Resistance to Change

Resistance to Change

Understanding change is pertinent in any leadership position as it can make or break the change initiative. However to first understand change we must identify the key elements that cause changes to succeed as well as fail. Rosabeth Moss Kanter described the top10 most common reasons why she believes individuals resist change which ultimately leads to failure. Throughout this paper I will discuss additional sources that I have experienced in my professional career as to why individuals resist change. I will then follow up with additional actions that may be taken to alleviate that resistance from each source. The first source of resistance as described by Kanter (2012) is “Loss of Control”. When an individual experiences a sense of loss of control the reason could very well be due to a lack of knowledge in the details of the change. If individuals are unaware of the specifics of the change then they may be more hesitant to welcome the change with open arms. Leaders and others implementing the change need to be sure and educate those affected by the change on how the process will unfold and what exactly the change means for them. Kanter (2012) describes the process best by suggesting smart leaders will include those individuals in the decision making process. This allows the individual to feel as if they have some sort of input in the change initiative as opposed to only being told what to do and how to do it. The second source of resistance that Kanter (2012) discusses is referred to as “Excess Uncertainty”. Individuals may feel excessively uncertain about change if they have had a bad previous work related experience with change. Leaders could mitigate this type of resistance by allowing individuals affected by the change the opportunity to express their feelings, concerns or doubts related to the change. Leaders should offer assurance at the beginning of the process as well as throughout the life of the entire change initiative to address those concerns. Another source to make Kanter’s top ten list is titled “Surprise, Surprise!” (2012) Kanter (2012) suggest that individuals that have no time to think about upcoming changes or consequences of those changes will be more resistant than those who have time to ponder those thoughts which is completely accurate. An additional possibility along the lines of the “Surprise Surprise” resistance could be that your employees or co-workers may not trust you in you as a leader. Employees may think you are being deceptive or deceitful if change is sprung on them without warning. I believe being honest and ethical with your employees while building rapport will ensure that they trust you are doing what is best for the company and the team they are committed to. Kanter (2012) calls the fourth source in resistance to change “Everything Seems Different”. She explains as human beings we are comfortable