Question

.1 Individuals’ Predisposition toward Change How people react to change depends a lot on how they learned to handle change and ambiguity as children. One person’s parents may have been patient, flexible, and understanding, and from the time the child was weaned she may have learned there were positive compensations for the loss of immediate gratification. Thus, she will associate making changes with love and approval. Another person’s parents may have been unreasonable and unyielding, forcing him to do things (piano lessons, for example) that he didn’t want to do. Thus, he will be distrustful of making changes because he will associate them with demands for compliance.134

2. Surprise and Fear of the Unknown When radically different changes are introduced without warning—for example, without any official announcements—the office rumor mill will go into high gear, and affected employees will become fearful of the implications of the changes. It is essential for change leaders to explain the rationale for change, to educate people about the personal implications of change, and to garner commitment to change.135

3. Climate of Mistrust Trust involves reciprocal faith in others’ intentions and behavior. Mistrust encourages secrecy, which causes deeper mistrust, putting even well-conceived changes at risk of failure. Managers who trust their employees make the change process an open, honest, and participative affair. All told, employees who feel fairly treated by managers during change are less likely to resist.136

4. Fear of Failure Intimidating changes on the job can cause employees to doubt their capabilities. Self-doubt erodes self-confidence and cripples personal growth and development.

5. Loss of Status or Job Security Administrative and technological changes that threaten to alter power bases or eliminate jobs—as often happens during corporate restructurings that threaten middle-management jobs—generally trigger strong resistance.

6. Peer Pressure Even people who are not themselves directly affected by impending changes may actively resist in order to protect the interests of their friends and coworkers.

7. Disruption of Cultural Traditions or Group Relationships Whenever individuals are transferred, promoted, or reassigned, it can disrupt existing cultural and group relationships. Example: Traditionally, Sony Corp. promoted insiders to new positions. When an outsider, Howard Stringer, was named as the next chairman and CEO and six corporate officers were asked to resign, creating a majority board of foreigners, the former CEO, Nobuyuki Idei, worried the moves might engender strong employee resistance.137

8. Personality Conflicts Just as a friend can get away with telling us something we would resent hearing from an adversary, the personalities of change agents can breed resistance.

9. Lack of Tact or Poor Timing Introducing changes in an insensitive manner or at an awkward time can create employee resistance. Employees are more apt to accept changes when managers effectively explain their value, as, for example, in demonstrating their strategic purpose to the organization.

10. Nonreinforcing Reward Systems Employees are likely to resist when they can’t see any positive rewards from proposed changes, as, for example, when one is asked to work longer hours without additional compensation. Where do you stand on change? Do you tend to accept and embrace change, or do you have tendencies to resist it? The following self-assessment will provide feedback on your attitudes toward change. If your scores indicate resistance, you should consider what can be done to move your attitudes in a more positive direction. ● Then create an initial posting addressing two of the ten reasons on the list. Give examples of times when you have seen these two reasons in action, and tell about the resulting outcome. What would you suggest to make things work out for the better?

• Give examples of times when you have seen these two reasons in action, and tell about the resulting outcome?
• What would you suggest to make things work out for the better?

Answer 1

In reference to change, I am a personality who tend to resist change. Based on my work experience, I resist change due to two main factors, namely-

1. Surprise and Fear of the Unknown – I worked for a multinational publishing company where the radically different changes were introduced without any prior intimation. The fear of the unknown would create a sense of insecurity among the employees. The affected employees who were not informed of the changes would become fearful of the implications of the changes. My experience was similar to this statement because the publishing company introduced many changes in journal management and outsourced few which made me feel insecure in my job. This is why I resisted change.

2. Non-reinforcing Reward Systems- In addition to the above, I resisted change because I couldn’t see any positive reward from the proposed changes. I witnessed that employees who accepted the changes worked long hours and they were exhaustive. They also lost the work-life balance. This was one of the important factors for me to resist change. I feared that I had to work long hours (after the usual 9hours) and not be compensated adequately for the work. I also feared that I would lose the work-life balance which would strain my personal relationship as well.

Suggestions for effective change management:

- The management should have transparency in their decisions. The management should communicate effectively to the employees the changes they are planning to implement and the reasons for the change. This would greatly reduce the fear of insecurity among the employees helping them to accept change.

- Improved compensation system- The management should provide better compensation system to ensure that the employees are not demotivated. They should be assured what the change would bring in them. This strategy would also ensure that the employees don’t quit the company due to unsatisfied compensation system.

- Work-life balance- The employees should be assured that the working hours are not compromised for accepting the new change. The work-life balance ensures that the employees are retained and this significantly reduces the attrition rate for the company.

Note- If you like the answer, please provide an up-vote as it would be quite encouraging for me. Thank you.