, different and better results. If the change is not monitored, effectiveness cannot be measured. Monitoring is particularly crucial during change processes due to the many forces that will challenge, resist or disrupt efforts. Since organizations must continue to operate day-to-day while undergoing change initiatives, the complexity of change is increased. When people within the organization begin to suspect that senior leaders are more interested in starting new programs than in the follow-through necessary to complete them, they will lose the sense of urgency and commitment to the initiatives and be more skeptical about any future change efforts. While monitoring change, remember to:

• Provide people the authority to implement changes.
• Keep people informed about the progress of changes.
• Listen to people's needs and concerns.
• Reward those who support the change efforts and achieve milestones.

The key to monitoring change effectively is to stay in touch with the people. Ask questions, demonstrate concern for their welfare and goal achievement and commit to do whatever is necessary to make the change successful. Leaders who can do this while continuing to practice great leadership skills will attune themselves to how the changes are progressing and react quickly with any required adjustments.

Concluding Thoughts

Although most people feel comfortable with minor changes, no one can live and work by yesterday's reality. Leaders must enlist the support of other organizational members to identify the right changes to make, credibly communicate these changes throughout the organization, provide resources to support the changes and allow enough time and flexibility for the changes to take place. With the widespread commitment of people throughout the organization, change efforts will succeed. Change does not substantially alter the way a leader leads; change only reinforces that leaders must always use their skills to lead every day.

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Training for effectively managing employee resistance to change

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