In: Operations Management
what is the most important strategy in your view for overcoming resistance to change
In my opinion, the most important strategy to overcome resistance to change is:
Effective communication with the opposing people
The most important strategy is to effectively communicate the details about the change and how it will benefit the people who are opposing the change. The opposing people might have the fear of losing their importance in the organization or they may not keep up with the new environment. Thus, the managers must effectively communicate to them the details regarding the change and persuade them to accept it. The main goal of this strategy is to effectively communicate with the people who are opposing the change because they are the ones who are hindering the process of change management.
The communication must begin before implementation of the change. The need of the change must be described. The managers may use company-wide emails, intranet, or in-house publications for informing all the employees. They may even use the informal communication to communicate with the workers in a better way. The need for change must be explained in detail and it must also show the benefits that the individual employees would get if the change is implementated. All the incentives and benefits regarding the new system may lure the employees to accept it.
Moreover, communication is a two-way process. So, the managers must allow the workers to raise their issues and listen to them. When their issues would be heard and considered they would feel more belonged to the organization. Also, the managers would be able to resolve their issues and make them feel confident about the changes.
Thus, an effevtive communication is the most important strategy to overcome resistance to change.