How to Deal with Resistance to Change

Five Rules of Engagement

At TS, pretty much everything we do is implement change. Knowing that, we follow these five rules of engagement - adapted from best practices - to manage or even avoid resistance. And instead establish a positive, collectively anchored foundation for progression.

1. Change Management
2. Expect Resistance
3. Identify the Root Causes
4. Handle Opposition Respectfully
5. Involve Resistance Leaders

1. Change Management

Resistance is a perfectly natural human response to change or the suggestion of change. Any change really, but particularly changes that will affect the way “we are used to do something”.

We can however, avoid or mitigate a significant amount of resistance by applying effective change management from the get go of a project or change initiative. There can be many reasons for employees to resist change, but the predominate reason is poor or insufficient change management.

If you are a seasoned change management practitioner? Then you probably also hate bad management of change. In private and public organizations alike, managers and external consultants are typically the ones tasked with implementing change. And often this is where the problem arises.

If the managers are just messengers, or if they don’t possess the knowledge and skills necessary to be competent change agents, it may lead to poor communication between executive management and the employees. According to HBS Online, research shows that 50% of all organizational change initiatives are unsuccessful. So, why is that? Well, as previously mentioned, resistance to change is natural, and most employees do not respond to change with the delight and enthusiasm that you may have hoped for.

2. Expect Resistance

Don't be surprised by resistance. Even if a change would be a major improvement on an existing problem tormenting employees, there will be resistance. The comfort of the status quo is a considerable force, while moving into the mist of an unknown future creates fear, anxiety and stress, even if the current situation is unbearable.

Neurological research has shown that resistance to change is not only a psychological but also a physiological response. Acting in a new way takes up more "RAM" in our brain. So, when we are presented with a new way of doing something, the natural response is to revert to what the brain already knows. We can adapt our behavior, but it is a difficult and painful process also for the brain itself.

When preparing for resistance, spend some time looking at likely sources of resistance. In retrospect, we’ll often reflect on resistance and say, "We knew that would happen" or "We knew that group would be against it" but nothing was done to avoid it. When the change process is put in motion, proactively seek to identify likely sources of resistance and most importantly try to understand the root causes behind the malcontent.

3. Identify Root Causes

Managing resistance is not effective when merely focusing on the symptoms. Symptoms of resistance are observable and often obvious, such as frequent complaining, not attending meetings, not responding to requests for information or resources, or simply not adopting a change to a process or behavior. Although they are more apparent, focusing on the symptoms will not produce the outcomes you are looking for. To be effective, we must dig deeper into what is causing the resistance.

Over the years, change management research has identified several common root causes, that can help us prepare and improve our mitigation efforts.

Lack of Awareness And Poor Communication

Clear and adequate communication can solve most problems. Lack of it however, creates more of them. This is another key reason why employees oppose change. How a change process is communicated to the employees is crucial because it determines how they will react. If what needs to be changed, why it needs to be changed, how it needs to be changed, and what success looks like cannot be conveyed, then resistance must be expected. Employees need to understand why there is a need for change, because if they are just told that what they have been used to, know and understand will change, it will create a strong backlash.

Impact on Current Job Role

Fear of job loss is a major reason for employees to resist change in the workplace. In any business, there are constantly things undergoing change, whether brought on by the need for higher efficiency, better turnaround times, or the need for the employees to work smarter. With all these needs comes an opportunity for the company to downsize or create new jobs, and this is where the fear of job loss comes from.

Lack of Trust in Management or Leadership

Obviously, trust is a key component of running a healthy and successful business. In organizations, where the level of trust in management is high, there is significantly lower resistance to change. Suspicion or downright mistrust between management and employees is a very destructive factor and will lead the company towards stagnation and ultimately ruin, so trust is of vital importance.

Lack of Visible Support From Management

In much the same way that distrust in leadership can obstruct change, the lack of visible support from management will cause resistance. Make sure that managers involved in a change process are clearly supportive of the initiative and not least the employees affected by the change.

Lack of Inclusion and Poor Timing

Lack of inclusion in the change process will be a cause of frustration and resistance for most employees. No one takes pleasure in the feeling of being left out. Managers may be tempted to leave out employees who, for the time being, are very busy with other tasks. Avoid the temptation, and revise the plan. Also, timing is of the essence here. In fact, poor timing is one of the biggest problems when it comes to change. More often than not, it is not the plan or the action itself that cultivates resistance, but rather how and when the plan is announced or the activity put in motion. Be mindful of recent events, projects and other company circumstances that may influence the potential success of the change process.

Knowing these common root causes, the change team can prepare a compelling case for the need for change, and have executive management communicate it to the entire organization. While focusing on the top cause for resistance (i.e. lack of awareness), use other benchmarks together with your own experience to compile a list of the most likely root causes. Then plan activities or communication to address and mitigate each of them.

Keep in mind though, resistance to change is largely individual. Although research can identify common root causes, we must address resistance at the individual level, and often the best way to both identify and mitigate is through one-on-one conversations.

4. Handle Opposition Respectfully

No matter how well you handle a change, there will always be resistance. Organizations should therefore engage those who oppose with respect. This way, you can reach an understanding of their concerns, and potentially remove obstacles in time. By giving the employees time to provide input, it becomes apparent that the management cares about its employees and at the same time the employees will get a feeling of being able to influence the change process, which in turn will reduce friction and opposition.

Communicating early and frequently is necessary when trying to convey anything to employees. There should be a continuous dialogue between the top management and the employees. What must happen from day to day, and what must happen in the future. The best advice a company can take when implementing major changes is to be truthful, straightforward and timely. Internal newsletters, or an internal communication portal are useful, allowing employees to stay informed and raise questions or concerns.

Explaining why the change is necessary is always a good idea. Helping employees understand why a change is important to the company, makes it easier to get them on board. It can even encourage them to become advocates for change in their own right. In addition, an explanation of "what's in it for me?" for each role affected by the change, will help employees see the big picture and understand the benefits of the change.

At best, innovation and improvement are an integral part of the daily life in any organization. New ideas and suggestions for improvements are valuable to ensure continuous progression. Whether it's about changing the view on a particular task, ensure efficient handover and information sharing, or improving office dynamics. Whatever it is, there are always ways to improve, and it could really affect how employees look at change management in the workplace.

Effectively Engage Employees

There is no way around it - listen, listen and then listen some more. This is the overarching tool that trumps all others in the box. That said, another advice worth following, is to invite and respond to constructive feedback from the employees. After all, they are putting in the work, making sure customers are happy, so it is important to keep them in the loop. Ask the employees probing questions like: Is the implemented change working? What can we do to make it better? Do you have any questions or concerns? These are good questions but the important thing is to use the answers going forward.

The use of employee engagement surveys is a good place to start. Use their responses to modify plans when appropriate, and by doing so you clearly show your employees that their ideas and concerns are valued. It may seem obvious, but acknowledging that no two staff members are the same is another important truth, that will serve you well, when trying to understand the concerns and skepticism of employees. This will allow you to address each problem in a more nuanced and balanced way.

Implement Change in Stages

Change doesn’t happen all at once. To improve the chances of successful implementation, organizations should initially prepare for the change, then assume action on the change and plan for managing the change, and third, support the change and make sure that all is going as planned.

Communicate Change Effectively

The best way for you as an employer to communicate a change is to clearly and comprehensively inform employees what is going on. By using a mix of formal and informal communication, you can ensure that all employees receive news of the change. With all communication options such as internal newsletter, company-wide e-mail, internal communication portal, or town hall meetings, the message will reach it’s audience. Using several different ways to communicate change helps explain the vision, goals and expectations of what needs to happen and why.

5. Involve Resistance Leaders

Don’t leave resistance management to a change management team, a project team, external consultants, or the human resource department. They are not in a position to effectively deal with opposition. Resistance leaders in any organization - large or small - are senior leaders and people managers, and each of them have a different role to play.

Senior Leaders

Executive leaders help mitigate resistance by making a compelling case for the need for change and demonstrating their commitment. Generally, employees tend to assess top management's attitude and level of commitment to a change initiative when deciding their own position. If the top management is not able to convey a compelling case or waver in their support of a certain change, there is little chance that the employees will be ready to adopt such change.

People Managers

People managers are the other key group responsible for dealing with resistance. They are closest to the employees who will ultimately have to adopt and use a change in their work. If a people manager does not show a positive attitude towards a change, or even displays indifference, their direct reports are likely to follow suit. Fortunately, the reverse is also the case. An openly supportive people manager who advocates for a particular change is likely to see the same behavior in their employees.

Conclusion

Regardless of type or industry, organizations experience constant change. As industries grow, new markets are cultivated, or the business faces new compliance requirements, the organization must adapt and change. Sure, not all changes require digital support, but nowadays most changes involve some degree of process automation. A no-code development platform can help you navigate these changes, giving you the flexibility and digital proficiency to implement change quickly and reliably. At the same time, it enables a deeper level of employee engagement, and it can help you streamline internal communication.

Reach out to us to hear how TS No-code Platform can help you with change management, business process automation, internal communication and much more. You will be surprised by the level of support you can expect from the TS team along the way. You will be surprised by how quickly no-code development happens. And last but not least, you will be surprised by how far your budget can stretch.