Overcoming Change

• Self-interest
• Misinformation and Misunderstanding
• Different assessment of the situation
• Low tolerance for change and inertia

• Powerful motivator
• Arises from perceived threat to job security, status and financial position
• Understandable as people would not like to lose something they consider to be valuable
• Individuals often place their own interests ahead of their organisation's, particularly if they feel no strong loyalty

• Staff don't understand why change is needed. Possibly misinformed about the real strategic position of the business.
• Perception may be widespread that there's no compelling reason to change.
• Possible element of people kidding themselves that things are better than they really are.

• Disagreement about the needs for change or what change there needs to be.
• May disagree about the changes proposed or feel they have found a better solution.
• Resistance is based on disagreement about what is best for the business.

• Staff may suffer from inertia or resistance to change because they are simply happy with the way things currently are.
• May need security, predictability and stability in their work.
• If low tolerance to change then resistance may grow.

• Education and Communication
• Participation and Involvement
• Facilitation and Support
• Manipulation and Co-Option
• Negotiation and Bargaining
• Explicit and Implicit Coercion

• Starting point is to communicate effectively why change is needed
• Honest communication about the issues and proposed changes makes people see logic
• Effective education addresses misconceptions such as misinformations and inaccuracies
• Education and communication unlikely to achieve short term effects. Need to be delivered consistently over a long period of time for maximum impact.

• Effective way of bringing on board people who would otherwise resist
• Often leads to commitment and not just compliance
• Need to determine how much involvement is needed. Delays and obstacles should be avoided.

• Many people will need support to help them cope with change
• May include additonal support, mentoring, counselling or simply listening to concerns of people affected
• Particularly important if fear and anxiety at the heart of resistance

• Bringing specific individuals into roles that are part of change management such as managers who are otherwise likely to be resistant to change
• Manipulation involves selective use of information to persuade people to behave in a particular way
• Whilst manipulation may be seen as unethical, may be only option if other methods of overcoming resistance prove ineffective

• Give people who resist change an incentive to change or leave the business
• Could involve offering better financial rewards to those who embrace change
• Enhanced rewards for leaving could even be offered
• Commonly used when a business needs to restructure their organisation through delayering, etc

• Very much the last resort if other methods of overcoming resistance to change fail
• Explicit coercion involves telling those who resist exactly what their implications will be
• Imiplicit coercion involves telling those who resist the potential negative consequeces for the business without making explicit threats
• Almost inevitably damages trust between people and can lead to damaged morale in the short term

Provides an overview of the change problems that need to be tackled by a business, splitting factors into forces for and against change.

Credit to Tutor2U for this photo. Excellent revision resources can be found on their website.

There are forces driving change and forces restraining it. Where there is an equilibrium between the two forces, there will be no change. In order for change to occur, the driving force must exceed the restraining force. 

• Investigate the balance of power involved in an issue
• Identify key stakeholders on the issue
• Identify opponents and allies
• Identify how to influence target groups

• General sense that the business could do better
• Desire to increase profitability and other performance measures
• Need to reorganise to increase efficiency and competitiveness
• Natural ageing and decline in a business from machinery, products, etc
• Confict between departments
• Need for greater flexibility in organisational structures
• Concerns about ineffective communication, de-motivation or poor business relationships

• Increased demands for higher quality and customer service levels
• Uncertain economic conditions
• Greater competition
• Higher cost of inputs
• Legislation and taxes
• Political interests
• Ethics and social values
• Technological change
• Globalisation
• Scarcity of natural resources
• Changing nature and composition of workforce

In other words, PESTLE!

Despite positive potential outcomes, change is nearly always resisted. A degree of resistance is normal since change is disruptive and stressful.