Managing Resistance to Change

Employees might try to resist the changes being developed in an organization. They might think that the change compromises their previous practices and those they might not be sure of their job security (Carnall, 2018). However, as the management trying to develop the change, it is necessary to ensure that the employees assist in the change development process and accept them to realize organizational goals together. First, getting employees to accept the change involves clearly stating the change to the employees regardless of whether it is a minor or major change (Carnall, 2018). The employees need to understand what the change is about and the possible positive outcomes. Listening to the employees’ feedback at the implementation of change, as it progresses and at the end to find out the perception of the employees about the change and make improvements on areas that have low performance.

Employees view any change as a way of getting them out of their comfort zone, but that does not mean they do not need the assistance of their team leaders. It is, therefore, necessary to become compassionate and to understand to the employees by developing an efficient communication mechanism that allows flexible and free flow of information (Carnall, 2018). The team leader should also arrange meetings with the employees and be transparent while at the same time maintaining the discipline to build trust among the employees. They will believe that the change is for a good reason and efficiently assist in developing and accepting change.

It is also necessary to define roles to every employee within each department as a way of promoting employees’ acceptance to change. Once the management has clearly stated the roles, the employees will understand the expected outcome and have clearly defined goals and set timelines to achieve the goals thus promoting change (Carnall, 2018). It is, however, essential to provide training in areas that employees experience difficulties in ensuring they are within the timeline thus realizing the benefits of change and facilitate change development and acceptance.

 

Reference

Carnall, C. (2018). Managing change. Routledge.