Resistance to organizational change: characteristics, causes and what to do

The human being is an animal of habit and we can see this in the workplace. Everyone prefers routine in the workplace over having to deal with changes.

While we may like to vary from time to time, changes at work are generally frowned upon, mostly because it involves having to learn to do something new, having to leave the comfort zone and go through an adaptation process, something that always costs us a little.

Resistance to organizational change is living proof of this. Next, we will explain what it consists of, what its causes are and what can be done to manage it.

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What is resistance to organizational change?

We can define resistance to change as set of attitudes experienced by the employees of an organization when they are pushed towards a process of change in their workplace, something that involves modifying your habits and routine.

Transformations in an organization can be seen as a source of uncertainty, which is why It is inevitable that some of the employees will show reluctance to them or oppose them. changes. Generally, this is due to the following two reasons:

• Fear and distrust of the unknown.
• Aversion to the effort of having to learn to do something new.

Depending on how the workers resist, we can talk about two types of resistance to organizational change.

Passive

Employees don't like the changes to be made, but They do not expose it explicitly with words or complaints, but with attitudes and gestures. They show a certain degree of discomfort in the form of internal denial, which is reflected in a reduction in their productivity and can even cause absenteeism from work.

Active

In this case, the employees they do express their discomfort with words, both among their colleagues and directly to their superiors. This resistance to organizational change can become so active that it motivates behaviors such as sabotage or strike, and attempts are made to clearly prevent any planned change in the organization.

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Causes of resistance to organizational change

In any company in which an attempt is made to modify its habits, traditions and routines, it is expected that your workers experience some rejection and denial before finally accepting the changes introduced.

This happens because, although it can be explained to them that the changes will serve to improve the operation of the company, what happens is that they feel that they do not handle the novelty nor do they own it. Naturally, not all people will experience the same degree of rejection towards changes, but it is expected that there will be some rejection.

Among the causes behind resistance to change we find.

1. Threat of individual power

Some managers are likely to resist changes, believing that their power is reduced by them., even in a symbolic way, or it is transferred to his subordinates.

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2. Organizational power threat

Changes can make some groups, departments or sectors of the company acquire more power. Because of this, people who see their power threatened or who fear being subjected to that of others will show some resistance to new proposals.

3. Loss of control over subordinates

With the new changes, managers may find that their control over workers is reduced, something that they will not receive positively.

4. Increased control of employees

Changes in the organization can empower employees. This means that they have to acquire new responsibilities, sometimes much greater than those they previously had., something for which they may feel they are not properly prepared.

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5. Fear of salary reduction

Changes in the company can be interpreted as changes in the salary and economic privileges of workers, especially interpreted as a more or less significant reduction of them.

6. Get out of the comfort zone

On many occasions, changes in the company suppose personal discomfort or make life difficult for employees at the beginning, since they were used to a routine that, suddenly, has altered.

These changes mean taking workers out of the comfort zone, having to learn to do new tasks, forget old methods and become familiar with new ones, a tedious and dissatisfying process.

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7. Reallocation of resources

When introducing changes in the organization It is often the case that certain departments and sectors begin to receive more resources, while others lose them. This can generate tensions between the parts that make up the organization, which can make those who lose part of their resources consider this a theft or trampling of rights.

8. Changes in personal plans

Changes can disrupt everything, stopping plans, projects or other activities, both work and personal and family. This is, in fact, one of the main causes behind resistance to change, since The transformation may imply having to rethink in the short, medium and long term a myriad of aspects concerning the company and the personal lives of its workers.

9. Doubts about the process

If employees see the change as something too abstract or that they do not quite understand what it is being done for, it is normal for them to resist it. If they do not understand the true purpose of the proposed transformation, they will hardly be in favor of it..

As the human mind is generally pessimistic in the face of uncertainty, they assume that the new that is to come must necessarily be bad and that arouses in them reluctance before its arrival.

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10. Different evaluations and perceptions

In the company there will always be a diversity of opinions about a proposal. As not everyone is going to agree with the changes that they want to apply, it is normal for some to think that the new thing that is to come is a bad idea and that, by telling others, spread a bad opinion about the transformation.

11. Fear of the unknown

If the changes that are to come are not properly explained, it is totally normal for workers to have an atmosphere of uncertainty. As we said, we usually see changes as something potentially dangerous, and if we know absolutely nothing about what they are going to be the results or they have not been explained to us, this fear of the unknown increases and motivates those who feel it to resist before he.

12. Previous experience

Most veteran employees already have previous experience knowing that when changes are introduced they have to go through a learning moment that, despite being necessary, they are not convenient or quick to acquire.

They know that the transition is not an easy process and, if there is a precedent that the changes introduced by the organization in the past were a failure, more resistance to organizational change there will be.

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How to promote organizational change?

Any change that is introduced in an organization will end up causing some resistance to it. It is an almost inevitable fact, since all workers feel that with the new changes introduced their daily routine is disturbed and they are forced to have to learn again to do his work.

Fortunately, a series of tips and strategies can be followed to make the transformations that are want to promote in the company are better accepted and are not seen as something so traumatic in terms labor.

1. Define objectives

It often happens that workers, after the changes have been introduced, do not know what they are for, despite the fact that they would have to work for something. The problem is not that there are no objectives, but that they have not been adequately transmitted to the team, nor have the goals and dates to be reached been explained. Thus It is essential to clearly define the objectives and communicate them to the workers, so that they know why their routine is changing.

2. Define actions

The clearer and simpler the actions to be carried out, the better. It is not much use to explain what are the general objectives to be met without talking about the details in the form of specific actions that they must master. Defining them, making workers clear about what they have to do and how to do it, will reduce resistance to change because, to begin with, workers will have no doubts about what they have to do.

3. Encourage participation

It is essential that all workers feel involved in the organization and the changes that are to come. It is necessary to provide the team with communication spaces where employees can comment on the progress of progress, if there is any type of inconvenience in the introduction of changes in the company or if the expected results are not being achieved.

4. Take care of communication

It's fundamental that all parts of the company are duly communicated, anticipating the possible lack of information by employees. If workers do not know what to do or receive directives from their superiors, distrust arises and uncertainty, which is why it is so necessary to ensure that they receive timely information to weather.