Why do people resist change?
What can you do to manage resistance to change?
I had a fun time this week doing a live LinkedIn Learning broadcast with my good friend Chris Croft. We were chatting about managing change and the subject of resistance to change featured quite heavily. There are lots of very good reasons why people are resistant to change. One thing is certain - some people will always resist change - so you’d better plan for it!
Here are a few that you’re likely to see:
Fear of the unknown - people will generally be uncomfortable about embracing change if they don’t know what it means for them and if they feel it won’t make a positive difference
Flavour of the month syndrome - a project is perceived as being a management fad or a pet project to boost the ego of a senior exec.
Far too much change - people have a finite capacity for change - especially if they have a busy day job.
Change management is often a forgotten skillset but it’s actually not too difficult to start getting better at managing change. My top tips which would help with managing resistance to change are:
Make sure the project has a sponsor who really walks the talk and takes time personally to look after the people impacted by the change
Good clear communications - why is the change happening, what does it mean at an individual level and make sure people have a safe forum in which to explain their fears and concerns
Make a realistic assessment of the amount of change going on and check that your people can cope - going more slowly may get better results in the long term and will prevent burn-out.
One final thought - if people speak out about how they feel about change in your organisation, listen to them and say thank you. They are doing you a favour! People who suffer in silence are harder to spot and may need more help to get through the change curve.
Please do get in touch if you want help with solving business problems and managing change in order to get your projects to run more smoothly: [email protected]
