Functional Resistance:

• critically assess whether change will lead to improvements

• exploring the personal consequences of change.

• feelings of regret, anxiety or fear to a previous history of non-disclosure and poor working relations.

Dysfunctional Resistance:

• avoiding dealing with urgent and pressing issues

• declining to work on what really needs to be done.

• blaming and criticising without proposing alternatives

• sabotaging change

• non-collaboration with others.

Signs of Resistance: Active

Being critical

Finding fault

Ridiculing

Appealing to fear

Using facts selectively

Blaming or accusing

Sabotaging

Intimidating or threatening

Manipulating

Distorting facts

Blocking

Undermining

Starting rumours

Arguing

Signs of Resistance: Passive

Agreeing verbally but not following through (“malicious compliance”)

Failing to implement change

Procrastinating or dragging one’s feet

Feigning ignorance

Withholding information, suggestions, help, or support

Standing by and allowing change to fail

• Ignorance: a failure to understand the situation or the problem

• Mistrust: motives for change are considered suspicious

• Disbelief: a feeling that the way forward will not work

• “Power-Cut”: a fear that sources of influence and control will be eroded.

• Loss: change has unacceptable personal costs

• Inadequacy: the benefits from the change are not seen as sufficient

• Anxiety: fear of being unable to cope with the new situation.

• Comparison: the way forward is disliked because an alternative is preferred

• Demolition: change threatens the destruction of existing social networks.

Resistance to Change

Forms of Resistance to Change

Overt and immediate

• Voicing complaints, engaging in job actions

Implicit and deferred

• Loss of employee loyalty and motivation, increased

errors or mistakes, increased absenteeism

Sources of Individual Resistance to Change

Sources of Organizational Resistance to Change

Overcoming Resistance To Change

Overcoming Resistance to Change

• Tactics for dealing with resistance to change:

• Education and communication

• Participation

• Facilitation and support

• Negotiation

• Manipulation and cooptation

• Selecting people who accept change

• Coercion

Managing Resistance

• A “Situational” Approach:– this proposes six methods for managing resistance that should be

chosen based on contextual factors.

Method Context

Education & Communication resistance is due to lack of information

Participation & Involvement Resistance is a reaction to a sense of

exclusion from the process

Facilitation & Support Resistance is due to anxiety and

uncertainty

Negotiation & Agreement Resistors in a strong position to

undermine the change process

Manipulation & Cooperation Other methods are too time consuming

or resource demanding

Explicit & Implicit Coercion Change recipients have little capacity to

resist; survival of the org. is at risk

without the change

Images of Managing Change

Images Perspective on Resistance to Change

Director Resistance signifies that not everyone is on board with the change

program. Managerial skills can be acquired to overcome this.

Navigator Resistance is expected and represents different interests within

the organization. It should be overcome but this is not always

possible.

Caretaker Resistance is short-lived and change will occur regardless of

attempts to stop it.

Coach Resistance is to be expected and managers need to show others

that the resistance does not promote effective teamwork.

Interpreter Resistance occurs when the change is not interpreted well or

understood. The manager’s role is to clarify the meaning of

change.

Nurturer Resistance is irrelevant to whether the change will occur.

Resistance is a matter of guesswork by the resistor.

6-13