FREE ESSAY ON CHANGE

CHANGE

INTRODUCTION
"Somebody once said: 'The only one who likes change is a wet baby'" (Mariotti, 1996, p.
30). We as human beings are always resistant to change if we are comfortable with
surroundings and ourselves. We do not like to be challenged with change because of fear
of the unknown. "Resistance is a natural reaction to change" (Maurer, 1996, p. 75). In
order to fully change an individual's style of thinking and working, we must understand
the theory and techniques in order to break down the barrier of resistance.
REASONS FOR RESISTANCE
There are several reasons for resistance to change from employees These reasons include
fear of the unknown, threatening job security, bad timing, lack of resources, no personal
gain, and fear of incompetence. Individuals that are resistant to change fear the unknown
when they do not know how it will affect their lives and the changes it will bring. The
perceived threat to job security is a factor that will cause resistance. People who think
that the change may cause them to lose their job will oppose it. Bad timing also plays a
major role in the sense that temporary circumstances may suggest that change should be
postponed. At many times corporations may be unsuccessful with change because of lack of
resources. This includes skills, abilities, finances, knowledge and staff needed to
implement the change. Employees may also be resistant because they have no perception of
personal gain with the change. People who think that change will not benefit them
personally and fairly are certain to resist it. And last but not least, one of most
important resisters to change is fear of incompetence. Some people may fear they will not
be able to handle the new job requirements (Grimaud, 1994).
CAUSE OF RESISTANCE
The real cause of reengineering failure is not the resistance to change itself but
inability of management to deal with it. Achieving change means responding to key factors
- including emotions like fear and anger - which drive human beings behavior in jobs.
Change is painful. When people are pushed to change, they push back. All changes, no
matter how beneficial they may seem, cost someone something. Resistance to change is
natural and inevitable. Two thirds of reengineering efforts fail due to people's
reluctance to go along and buy management's own ineptitude and fear. In order for change
to take lace management must empower people and listen to their ideas. They must
constantly communicate the company's goals and how they expect to achieve them.
Management must also lead by example and be consistent. People will usually believe what
they see and not what they hear. It is simpler to grasp and even champion these notions
than it is to actually act on them. Unless decision-makers are willing to acknowledge the
full range of reaction to change, reengineering is an interesting theory and nothing more
(Fisher, 1995).
BARRIERS TO CHANGE
Although overcoming resistance is no easy task, recognizing the most common barriers to
change can move things along. These barriers include:
The element of surprise. People's first reaction to change is often resistance. Instead
of surprising employees with a change initiative, management should involve them in the
planning process. This will transform surprises into foregone conclusions (Armentrout,
1996).
Fear of obsolescence. People may resist change that will make their skills and
competencies obsolete. Implementing programs to retain workers for new jobs and helping
them develop new skills will help management overcome this obstacle. This assurance will
make employees more likely to support change (Armentrout, 1996).
"If it ain't broke, don't fix it" is often the battle cry of those who resist change. The
fact of the matter is that many employees will not support a change until they clearly
see the need for it. To combat this, start selling the benefits of a proposed change
before you ask employees to implement it. When employees see the need for change
themselves, they will come aboard (Armentrout, 1996).
A sense of insecurity. When asked to carryout a change effort, employees may be reluctant
to try new ideas and opt instead for old methods. Acknowledging the fears that change can
invoke and creating and creating an environment that fosters and rewards innovation can
help break this barrier (Armentrout, 1996).
Conflicts in personality. A clash of personalities can derail an intended change effort.
Change will often require employees to form new relationships with other workers. With
these new alliances comes the potential for conflicts. One of two things can be done to
avoid these conflicts. An informal meeting may be called where employees can air their
difference or staffers can be counseled that professionals rise above personality
differences to get the job done (Armentrout, 1996).
STAGES OF CHANGE IMPLEMENTATION
"Today's managers must visualize the future and engineers the changes to get there."
There are certain steps that can be taken by managers in order to make change easier on
employees and gain their commitment. These principles for managing resistance to change
from employees are as follows:
1. PROVIDING RETIONALE
Reasoning for change should be shared with employees. Take the time to explain they the
change will benefit the company and how it will help to achieve the company's vision and
values. The more employees see that their intelligence is respected, the more open minded
they will be to the change.
2. BE EMPATHETIC
Employees need to know that management appreciates the difficulties such a change will
create. The effect the change will have on people must be thought out and then something
must be done to lessen the negative effects.
3. CLEAR COMMUNICATION
Communicate all particulars and details as simply, clearly and extensively as possible,
both verbally and in written form. Explain in detail the specifics of the transitions
that need to occur in order to make the change complete.
4. EXPLAIN THE BENEFITS
Show how the change will benefit the employees. When employees see the benefits it gives
them an incentive to help implement the new way. Explain that the new way will eliminate
complaints regarding the old way.
5. IDENTIFY A CHAMPION
When appropriate, identify a highly respected manager who will head the change effort. If
the change is big enough, a Transistor Management Team may be established. Others who may
not be in management but are respected as leaders may be part of this team.
6. OBTAIN INPUT
Allow persons affected by the change to offer their input and to express their needs.
Show how their ideas have been incorporated. The more employees think they have a say in
the change, the more support the change will have. Use employees as a resource. They will
have a wealth of ideas that will help the change go smoothly. Empowered employees are
committed employees.
7. "BE AWARE OF TIMING"
Make sure that the change does not interfere with any other important happenings. For
example, "doing inventory in a retail store on the day after Thanksgiving." Most
businesses have certain times of the year that change cannot be done. These times should
be avoided.
8. MAINTAIN JOB SECURITY
Where feasible, employees job security should be maintained. If jobs must be eliminated,
explain the process of how these decisions will be made. For example, seniority,
performance, etc. The greatest enemy to change is fear. Employee's fears must be
diffused.
9. PROVIDE TRAINING
Training or retraining must be made available to those employees who will need new
skills. Training will make employees feel competent and confident in the new way. The new
skills will make employees more valuable to the organization and other firms.
10. "PROCEED AT A MANAGEABLE PACE"
Employees require time to acclimate. If change is not rushed and is done at a manageable
rate, it does not become threatening to employees. Very often the quickest diffuser of
employees enthusiasm is when they feel overwhelmed by either too many changes or too
quick of a change.
11. TOP MANAGEMENT SUPPORT
Top management must behave consistently in ways that support the change. Mixed messages
can be fatal to a change effort. If top management says one thing but does another, the
employees will regard the change as a joke. Employees focus on what top management does,
not what they say.
12. "PUBLICIZE SUCCESSES AND MAKE MID-STREAM CONNECTIONS WHERE NEEDED."
If things are going well, publicize it. Nothing serves as a great motivator as seeing
progress. Listen to what employees have to say. If employees think that their suggestions
are not being considered, they will not offer anymore. Companies cannot afford to let a
gold mine of information (employee suggestions) be lost.
13. PROVIDE SERVICES FOR EMPLOYEES
Employee anxiety is one factor that will impede the success of a change effort. This
anxiety can be managed by counseling, Employee Assistance Programs, or even early
retirement (Iskat & Liebowitz, 1996).
Implementing change is a proven approach that provides management with a systematic
process of dealing with issues critical to the achievement of business reengineering. It
helps identify potential roadblocks to change efforts. It assists in evaluating and
selecting the persons who will implement the change. It also uncovers possible causes of
resistance from those who are modifying their behavior. It enables the change leaders to
develop both basic and specific tactics to follow through with the change throughout the
organization in a way that will create ownership and commitment (Arendt, Landis, Russ &
Meister, 1995).
EFFECTIVE IMPLEMENTATION THROUGH ACTIVE LEARNING
Active learning is an innovative educational methodology used to help people remove their
fear, resentment, and resistance toward change by immersing them in the change process
itself. Active learning serves as a vehicle for workers to understand how new knowledge
applies to them and their jobs. Role playing, brainstorming, cooperative learning and
critical analysis are techniques used in this innovative learning methodology. In
traditional lecture-type methodology listening is the predominant means of acquiring
instruction. By nature, human beings tend to become distracted and disinterested in this
method. Active learning results in an increased ability to understand, retain, and apply
the subject matter to working environments. This methodology prompts creative thinking
and perceiving a subject matter from a variety of different or new perspectives. Research
suggest that these techniques should be adopted in manufacturing education to increase
interest, understanding, retention, and application of instructional information (Weitz,
1995).
CONCLUSION
Resistance is an inevitable response to any change. People naturally rush to defend the
status quo if they feel their security or status is threatened. Change is unnerving to
most people even positive change. If mangers do not understand, accept and make an effort
to work with resistance, it can undermine even the most well intentioned and otherwise
well-conceived changes. There is no one strategy for dealing with resistance. Changes
take place in today's workplace and require managers who have strong communication skills
to build staff support and strong planning skills to make the changes happen. Managers
must also be flexible and adaptable, able to change their own management style and
approach to work successfully with the end product of change efforts (Stone, 1995).
Bibliography
REFERENCES
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Fisher, A.B. (1995, April 17). Making change stick. Fortune, 131(7), 121-123.
Grimaud, A.E. (1994, July/August). How to overcome resistance to change: The "7M Model".
Canadian Banker, 101(4), 36-37.
Iskat, G., & Liebowitz, J. (1996, August). What to do when employees resist change.
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Stone, F. (1995, October). Overcoming opposition to organizational change. Supervisory
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