Resistance to Change
Scenario
The other day, I spoke with a potential client, a program manager, who expressed frustration about his team resisting a change he wanted to implement. “Dr. Ruth, I don’t understand why my team is not supportive of my efforts to implement this change. At a recent meeting, the team said they liked my idea.”
I asked a follow-up question, “How did you present YOUR idea for change to your team?”
“We discussed the inefficiencies of the administrative support office for weeks,” he said. “I asked my team to suggest improvements and bring them to the next meeting, but no one did. Fortunately, I presented my own idea which the team liked, but now I can't get them to implement it.”
“I understand,” I responded.
Analysis of Scenario
Change is inevitable. Organizations must adapt to remain competitive and relevant in a rapidly changing market influenced by technological advancements, such as AI applications. However, a recent poll found that 66% of organizations failed to implement their change initiatives, while 34% succeeded.
Employee resistance is one of the common reasons for failure.
Let’s look at the scenario that I shared at the beginning of this post. The program manager asked his team to suggest ideas for revamping the administrative support office. Despite agreeing on the inefficiencies, team members did not share any ideas at the follow-up meeting, possibly indicating they did not feel empowered to do so.
The work culture discourages employees from contributing ideas for improving productivity and efficiency, as leadership believes that ideas only come from management. This top-down approach also discourages employees from taking risks and exploring new ideas. As a result, the organization misses out on ideas that can come from anyone, from the janitor to the CEO, which can lead to organizational innovation and competitiveness.
The program manager struggled to get his team to implement his idea. His team, one group of key stakeholders in the change process, may not feel their participation and input are valued, leading to their reluctance to share suggestions. Additionally, they may question the benefits of the proposed change for them or worry about job security during or after the change process.
Solutions
There are several ways to address employee resistance:
Show that their input is valued;
Establish open and transparent communication between management and the workforce, to foster trust during the change process; and
Communicate how the proposed change will benefit employees and address any fears or concerns they may have.
Contact me at ruth@bedellconsultingllc.com to discuss effective change management for your organization.