Problem Management Resistance to Change Causes in the Workplace
Employee or management resistance to change hampers the development of an organization and can hold it back, thereby impacting negatively on the bottom line.
Change is part of life, both in the work place and in our personal lives. There is not one person that is not affected by change at some point in their life. Change in the workplace is very common as well because in order to stay competitive and grow the business, a company must make changes.
Problems arise when management resistance to change comes into play because the effects travel downhill to the employees and the change becomes much more challenging.
Sometimes the resistance to change is driven strictly by fear. If technological advances are coming into the work place, some managers may feel threatened. They may feel that, not only their position, but the positions of their staff will soon be unneces
sary. What a manager must realize is that their job is to lead. Management resistance to change must be dealt with immediately. They need to stay positive in their communications to their employees. If they have fears about their department, they should use the appropriate avenues to express themselves, which means taking their concerns up the chain of command.
If the decision to move forward with the change is upheld, even after they have communicated their fears or concerns, their job is to motivate and encourage the employees through the steps of the change. Many times the change brings about a better working environment and the employees end up being happier in their position than they were in the past.
When a change is coming and there is management resistance to change, people get nervous and begin to feel unsecure. The worst thing possible would be for the employees to begin looking for other employment opportunities simply because they are getting a negative feeling about the change from their leader. It costs a lot of money to train new employees, let alone the expense of advertising and recruiting qualified employees. A manager could find themselves in a lot of trouble if their negative communication about the change causes a large turnover.
Even if a manager has made a decision to not speak of the change in a negative manner, their nonverbal expressions can do just as much damage. Think about it. Would you be convinced that a movie was great and that you should run out and see it soon if the person that described it to you was not excited about it and cringed every time the movie was mentioned? Probably not.
As managers, we are responsible for leading the employees down the path to a successful implementation of the change that is occurring. By keeping our negative thoughts about the change channeled in the right direction and communicating a strong and positive message through campaigns and positive reinforcement we can meet the requirements of the company and have employees that are happy to do all they can to make it a success.
Management resistance to change is a commonality in the work place. If the responsible manager does not get on board and present a positive approach to the situation to the employees several things will be at risk. First and foremost, the success of the change will be at risk. Also, the continued employment opportunities for the manager may also be in jeopardy. It is much better to motivate and encourage the employees and make the best of the change with the resources that are available to them.
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Quotes on change ideas for the the workplace: While change in the workplace might not be comfortable for most people, it can be easier for those that have open workplace communication. Read more
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