Change is a common phenomenon and an essential part of human life. Change affects the survival and growth of an organization in terms of time, duty, work, pay, technology, structure, authority-responsibility and many others. It helps to adjust with the forces of the external environment. Since the environment of business is dynamic, it is vital for organizations to be dynamic by identifying, accepting and implementing changes at the right time . Change refers to the creation of difference or imbalance in the existent pattern of dealing at work. It is a base for growth and development as it offers plenty of opportunities. In an organization, change may be economic or non-economic, direct or indirect, immediate or gradual, partial or total. Successful implementation of change requires a planned intervention. Resistance to change is a common issue faced by a majority of the organizations. The degree of resistance depends on the type of change, degree of alteration, type of people involved, organizational policies and perceived level of benefits or losses .
Recently, an organization my friend was working in came to a decision to implement the initiative of cost reduction. The Procurement department of the organization discovered the use of printers as a possible opportunity to reduce the costs. In the organization, the employees had access to individual printers, which they connected to their laptops. The procurement department decided to implement the idea of establishing networked printers in convenient locations within the organization, so that the employees can connect their laptops wirelessly to the network printers . The organization decided to do so as it would save approximately $2 million per year. The senior management approved the proposal and the procurement team ordered the network printers. The managers communicated with the employees describing the benefits of the cost reduction technique.
Within a few weeks after the set up of the network printers the IT department started to uninstall the individual printers from the employees’ cabins. Though the network printers were only a few yards away, my friend mentioned that they were inconvenient as the employee needs to go to the printer every time he prints a paper. He mentioned that most of his colleagues objected the printers due to the fear that the confidential documents may compromise as every employee had the access to go to the printer and view the documents while printing . Due to the resistance to change from the employees, the senior management organized to phase in the cost reduction program for a period of two years rather than implementing it with immediate effect. The organization had to lose significant opportunity costs due the employees’ lack of understanding. The example explains the reasons of failure to implement the change and how resistance works.
It is important that the managers communicate with the employees in a straightforward manner about the need for change and acknowledge their concerns in a positive way. The communication must be interactive in order to assure the employees. Though such step is difficult in large organizations, it is possible by engaging managers and supervisors in communication with their subordinates . The organization must provide some time for the employees so that they understand and absorb the change instead of getting into a negative spiral. In the above example, the senior management might increase their efforts of communication and make the employees understand about the physical benefits of the network printers by conducting demonstration sessions. The organization might also take suggestions from the employees regarding confidential documents. Communicating the cost savings with the employees from time to time would also make the employees understand the potential benefits of change .
In the above example, technology, which is an external factor, is the major cause for resistance to change. Information technology consists of the different kinds of computer related hardware and software changes. The organization must learn to manage information as well as people in order to bridge the gap between the organization and its internal or external environment. Improving the quality of products and lowering the costs, and increasing the effectiveness of change by enhancing innovation and organizational learning are the two important effects to cope with the resistance to change . It is important that the organizations establish a commitment to change because employees are less likely to adapt the changes unless the top management commits to improve organization through the implementation of change. The creation of cross-functional teams eliminates the formal boundaries that exist among the employees.
Overcoming the resistance to change requires a great deal of ability and experience on the part of the managers in the organization. John Kotter, an expert in leadership and change management proposed an eight-step process to overcome the resistance to change. The first step is to establish a step of urgency by providing compelling reasons for the necessity of change in the organization . The next step is creating a guiding coalition with a group of people who have enough power to lead the change. Developing a vision and strategy helps the managers to guide the change process. Communicating the change vision by creating and implementing a communication strategy, which constantly communicates the new vision and strategy is also an effective method of overcoming the resistance to change. The next step is empowering a broad-based action to eliminate the barriers to change and encouraging risk taking and creative problem solving.
Kotter proposes the generation of short-term wins by recognizing and rewarding people contributing to the wins. Consolidating the gains and reinvigorating the change process as the change cascades throughout the organization is another step. Finally, reinforcing the changes by focusing on the new behaviors and processes that lead to organizational success and developing methods to ensure leadership development also help to overcome the resistance to change . In the above example, the best way to overcome resistance to change is to set up printers at convenient locations so that the employees do not need to walk long in order to get the printed documents. Suggesting alternate methods to protect the confidentiality of the documents would also help to make the employees understand the significant impact of the change as a measure to reduce costs for the organization. Rewarding the employees for their cooperation in adapting the change would also bring positive results. Most importantly, effective leadership is inevitable for successful implementation of change.
References
Griffin, R., & Moorhead, G. (2011). Organizational Behavior. Cengage Learning.
Henson, R. (2012, 02). Resistance to Change. Retrieved 11 21, 2014, from The Center for Organizational Design: http://www.centerod.com/2012/02/resistance-to-change/
Kreitner. (2004). Organizational Behavior, 8E . Tata McGraw-Hill Education.
Rudani, R. B. (2012). Management and Organizational Behavior. Tata McGraw Hill.
