Why Employees Resist Change
It is a typical human instinct to resist change and the threat it poses to the status quo. When an organization is faced with a time of change, it is therefore understandable that employees and stakeholders alike will receive news of the transition with a certain amount of concern over how it will influence organizational culture and day-to-day operations (2007). It is just normal for any employee or for employees to feel anxious regarding change, thus, leading somehow to their resistance regarding the matter. In relation to this, five major reasons were identified to be indicative of why employees resist change within the organization. The first major reason why employees resist change is that employees were not aware of the underlying business need for change (2005). Employees within the organization often resist change when they lack information about how the change will affect them, or when they perceive that the change would be having negative consequences (1990). In this regard, it can be perceived that employees within an organization are afraid of the unknown. They are afraid that the change the organization is going to impose would provide them with unnecessary and unwanted consequences. The second major reason why employees resist change is the notion that lay-offs would be announced as part of the change ( 2005). Lay-offs are the worst that could ever be experienced by employees in an organization, most especially if a particular employee badly needs the job, as his or her source of income. The third major reason why employees resist change in the organization is that they are unsure if they have the needed skills for success in the future state ( 2005). Oftentimes, change in the organization leads the management to implement the use of new technologies and systems that would depart them from what they have been used to do in the organization. In today’s generation, change is most observed in order to cope with much advancement in terms of technology and communication, in response to the process of globalization. The fourth major reason is that employees are already comfortable with their current state, thus, they want to maintain their personal rewards, sense of accomplishment, and fulfillment provided by the status quo; and lastly, employees feel that they are being required to do more with less, or do more for the same pay ( 2005). From this, it can be understood that employees resist change because they fear change (2006). If such fears and apprehensions can be mitigated adequate information regarding the need for change and its perceived consequences, then resistance would not be as much. In this regard, it would be helpful for the top management, including the immediate managers and supervisors of the employees to make use of strategies that would minimize resistance to change.
First and foremost, to ensure that change is accepted and embraced by the employees, managers and the top management itself must need to ensure that it identifies and deals with any associated barriers, and also define the processes and channels that will support the change. It is also wise to develop champions who can assist in guiding the organization through its evolution ( 2007). Second, providing the needed information to increase the awareness of employees regarding the need for change in the organization is part of the proactive step in the successful management of resistance (2005). Afterwards, a resistance management plan could be an essential part of managing resistance to change, which involves brainstorming on how the change would have to be done and brainstorming with the stakeholders and sponsors. In addition, organizational processes designed to manage people can be modified to achieve change positively. Communication, training, and staffing programs can be used to share information with employees about what the future may hold. Moreover, incentive programs, rewards, and appraisal systems can be modified to ensure that the change will have positive rather than negative effects on the employees and the entire organization (1990).
From this, it can be distinguished and emphasized that the fear and apprehensions of the employees regarding changes in the organization can be minimized by the top management, including the managers and supervisors through a number of strategies. The key point to stress in this sense is the importance of communication, being the essential element and action that must exist between employees and the management of the organization. Without effective and efficient communication, the relevant information that must be known by employees regarding change would not be distributed and dissipated within the organization.
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