Resistance To Organizational Change: Characteristics, Causes And What To Do
Human beings are animals of habit and we can see this in the workplace. Everyone prefers routine in the workplace rather than having to face changes.
Although we may like to vary from time to time, changes at work are generally frowned upon, especially because it involves having to learn to do something new, having to leave the comfort zone and go through a process of adaptation, something that always costs us a little.
Resistance to organizational change is living proof of this Below we are going to explain what it is, what its causes are and what can be done to manage it.
We can define resistance to change as set of attitudes that employees of an organization experience when they are pushed towards a process of change in their workplace something that involves changing your habits and routine.
Transformations in an organization can be seen as a source of uncertainty, which is why it is inevitable that some employees will be reluctant or oppose the changes. Generally, this is due to the following two reasons:
Depending on how the workers resist, We can talk about two types of resistance to organizational change
Passive
Employees do not like the changes that are going to be introduced, but They do not express it explicitly with words or complaints, but with attitudes and gestures They show a certain degree of discomfort in the form of internal denial, which is reflected in a reduction in their productivity and can even cause absenteeism from work.
Active
In this case, the employees They do express their discomfort with words, both among their colleagues and directly to their superiors This resistance to organizational change can become so active that it motivates behavior such as sabotage or strikes, and attempts are made to obviously prevent any change that is planned in the organization.
In any company that attempts to modify its habits, traditions and routines, it is expected that its workers will experience some rejection and denial before definitively accepting the changes introduced.
This happens because, although it can be explained to them that the changes will serve to improve the functioning of the company, what happens is that they feel that they do not handle the novelty nor are they owners of it Naturally, not all people will experience the same degree of rejection towards the changes, but some rejection is to be expected.
Among the causes behind resistance to change we find.
1. Threat of individual power
Some managers are likely to resist change, believing it will reduce their power even if symbolically, or is transferred to his subordinates.
2. Threat of organizational power
Changes may give some groups, departments or sectors of the company more power Because of this, people who see their power threatened or who fear being subjected to that of others will show some resistance to the new proposals.
3. Loss of control over subordinates
With the new changes, It may happen that managers see that their control over workers is reduced something that they will not receive positively.
4. Increased employee control
Changes in the organization can give more power to employees. This means that they have to acquire new responsibilities, sometimes much greater than those they previously had something they may feel they are not adequately prepared for.
5. Fear of salary reduction
Changes in the company can be interpreted as changes in the salary and economic privileges of workers especially interpreted as a more or less significant reduction thereof.
6. Get out of the comfort zone
On many occasions, changes in the company cause personal discomfort or make life difficult for employees at the beginning, since they were accustomed to a routine that has suddenly been altered.
These changes involve making workers leave their comfort zone having to learn to do new tasks, forget old methods and become familiar with new ones, a tedious process that causes dissatisfaction.
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7. Resource reallocation
When changes are introduced in the organization It usually happens that certain departments and sectors begin to receive more resources, while others lose them This can generate tensions between the parts that make up the organization, and may cause those who lose part of their resources to consider this a theft or trampling of rights.
Changes can disrupt everything, stopping plans, projects or other activities, both work-related and personal and family-related. This is, in fact, one of the main causes behind resistance to change, since Transformation may involve having to rethink in the short, medium and long term countless aspects concerning the company and the personal lives of its workers
9. Doubts about the process
If employees see the change as something too abstract or that they do not fully understand why it is being done, it is normal for them to resist it. If they do not understand the true purpose of the proposed transformation, they will hardly be in favor of it
Since the human mind is generally pessimistic in the face of uncertainty, they assume that the new thing that is to come must necessarily be bad and that awakens reluctance in them about its arrival.
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10. Different evaluations and perceptions
In the company there will always be a diversity of opinions on a proposal. Since not everyone is going to agree with the changes that want to be applied, it is normal for some to think that the new thing that is to come is a bad idea and that, telling others about it, they spread a bad opinion about the transformation
11. Fear of the unknown
If the changes that are to come are not properly explained, it is totally normal for there to be an atmosphere of uncertainty among workers. As we said, we usually see changes as something potentially dangerous, and if on top of that we know absolutely nothing about what the results are going to be or they have not been explained to us, this fear of the unknown increases and motivates those who feel it to resist. he.
12. Previous experience
Most veteran employees already have previous experience knowing that, when changes are introduced, they have to go through a learning moment that, Although they are necessary, they are not easy or quick to acquire
They know that the transition is not an easy process and, if there is a history that the changes introduced by the organization in the past were a failure, there will be more resistance to organizational change.
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How to promote organizational change?
Any change that is introduced in an organization will end up causing some resistance to it It is an almost inevitable fact, since all workers feel that with the new changes introduced, their daily routine is altered and they are forced to have to learn how to do their job again.
Fortunately, a series of tips and strategies can be followed to ensure that the transformations that you want to promote in the company are better accepted and are not seen as something so traumatic in work terms.
1. Define objectives
It often happens that workers, after having introduced the changes, do not know what they are for, even though they should work for something. The problem is not that there are no objectives, but that they have not been adequately transmitted to the team, nor have the goals and dates to be achieved been explained. Thus It is essential to clearly define the objectives and communicate them to workers, so that they know why their routine is being changed
2. Define the actions
The clearer and simpler the actions to be taken are, the better. It is not much use to explain what the general objectives are to be met without talking about the details in the form of specific actions that must be mastered By defining them, making workers clear about what they have to do and how to do it, resistance to change will be reduced because, to begin with, workers will have no doubts about what they have to do.
3. Encourage participation
It is essential that all workers feel involved in the organization and the changes that are to come. It is necessary to provide the team with communication spaces where employees can comment on progress if there is any type of problem in the introduction of changes in the company or if the expected results are not being achieved.
4. Take care of communication
It’s fundamental that all parts of the company are properly communicated, anticipating the possible lack of information by employees. If workers do not know what they have to do or receive instructions from their superiors, mistrust and uncertainty arise, which is why it is so necessary to ensure that they receive the appropriate information on time.
