Change happens, so the saying goes. But we all know how difficult it is to push change through. Resistance to change can take on many different forms and managers should be ready for them. The ten most common forms were described on the website of the Harvard Business Review by Rosabeth Moss Kanter, a Harvard Business School professor who has been dealing with the theory and practice of organizational management for many years and whose management books are well-known world-wide, including in the Czech Republic.
1. Fear of the loss of control
Changes make people feel like they’re losing control of their own life. That is why strong leaders give the people affected by the change room to be involved in the planning of the changes.
2. High degree of uncertainty
People who do not know what’s awaiting them automatically reject any changes. That is why you have to make sure that they feel secure and a strong vision for the meaning of the change. Then they need to see the clear process that’s ahead of them; the process should consist of specific small steps and timetables.
3. Unpleasant surprises
Sudden changes do not come across as trustworthy. The people who are affected should find out about the changes gradually over a longer period of time.
4. The feeling that everything will be different
It’s a well known fact that habits are hard to break and that it is difficult to implement too many changes all at once. Managers should therefore remain focused on the important things and avoid change just for the sake of change.
5. Fear of losing face
People who were involved in implementing the current processes will be defensive when it comes to new changes. Managers should therefore help them by building their changes on top of what is still working well.
6. Feeling of one’s own incompetence
Employees can have the feeling that they won’t be able to handle the change. If because of that they are to feel that they are dumb, they’ll avoid change as much as possible. Here it is good to ensure that there is sufficient support through trainings and transfer of the needed information.
7. Fear of more work
This fear is justified because changes simply do require more work. That is why it is necessary to think about which rewards will best balance out the extra time that the people invest.
8. Ripple effect
Changes spread through the organization and impact other departments, customers or local communities where one can expect disagreement. That is why managers should carefully consider in advance how large the circle of stakeholders in their change should be and attempt to minimize the ripple effect.
9. Opening of old wounds
As soon as something new and unpleasant starts happening, disputes and problems from the past start surfacing. If this occurs, managers should take immediate steps to make sure that old wounds are not re-opened any more.
10. Fear that is actually justified
Sometimes people reject change because it really can hurt them. These are the cases when implementing new technology makes someone lose their job, risky investments don’t work out, etc. The best that a manager can do in these cases is to be sincere, hide nothing and act quickly and fairly.
-kk-