lecture 4-resistance to change
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Resistance to Change
Change LeadershipBSB20302-7-CL
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Learning Outcomes
• Identify reasons as to why employees would support to change
• Identify signs of resistance to change• Understand reasons for resistance to
change• Recognise the strengths & weaknesses of
various approaches to the management of resistance to change.
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Support for Change
• Possible outcomes that are likely to cause people to react positively to change:
- Security- Money- Authority- Status/prestige- Responsibility- Better working conditions- Self-satisfaction- Better personal contacts- Less time & effort
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Signs of Resistance to Change
• Resistance to change is “tridimensional”:
(a) Affective
- is how a person feels about a change (angry)
(b) Cognitive
- is how a person thinks about a change (It’s a crazy idea)
(c) Behavioral
- is what a person does in the face of a change
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• The behavioral response may take many forms:
(a) Active response
- The symptoms of active resistance are identified as being critical, finding fault, blaming or accusing, sabotaging
(b) Passive response
- Agreeing verbally but not following through, failing to implement change
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Signs of Resistance to Change
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Why Do People Resist Change?
• Dislike of Change
- it is unwise to assume that dislike of change is an innate human characteristic.
- individuals vary considerably in their “dispositional resistance to change.”
- people that are high on dispositional resistance to change, which is conceptualised as a stable personality trait, are less likely to voluntarily incorporate changes in their lives – if still imposed, negative emotional reactions (anxiety, anger & fear)
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• Discomfort with Uncertainty
- individuals tend to vary in terms of how comfortable we are with ambiguity
- for some, the uncertainty is magnified by a lack of confidence that they have the skills/capabilities needed in the post-change situation
- the lack of supporting action is not due to overt resistance or even apaty; it is due to the lack of a clear understanding of what such supportive action would “look like.”
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Why Do People Resist Change?
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• Perceived Negative Effect on Interests- the change might affect their “interests”, a term that can cover a wide range of factors including their authority, status, rewards (including salary), opportunity to apply expertise, autonomy & security
- people find it easier to be supportive of changes that they see as not threatening such interests and may resist those that are seen as damaging to these interests.
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Why Do People Resist Change?
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• Attachment to the Established Organisational Culture/Identity
- beliefs, values, and artifacts
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Why Do People Resist Change?
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• Perceived Breach of Psychological Contract
- employees form beliefs as to the nature of the reciprocal relationship between them and their employer
- a breach or violation of this contract occurs when employees believe that the employer is no longer honoring its “part of the deal.”
- employee & the organisation for which they work can be seen as involved in a “personal compact”
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Why Do People Resist Change?
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- 3 dimensions of the compact:
(i) formal
(ii) psychological
(iii) social
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Why Do People Resist Change?
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• Lack of Conviction That Change Is Needed
- people are likely to react negatively to change when they feel that there is no need for the change
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Why Do People Resist Change?
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• Lack of Clarity as to What is Expected
- lack of clear information as to the specific implications at the level of action by individuals.
- the chances increase that employees will fail to convert a change initiative into supporting action at their level of the organisation.
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Why Do People Resist Change?
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• Belief That the Specific Change Being Proposed Is Inappropriate
- those affected by the change will either think that it is a good or a bad idea
- this will affect their readiness to change
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Why Do People Resist Change?
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• Excessive Change
- consists of 2 forms:
(a) occurs when an organisation is pursuing several change initiatives at once and these are perceived by people in the organisation as unrelated or, even worse, in conflict.
(b) occurs where an organisation introduces a series of changes and people in the organisation feel that resources are being reassigned to new initiatives before the earlier ones have been given sufficient attention for them to be effectively implemented
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Why Do People Resist Change?
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Managing Resistance
(a)A “Situational” Approach
- Education & Communication
- Participation & Involvement
- Facilitation & Support
- Negotiation & Agreement
- Manipulation & Cooption
- Explicit & Implicit coercion
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(b) The Resistance Cycle, aka “Let Nature Take Its Course”
- 4 phases in the cycle:
(1) Denial
(2) Resistance
(3) Exploration
(4) Commitment
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Managing Resistance
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(b) The Resistance Cycle, aka “Let Nature Take Its Course”
(1) Denial- Involves a refusal to recognise the situation being
faced.- May involve outright denial, ignoring what is
happening, not being receptive to new information, or minimising the necessary change in action
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(2) Resistance- Begins with the recognition that the situation is not
going to go away; the past is mourned, stress levels rise, and both passive & active forms of resistance emerge
- Within the Scott & Jaffe model, resistance is a phase that ends as individuals begin to separate from the past and become more confident of their capacity to play a role in the future that they face.
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(b) The Resistance Cycle, aka “Let Nature Take Its Course”
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(3) Exploration- Involves reenergising and a preparedness to
explore the possibilities involved in the new situation.
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(b) The Resistance Cycle, aka “Let Nature Take Its Course”
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(4) Commitment- Stage where attention is focused on the new
course of action.
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(b) The Resistance Cycle, aka “Let Nature Take Its Course”
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• Moving through the phases can take several months and that an individual can become “stuck” in a phase
• Even if such situations are not the norm, they are sufficient to indicate that a laissez-faire response by management is likely to be unwise given that intervention may at least reduce some of the negative effects of resistance to change.
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(b) The Resistance Cycle, aka “Let Nature Take Its Course”
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Thought Self-Leadership (TSL)
• Is a process of influencing or leading through the purposeful control of one’s thoughts
• This approach to the management of change is based on a series of linked propositions and the application of associated techniques:
(a) people’s perceptions are a primary determinant of how they respond to change
(b) TSL can influence these perceptions through the use of the 3 processes: beliefs and assumptions, self-talk, and mental imagery
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• Together, these 3 processes contribute to the creation of habitual ways of thinking (thought patterns).
• Thought patterns that are likely to impact a person’s response to change include “opportunity thinking” & “obstacle thinking”.
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Thought Self-Leadership (TSL)