CORPORATE HEALTH
Analyse situational variables to avoid resistance to change
In the business environment change is inevitable and so is resistance to change. Initiating a change is indeed very challenging for the organisations. As a manager to be successful at implementing the change whether big or small, you need to choose an appropriate method to overcome the resistance. Sometimes you may need to take a hard-nosed stance while at other times you may have to adopt a people oriented approach. Some situations may need negotiating yet others may nece
ssitate educating.
A common mistake many managers make is to use only one of these methods irrespective of the situation. It is important to understand that each method has its own drawbacks and will work only when certain preconditions are met. Therefore, it is desirable to analyse the situational variables before deciding on the approach necessary to overcome resistance and successfully drive in the change required. Often a combination of different methods when skilfully applied leads to better results.
The greater the anticipated resistance the harder it is to overcome the same. Before proceeding to tackle the resistance you must understand the ‘why’ behind their ‘no’. There are numerous reasons why people resist change. The employees, at times assess the situation differently from their managers. When they perceive more costs than benefits they tend to resist the new order. If that is the case experts recommend taking an educative approach. Communication helps people see the need for and also understand the logic of a change. The process can include one-on-one discussions, presentations to groups or written communication such as sending across the message through reports, charts and dashboards. You can choose the best method of communication depending upon the number of people you need to convince as well as the time at your disposal.
People also resist change because they fear they will not be able to develop new skills required of them. While dealing with this type of resistance you must adopt a supportive approach. You can offer support to your employees in a number of ways. Providing emotional support during turbulent times can help employees cope well with the transition. The employee confidence can be given a boost by offering them training in the required skills. Counselling can also make people adjust to new jobs quickly. Giving employees time off to recharge after a demanding period is another way of offering your support. Allow your employees to participate in educational activities away from work for brief periods. It will take them into a reflective mode and upon coming back they will be better equipped to embrace change.
If the support of your employees were a must to implement the change the best approach would be to encourage their participation in the process right from the beginning. By seeking their advice and inputs you can effectively forestall potential resistance. When people’s involvement is encouraged, you can expect their wholehearted commitment instead of mere compliance and this is undoubtedly an added advantage. Sometimes you face resistance from powerful groups within the organisation because they fear losing out as a result of the change. In such situations the best option is to negotiate with them. Arrive at a win-win by offering incentives for complying with the change. This is an easy way to avert a major crisis but you must also be wary of blackmail in future.
If the stakes are high you must act with speed. Supposing you perceive a potential threat to the very survival of the organisation if the present situation is not changed, then you have no option but to force change upon people. Usually coercion breeds resentment. Threatening people with loss of jobs, promotion opportunities and so forth is a bad practice but where the changes will not be popular regardless of how they are introduced, coercion is perhaps the only option available to you. To avoid such situations you must, as an ongoing process, emotionally prepare your employees to move along with changing times.
In an ever-changing business climate, poor implementation of choices can have severe repercussions on the organisation both in the short and long run. To successfully lead change the trick lies in choosing the best tactics to overcome the resistance.
N. PURNIMA SRIKRISHNA
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