How Do You Manage Employee Resistance To Change?
Most organizational changes require that people change how they function in some way. When this occurs, a dialogue needs to take place between managers and staff members to assess how the change will impact each staff member’s performance. We are accustomed to thinking of employees who voice objections to a change as obstructionists. Resistance is often seen as negative. Another view expressed by H.B. Karp in his book, The Change Leader, is that resistance is often based on an effort toward self protection. This view provides legitimacy to objections and calls for honoring resistance. Here are some steps to move resistance from a negative to a positive force. After you explain the change and rationale for a change, let the group know that you want to hear their opinions. Don’t be defensive or use this as an opportunity to resell the change, just listen and encourage the group discussion. What sounds like resistance is often a question: “Are we going to be all right?” Management’s tende
