In this article - you will learn
- -7 broad ways people react to change
- -12 advantages and benefits of resisting change
- -31 reasons why employees resist change
- -49 Strategies for dealing with ours and other's - resistance to change
Reducing ours and others resistance to change
Change rarely is the major problem – but resistance to change is usually the bigger challenge.
How we manage change can further complicate and turn it into a major obstruction.
Most of us prefer stability comfort-of-routine and dealing with known rather than disruptive changes in all aspects of our lives.
Our automatic response to most changes happens with suspicion, anxiety and fear - [especially for all those changes which are in the realm of unknown].
This quote is slowly becoming true for me - the older I get - the wiser I become about embracing change rather than resisting it.
Acquiring this understanding and wisdom - has taken me the entire life - making this as most expensive way to learn.
Therefore I am trying to explore and create a list - on how we can - reduce our own resistance to changes and how we can manage more effectively the resistance of others to change.
The only truth [if we can call this as one] is that - changes will keep on happening - whether or not we want it and we cannot stop it.
Resisting change - only increases our miseries and sufferings - unnecessarily - especially in those cases - where we have to ultimately embrace this change.
Openly accepting the change, working on self and changing-self by learning and unlearning through being flexible - continuously - will become your most profound strength.
Our reaction to change usually is highly entrenched in our core.
Managing change has always been difficult - because it is so easy to mishandle execution of plans hastily configured.
And there can't be one - perfect way to introduce and manage change.
Resisting change in some situations can trigger a great development and paradigm transformation.
7 broad ways people react to change - could be any of the following as well as the ones I could not identify
- 1.Who always resist change
- 2.Who resist change initially as a knee-jerk - but then become part of the change
- 3.Who drive change, experiment and explore options
- 4.Who seek out change proactively
- 5.Who acts as cynics - create worst case scenarios - then create solutions
- 6.Who weigh the risks, explore options and then choose what is best and how to go about it the most effective ways
- 7.Who assess risk - then go for research, find what is working and then enlist help to drive the change
12 advantages and benefits of resisting change
- 1.It forces us to relook and go-through the whys more carefully
- 2.Which results into not only fine-tuning the strategies but also may change our perspective on the benefits and essentiality of this change
- 3.We will be able to take care of important points missed - they would in any case
- 4.It would make us ask the question - would this change drive significant growth
- 5.Is this change really worth the efforts, time, energy, the chaos and also the money
- 6.It would ensure that we use the scarce resources - only into most meaningful initiatives and projects
- 7.This would also help create more-robust planning, implementation and execution action-steps
- 8.Our communication to the major stake-holder - would incorporates - the natural objections and resistance issues
- 9.It would make us ready with most appropriate game plan to facilitate - smooth roll-out of change initiatives
- 10. Our focus would also become laser-sharp and we would avoid few costly mistakes
- 11. When we go through the change with this fine-comb - our own fears - too would become less impeding
- 12. Our managing change-initiative would be much-more effective and productive
31 reasons why employees resist change
- 1.Fear of
- I.Unknown
- II.Failure
- III.Being laughed at
- IV.Appearing incompetent
- V.Inadequacies
- VI.Not having the skills, knowledge, expertise, experience and exposure
- 2.Fear of loss of
- I.Job
- II.Power
- III.Position
- IV.Control and influence
- V.Threat to status-quo
- 3.Lack of faith in themselves
- 4.Lack of trust on seniors, team-members
- 5.Apprehension of not getting support
- 6.Not convinced with the why of change
- 7.Find conflict with the change and self-interest
- 8.Ineffective communication
- 9.Misunderstanding the change and its impact
- 10. Misinterpretation of the cues
- 11. Lack of self-confidence
- 12. Unrealistic timelines
- 13. Undue pressure from bosses
- 14. Less tolerance to change
- 15. Dislike management, leadership and organization
- 16. Common values and customs of their groups.
- 17. Cave-in to peer pressure
- 18. Find it convenient to continue doing something - same way as they have always done
- 19. Don't want to learn
- 20. Find learning difficult
- 21. Don't want to give away their responsibilities to others - even when they are moving up
- 22. Adamant about processes and customs
- 23. Risk averse
- 24. Deep-rooted insecurities
- 25. Lack of awareness about why changes are being made
- 26. Fear of how change will impact job roles
- 27. Failed attempts at change in the past
- 28. Lack of visible support and commitment from managers
- 29. Poor timing of introduction of change
- 30. Not got the buy-in of major stake-holders
- 31. Pushing change down the throat by force
49 Strategies for dealing with resistance to change
- 1.Identified potential sources of resistance - both expressed and hidden
- 2.Create specific strategies to address all major concerns
- 3.Select the correct change management models & tools
- 4.Killing all the rumors effectively - by transparent communication and actions as well as involving the stakeholders
- 5.Lead from the front - demonstrate your own conviction in change
- 6.Create clear channels of communication
- 7.Check for understanding
- 8.Involve everyone in problem identification and creating solutions
- 9.Making brand ambassadors - for implementing these solutions
- 10. Providing all the resources, authorities and empowerment
- 11. Give them control over decision-making as per their levels
- 12. Train and educate - through all means - digital, 1-on-1, groups and through external experts
- 13. Support and facilitate - as transition is difficult for everyone - and most people associate change with cutbacks and lost opportunities
- 14. Communicate new opportunities for growth, learning and advancement
- 15. Counsel and mentor
- 16. Create new leaders - if the existing leaders try to sabotage the process
- 17. Change the change - and pivot fast - in case methods don't work
- 18. Communicate the logic for the change - have a plan for those who will be negatively affected
- 19. Create robust plans to fill people's skill and competency gaps
- 20. Resolve conflict immediately
- 21. If you are facing internal resistance - ask yourself what it is you're resisting - be specific and honest
- 22. Focus on what you can control and let go of what is beyond your area of influence
- 23. Create strategic-plans to overcome the losses
- 24. Identify what lessons from this change will be useful in future
- 25. Identify all the major benefits of change
- 26. Brainstorm yourself as well as in team - asking what you would do if you wanted change to work
- 27. Help the employees identify what's in it for them to make the change
- 28. State the problem using examples
- 29. State the importance of the change - highlight the individual as well as larger long-term benefits
- 30. Check, verify, ask and listen to the employee and look for misunderstandings
- 31. Give clear expectations and get their commitment - if employees commit to adapting to change, they are considerably more likely to follow through.
- 32. A good portion of resistance disappears when employees are clear about the benefits the change brings to them - let the individual employee know the positive impact on their own career or job this change will bring
- 33. Ask and listen attentively to the employees - create a feedback and improvement loop
- 34. Make those people as change leaders that people already trust.
- 35. Create realistic and implementable timeline - map out every action and set deadlines so that you have a general idea of how long the entire transformation will take.
- 36. Never implement change in on go - implement them in stages.
- 37. Consider the opinions of all employees on whom the proposed change will have an effect.
- 38. Do change right the first time
- 39. Leverage the right technology
- 40. Ditch prejudices regarding current and past generations - Instead encourage fellowship
- 41. Recruit individuals who seemingly are attuned with your organization culture
- 42. Do change right the first time - failed attempts to change aspects of your business process will have a negative effect on how employees view future initiatives.
- 43. Do readiness assessments
- 44. Listen first, talk second delegate change
- 45. Get excited show them the data - make it about employees
- 46. Provide information in advance
- 47. Make only necessary changes - don't fix what is not broken
- 48. Increase engagement by asking questions - use social media and storytelling
- 49. Don't be afraid to change your mind - some changes don't turn out as well as others - nothing is gained by forcing your team to accept a change that is not working or needed
#wayspeoplereacttochange, #benefitsofresistingchange, #whyemployeesresistchage, #strategiesfordealingwithchange, #effectivechangemanagement, #howtorolloutchangeinitiative, #howtobringdownresistancetochange, #howtoreduceourownresistancetochange, #changeisnotthemajorproblem, #mishandlingchangecomplicatesproblems, #reasonswhyweresistchange, #wereacttochangewithfearanxietyandstress, #facingchangeisalwaysbetterthanresistingchange, #identifytherootcauseofresistance, #askifthischangeisreallynecessary, #acquireskillsandknowledgetoadapttochange, #killrumosearly, #checkandverifyunderstanding, #ifchangeisnotworkingpivotfast, #clarifyexpectations, #gettheircommitments, #givefeedbackandseeksuggestions, #askandlistentoemployees, #Dochangerightthefirsttime, #provideinformationinadvance, #don'tfixwhatisnotbroken, #makeonlynecessarychanges, #don'tgoforchangeforthesakeofchange, #don'tbeafraidtochageyourmind