RS Blog

Dealing with Resistance to Organizational Change

By Joan Lloyd

Life is full of situations in which two people have very different perspectives on the same thing. Many of these disagreements center on fairly trivial topics (e.g., which animals make the best pets, what the greatest movie ever made is), but sometimes they are about subjects with much larger implications. Organizational change is one such topic–and a potentially controversial and polarizing one, too, because often when it comes up some people are simply unable or unwilling to visualize the new possibility. In those cases, their resistance can influence whether a proposal moves forward successfully.

When people express that sort of resistance and don’t readily accept the new way of doing things, others often perceive them as uncooperative obstacles who have their own agendas and who aren’t team players. But the truth is that many people who resist organizational change aren’t necessarily operating with bad intentions. For instance, they may think the changes will hurt customers or the company in some way. Or perhaps they don’t really understand what the changes are supposed to accomplish.

Openly stated opposition isn’t the only form that resistance can take:

Even without arguments, negativity, or other obvious signs, resistance can still be present. For example, someone might smile and nod when they aren’t actually on board with the proposal.
Sometimes resistance comes from people (often near the top of the organization) who think that “all those other people” are the ones who need to change.
Yet another form of resistance manifests when people relentlessly question something in the spirit of being “helpful.”

Managers who must deal with organizational change without guidance frequently make common mistakes. For example:

They expect employees to be “good soldiers,” so they announce the change and assume that people will automatically jump on board.
They side with their own employees against top management and take no steps to own the change themselves.
They force the change by drastic reorganizations, chopping off heads, and changing jobs.
They do nothing and hope the change goes away on its own.
They protect their own hides instead of taking care of their departments’ needs

These are just a few of the responses that can derail change efforts–and cause long-term harm to organizations. Fortunately, many great managers invest the time and effort into helping their employees understand the change and how it affects them. Their effective strategies include the following:

Stop periodically and take a step back to regroup. Sometimes leaders get so far out in front that they lose their followers, who then express what seems like resistance but it is often simply confusion or a lack of understanding (often signaled by blank stares, off-the-mark input, and questions about the purpose of the changes). Because each person understands–and buys into–proposed changes at different points in the process, repetition of the “why” behind the change is key.
Make sure people understand that they weren’t doing it “wrong” under the old system. When that message isn’t clearly communicated, sometimes people think that change is being implemented to correct perceived deficiencies in their own performance. They feel that their credibility is at stake, so their resistance takes the form of a personal battle against the new way.
Show people how the change supports the mission, vision, and strategy of the organization. If people think the change will do nothing except create more work, they aren’t going to get behind it. Too often, senior managers fail to publicly explain the strategic reasons behind changes–and then wonder why there’s resistance to them. The best strategy is to communicate the reasons at every opportunity so that people understand how the changes tie into the big picture. All of the senior and middle managers should participate in one-on-one meetings, small group sessions, roundtable discussions, and company-wide meetings. These sessions should be held often and structured to allow for maximum interaction.
Help each person see how the changes affect them. Managers need to answer the “What’s in it for me?” questions that employees have whenever new proposals are announced. Providing details and specifics can help people see clearly what the changes mean for them.

Change is never easy, and because of the scale involved organizational change brings its own particular challenges. But through clear and deliberate communication, managers can help employees understand the purpose of proposed changes. And with a clear understanding in hand, those employees are more likely to drop their resistance to change and embrace it instead.

Joan Lloyd is a Milwaukee-based executive coach who specializes in leadership development, organizational change, and team building. In addition to coaching for executives and team leaders, her services include 360-degree feedback processes, retreat facilitation, presentation skill coaching, and small group labs. She can be reached at (414) 573-1616 or via www.JoanLloyd.com.

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