Resistance to change is natural to any organisational change initiative. This resistance to change comes in many different forms and types based on adapting to new innovative technology and processes. But acknowledging employee resistance and understanding the types of resistance to change, helps to formulate your unique Change Management strategy – by combining with innovation so organisations can build a resilient foundation for the future.
Building a learning culture involves encouraging innovation and ongoing change development inside the organisation. This approach not only drives growth but also ensures long-term sustainability by fostering a culture of continuous improvement. Teams are encouraged to share their insights, thoughts, and development of ‘best practices’, by creating an environment that innovation is for everyone, not just Leaders!
Innovation plays a significant role in driving positive change. When embarking on major change transformation within organisations, experienced Change Managers perform a key role with coaching C-Suite Executives, Leaders and Senior Managers on how to both recognise and manage employee resistance. A well-curated Change Management strategy helps to harness the power of innovative change, but combating resistance needs to be a part of your overall Change Management Plan, to help accelerate the pace of innovation within the organisation.
How to navigate the Change resistance journey?
Managing change resistance requires consistent evaluation to ensure your efforts achieve the desired outcomes.
Whilst a negative reaction to change is natural, it is necessary to take resistance seriously and if the execution of change is to be successful. Otherwise, resistance can spread to other employees, putting work on hold, and derailing the entire change process.
Communicating the Change
Contrary to widespread belief, navigating the change has nothing to do with how much someone understands or likes the change. Simply, resistance is a way for people to protect themselves against latest changes in their role tasks, work behaviours, performance measures, power and / or status. The more your employees (the Targets of a change) believe that their current habits and patterns will be impacted, the more resistance you will see and experience.
Because even if all the change preparatory work is well thought out and rationally meaningful, the Strategy Plan for the change is in place, the Communication Plan is in place, the change initiative still represents something new to the team. A break from the usual, the normal, the familiar and the visible for employees. This is why organisations today invest in identifying and communicating to all stakeholders (including employees) to ensure that everyone is engaged, feeling comfortable with change initiatives, but understanding how they contribute to the “big picture”.
Fear of Change
Teams fear change: it is destabilising, stressful, and time-consuming. This is why change must be accompanied with a deeper understanding of human emotions and elements. It is important for Leaders to anticipate resistance to change, to understand it, to put processes in place, and the conditions for a successful cultural change that is both lasting and effective in your organisation.
An essential first step is by equipping your Leaders and Managers with better self-awareness and social awareness by being able to inspire, direct, and influence through leading change – and make implementing change easier on their people (and themselves) by collaboratively developing a winning Project Change Team.
Build curiosity about Change
Innovation and change are infinitely interconnected. Harness the power of both by designing a Change Management strategy that continues to transform your organisation by thriving through change and drive innovation, by simply cultivating a curious desire to be better than ever.
When designing your innovative strategy, there is a need to consider a sense of curiosity. Research shows that curiosity allows people to welcome new experiences with less defensiveness and aggressiveness. By responding to the unknown change but in a uniquely positive and inquisitive ways, your team members can strive for the most imaginative solutions towards their path to lasting change.
Helping your teams and employees accept change by facilitating a sense of curiosity is an essential component in designing an innovative workplace. By creating a culture of curiosity, you will encourage team members to become Change Agents. This is because with a desire to learn more, and do more, you are able to reframe the potential pitfalls of change (and the fears that come with it) as a unique opportunity to gain experience and progress the ability to get better.
What are the biggest sources of resistance to Change?
Resistance to change is a normal human response.
Resistance to change is a typical and expected result in every organisation because change triggers fear and anxiety. Change is natural, and so is having doubts about the outcomes of change. But in charting a course to bigger and better ideas, the most intentional Change Management focus is on initiative-taking change.
It is important to remember that getting “buy-in” or “acceptance” of a change initiative is not the end of the initiative. It is so easy to get lost in the structure and design of the Change Management Plan and forget about the people that it affects. Employees still need to develop new habits that are required within the newly changed environment, but learning new habits can be tricky so organisational support will be required.
Change is never easy. Whatever the organisation is struggling with, considering the human aspect of change is a critical (and sometimes the most unpredictable) part of any Change Management Plan. Organisations must always keep in mind that it is their people who will be implementing, actioning, and living the change.
With resistance to change, the following represents the eight (8) types:
1. Organisational Resistance
There are several inherent organisational factors which manifest to cause resistance to change, but organisational structure, power dynamics and culture are the biggest sources of resistance. These can be explained as:
Change in Culture
When organisational change threatens culture, values, ethics, and the normal attitude of organisations, then employees tend to resist such change.
Change in Power
When organisational change poses a challenge to power of one (1) Business Unit or department over others, then there is resistance from that department to initiate change.
Change in Operational Procedures
When employees believe that organisational change will altogether replace “old” operational procedures with “new” operational procedures, then they resist that change because they simply want to be comfortable working with the old ways.
Strict Hierarchy (within large structures)
It is always hard to implement change in large structures where there is a strict hierarchy (with decisions). Employees tend to think and act in a specific way, and they like to maintain their status-quo, so they resist change.
2. Group-level Resistance
Group-level Resistance refers to when people collectively raise their common issues and voice their opinions (but in an organised manner). This kind of resistance is quite common in enterprise businesses, since these common group actions are considered as a serious threat to organisational change. An example of this resistance is with employees unions and other associations, and this represents a challenge to change initiatives.
There are many ways and methods to deal with Group level Resistance. The best method is to negotiate with the Group Leaders to understand if they are genuinely representing the group. Change Leaders must be great negotiators, and they can also make the best recommendations with groups by offering up some concessions. There might be an option by Change Leaders to opt for ‘divide and rule’ approach and to deal with this type of resistance. This needs to be done carefully!
3. Individual-level Resistance
Individual-level Resistance occurs when people resist change at an individual level and without taking collective actions. There can be two (2) types of individual resistance.
- A strong individual whose mindset resists openly through challenging and criticising change. This “open” resistance is easier for Executive Management and Change Leaders to simplistically deal with his / her resistance. By reviewing the reasons, such as whether the individual feels insecure or uncertain about change or lacks understanding of change or is it his / her traits to resist anything new to their work environment.
- There are individuals who do not have the power or influence with change, and so they naturally resist overtly. There will be obvious signs and symptoms to resistance to change (e.g., there is more absenteeism, gossip, or low productivity). Change Leaders can easily spot any of these warning signs to seek out individuals who resist change.
4. Active Resistance
Active Resistance refers to when employees are opposing change actively. Its signs and symptoms are noticeably clear, such as an increase in employee absenteeism and strike action involving large numbers of employees. This active part in resistance against the change occurs by openly speaking out in meetings and other internal communication channels. Change leaders must respond proactively to overcome and manage this type of resistance.
5. Passive Resistance
Passive Resistance refers to the negative emotions towards the change initiative. The initial signs and symptoms are not always obvious, and Change Leaders should be vigilant with identifying this type of resistance. Employees usually show and express their agreement (and consent) to change but they are reluctant to implement it. They use delaying tactics, excuses, and other any other covert means to express their resistance.
6. Aggressive Resistance
Aggressive Resistance refers to disruptive actions and activities that spoil or eliminate the change initiative. Signs of aggressive resistance may include violent protests, behaviour, or threats against any change. If this type of resistance to change is not addressed decisively, then it can become hard to control and becomes dangerous with negative impacts for the organisation.
7. Covert Resistance
Covert Resistance is deliberate resistance to change, as no one is open or acknowledgement to claim responsibility of resistance. Employees show with their actions that they are comfortable with change but in fact they actively resist (in the background) and without being open about it. The biggest challenge for your Change Leaders and Change Management Team is to correctly identify Who(?) are behind this type of resistance.
8. Overt Resistance
Overt Resistance refers to when employees do not hide behind the change, but they openly challenge the change initiative. Usually when employees are united to raise their voice and concerns about change, they have strong reasons and arguments to support their resistance. From the Leaders perspective, it is always better to know who are against change (and why) so that they can effectively address their concerns and execute change successfully.
Summary
It is important for Leaders to know what to expect and how to approach the emotional impact of organisational change. When Executive Management Teams must address the WIIFM – “What’s In It For Me?” – question with their workforce, it forces Leaders to justify the reason for change. Because employees immediately seek to translate the change into a personal context—which can be magnified by fear of the unknown!
The Change Management Team should anticipate these sources of resistance and take a transparent, constructive approach when addressing them. Addressing the reasons for change and involving the workforce in crafting solutions creates the best ideas and helps prevent bad ideas from being implemented. By selecting the right strategies for dealing with resistance to change, you can empower a more efficient, streamlined change process.
Firstly, if people are resisting change, it means that they have started on their change journey. They are no longer in denial that a change is happening but have clearly recognised that they are going to need to change and adopt a new way of working. If people are in denial, that is a terrible thing. If they are resisting the change, that is a good thing!
Need some guidance on your next steps? Let’s start a conversation…
