Every company in every sector is faced with changes, at least occasionally, and needs to adapt to new routines, enhance its portfolio, and improve services. Business managers need to understand why employees resist or outright reject change to introduce it successfully.
Imagine a business manager implementing a new CRM. There has been a lot of background work and commitment to the project, and they think they’re ready to launch. However, they suddenly face resistance on all sides. The opposition leads to poor adoption of the new system, use of outdated processes, and inaccurate data entry.
Some people resist change because they are afraid of it. Others don’t understand how the new software works but are afraid to say something. Tension is high, and employee morale is low. How should the manager handle the situation?
While there can be multiple reasons for resistance to organizational change, here are the five most common ones.
1. Distrust of the person making the change
Employees will outright oppose a change if they don’t trust the person making it. According to experts, lack of confidence in change-makers is one of the most frequent causes of resistance to internal change at enterprises.
The employees don’t understand why change is needed, don’t like it, and don’t like the person making it. They often resist the person most of all. The identity of the person can be ambiguous. It can be the direct supervisor or someone he represents, like the CEO or corporate headquarters.
2. Employees are not provided with resources to handle the change
The employees might feel unprepared to utilize new processes due to a lack of end-user support resources. These are imperative to guide them through any friction points and learning curves associated with new software implementation, team structure, or process.
Companies must ensure they allocate adequate resources, such as tools, technologies, and budgets, to overcome internal resistance and streamline the change effort. This empowers staff and gives them confidence to implement the change. Once the necessary resources are available, managers can follow through by introducing a time card calculator to gauge how effectively the change is being implemented.
3. Poor communication about the change
When you speak rather than talk to people, pushback and resistance to change are inevitable. There needs to be a plan for making the change well before deployment. The plan should include the announcement of the change, methods to collect feedback, and small group discussions. Employees should be aware of how the change can benefit them and what it means for them. Engagement increases when you address individual concerns. People want to know the change’s specific impact and what they will have to do to solidify it.
It’s important to focus on short-term benefits as well. Give employees recognition for their efforts to implement the change, and they will be more enthusiastic about it.
4. Setting unrealistic timeframes
Managers need to balance transitioning time and creating a sense of urgency. If you push too hard for the change, essential elements of the plan fall by the wayside. Establish a reasonable timeline to implement the change. Set deadlines and map out actions so you have a general idea of the change’s timeframe. Careful focus on the path to adopting the change will help identify any additional steps required to make the transition.
Of course, adjustments might be in order. Give your team as much time as they need to understand the change.
5. Fear of failure
People experience fear of failure when they don’t have confidence in their abilities to adapt. They will resist change if they feel threatened by real or imagined shortcomings.
Fear of failure has two components: lack of knowledge and lack of ability. To overcome the former, people need effective training with access to the information they need to implement change. If you are adopting a new software system, your team needs to know how to move existing data into it. Comprehensive employee training programs will provide the knowledge necessary to navigate transitions.
Ability is about self-confidence. Employees need practical experience to test their skills before adopting the change.
