When attempting to implement an organizational change initiative, resistance from members of the organization is a typical issue that managers can experience during implementation. While the reasons for resistance are numerous, some reasons for resistance are:
Fear of the unknown/surprise:“When change (especially what is perceived as negative change) is pushed onto people without giving them adequate warning and without helping them through the process of understanding what the change will include and how their jobs/work will be affected, it can cause people to push back against the change due to their fear of the unknown.” (Quast, 2012). People are typically afraid of what they know nothing about. When that new, unknown initiative comes into place at their job, people can naturally be resistant due to their lack of knowledge of that change.
Mistrust: “If the manager is new and has not yet earned the trust of their employees (like my client), then mistrust can manifest itself into resistance to change.” (Quast, 2012). Not holding the trust of your workforce brings a significant hill to climb when trying to implement change. Employees not fully trusting their manager(s) also will have no trust in any initiatives that management attempts to bring forward.
An individual’s predisposition toward change:“Differences exist in people’s overall tolerance for change. Some people enjoy change because it provides them with an opportunity to learn new things and grow personally and professionally.” (Quast, 2012). The acceptance of change sometimes is solely based on an individual’s willingness to change. People are naturally “creates of habit” and usually resist things that can alter those routines.
I am currently going through a massive change initiative in my organization with the introduction of a new Electronic Health Record System (EHR). As an employee assisting with the implementation, the biggest hurdle I have encountered is the number of people predisposed to resisting change, especially since this new EHR changes many of their current workflow, which some have been accustomed to for several years. As a manager assisting in implementing change, I have to help inform hesitant employees of the benefits of the change and point out how their efficiency will increase with it. As Quast (2012) states, I have to make sure to explain the following steps to these resistant employees: “1) what the specific changes include, 2) who the changes will impact, 3) how it will impact them.”
References
Quast, L. (2012, November). Overcome The 5 Main Reasons People Resist Change. Retrieved from Forbes: https://www.forbes.com/sites/lisaquast/2012/11/26/overcome-the-5-main-reasons-people-resist-change/?sh=5d9311a83efd