 Management of change

Analyse the ways in which resistance to change becomes evident within 
organisations. What strategies can senior managers adopt to overcome such 
resistance when implementing change programmes.


CONTENTS	Page

INTRODUCTION	1

WHY PEOPLE RESIST CHANGE	1
Fear of the unknown	1
Disrupted habits	2
Loss of face	2
Loss of confidence	3
Loss of control	3
Poor timing	4
Work overload	4
Lack of purpose	4

DEFENSE MECHANISMS	5
Overt resistance	5
Implicit resistance	5

SYMPTOMS OF RESISTANCE TO CHANGE	6
Aggression	6
Fantasy	6
Regression	6
Resignation/avoidance	7
Negativism	7
Compensation	7
Rationalisation	7
Projection 	7

STRATEGIES TO REDUCE RESISTANCE	8
Change programme	9
Impact of change	9
Change mechanism	10
Change management	11
Education and communication	11
Participation	12
Facilitation and support	12
Negotiation	13
Manipulation and co-optation	13
Coercion	14

CONCLUSION	15

Bibliography and references	16



1.	INTRODUCTION

1.1	Change is the process of moving from one state to another state. 
Just as moving house requires the massive packing of furniture and other 
items, change requires just as much preparations to be successful.

1.2	Most people do not like change, we like things to remain the 
same. Changes require more effort from us to adapt. Change threatens our 
stability and security and we fear that we will not be able to cope with 
the change. Resistance is the natural defense to such perceived threats.

2.	WHY PEOPLE RESIST CHANGE
2.1	To know the symptoms of resistance to change, we have to 
understand why people resist change. Reasons can range from as trivial 
(though not trivial to the person) as not knowing how to take a bus home 
(in the instance of a shift in the office) to as serious as fearing the 
loss of job or status.

2.1.1	Fear of the unknown; The person does not know what is happening 
and why it is happening. Imagine a person walking down a street only to 
have a electricity blackout. He panics for a moment, because he does not 
know what had happened and he is afraid of being robbed or murdered in 
the dark. Similarly, employees do not like to be kept in the dark. They 
want to be kept informed of happenings, especially when it will affect 
them, so that they can prepare themselves for any onslaught.

2.1.2	Disrupted habits: AYou can=t teach a old dog new tricks@ ring 
true in some instances. Older employees especially who are set in their 
ways get upset when they are told that they can no longer use the old 
method of doing things. In the 1960s, the Singapore government advocated 
family planning banned spitting in public areas. The older folks who were 
brought up on the tradition that clearing phlegm is good for the lungs 
got pretty upset.

2.1.3	Loss of face: The Chinese in Singapore are divided into various 
communities depending on their forefathers= origins in China and the 
dialect group. To unit the Chine, the Singapore government advocated the 
use of Mandarin as a common language. Use of dialects was strongly 
discouraged. Television shows and radio programmes in dialects were 
Abanned@. This pretty much upset the older folks who felt that their old 
traditions and culture were being Aerased away@, and that the Aold@ ways 
were not the Agood@ ways.

2.1.4	Loss of confidence: The employee feel that he cannot perform just 
as well under the new way of doing things. A typist who formerly could 
type at 60wpm and now has to use the computer, is afraid that she cannot 
type just as fast on the machine. In the 1960s, English was promoted as 
the official language of Singapore. The older Chinese, who came to 
Singapore in the first half of the century, were mainly uneducated. They 
built up their businesses through hard work. Accounts were kept in Athe 
head@ and credit was given on trust. They felt that they would not able 
to cope just as well in the new English speaking environment.

2.1.5	Loss of control: The government=s population control policy 
encourage the Singapore citizens to Astop at two@. Measures to discourage 
having more children, such as higher accouchement fees for the third 
child, low priority in education, etc. were implemented. Many couples 
felt that they had no choice but to follow the policy. Their feeling was 
of >things being done >to= you rather than >by= or >with= you.@.

2.1.6	Poor timing: In these times, when changes are happening 
frequently, the employee will feel overwhelmed by the many changes and 
also that things are moving too fast. Before he has learnt how to use 
WordPerfect 5.1, Microsoft comes out with Microsoft Word 6.0 and he has 
to re-learn again.

2.1.7	Work overload: With the tight labour shortage in Singapore, many 
employees had Aenjoyed job enlargement@. Their energy is already consumed 
by the additional workload, and they do not have spare energy, physical 
or psychic to commit to the change.

2.1.8	Lack of purpose: To control traffic congestion on the East Coast 
Expressway, the Communications Ministry had implemented the ARoad Pricing 
Scheme@ (RPS), whereby motorists using the East Coast Expressway (ECP) 
from 0730 hours to 1030 hours in the morning, have to pay a toll of 
S$1.00. Many motorists see this as purposeless, as the ECP was built to 
ease traffic congestion in the eastern part of the island. They do not 
see any reason for the change and/or do not understand the benefits.

3.	DEFENSE MECHANISMS

3.1	Just as we resist physically when someone tries to assault us, we 
use resistance as a defense mechanism, when we perceive any change as a 
threat.  Resistance can be overt or implicit.

3.1.1	Overt resistance ) When resistance is overt and immediate, it is 
easiest to dealt with, as the causes for the resistance is easily seen. 
For instance, a change is proposed and employees respond by voicing 
complaints, engaging in a work slowdown, threatening to go on strike, or 
the like. Management will be able to formulate strategies to deal with 
the root causes of complaints.

3.1.2	Implicit resistance ) Implicit resistance is more subtle; the 
loss of loyalty to the organisation, loss of motivation to work, 
increased errors or mistakes, increased absenteeism due to Asickness@ ) 
and hence more difficult to recognise.

3.1.3	Deferred reactions blur the link between the source of resistance 
and reaction to it. A change may produce what appears to be only a 
minimal reaction at the time it is initiated bur surfaces weeks, months 
or even years later. Or a single change in and of itself has little 
impact. But it becomes the Astraw that breaks the camel=s back@.

3.1.4	Reactions to change can build up and then explodes in some 
response that seems totally out of proportion to the change it follows. 
The resistance has merely been deferred and stockpiled. What surfaces is 
a response to an accumulation of previous changes.

4.	SYMPTOMS OF RESISTANCE TO CHANGE

4.1	Symptoms to resistance can take the form of;

4.1.1	Aggression ) Showing hostility toward supervisor or fellow 
employees through gestures, words, or even physical attacks.

4.1.2	Fantasy ) Day dreaming of another world where the change is 
non-existent.

4.1.3	Regression )  Manifesting childlike behaviour such as crying, 
pouting to attract attention in the hope that the change will be 
abandoned by sympathetic superiors.

4.1.4	Resignation/avoidance ) Having excessive absenteeism or 
tardiness, quitting the job or having a high sick-leave rate. The person 
create absences from the place of change, in order to avoid dealing or 
facing the change.

4.1.5	Negativism ) Putting up strong and irrational resistance to 
accepting the suggestions of others, so as influence others into the same 
thinking that the change is bad.

4.1.6	Compensation )  Exhibiting exaggerated behaviour such as using 
big words, being bossy to show that he/she is not afraid of the change, 
contrary to internal emotions.

4.1.7	Rationalisation)  Making excuses for one=s behaviour in order to 
come to terms with one=s guilt.

4.1.8	Projection ) blaming others for the problem.


5.	STRATEGIES TO REDUCE RESISTANCE

5.1	Resistance to change is not always dysfunctional. It can provide 
a vehicle for employees to release pent-up frustrations. Rather than let 
those frustrations fester, overt resistance allows employees to bring 
their feelings to the surface. Management can then address employee 
concerns, help them understand the change better, and lessen its threat.

5.2	Employee resistance may also bring to light problems in a change 
proposal that management had overlooked. In an odd way, employee 
resistance is a form of checks-and-balances on management and acts to 
preserve the organisation=s culture.

5.3	Change, particularly if it effects will be tremendous and/or wide 
ranging should be properly planned. In planning a change, management 
should consider;

5.3.1	the impact of change
5.3.2	change management and approaches that can be used to overcome 
resistance and gain commitment to change

5.4	Change programme

5.4.1	Senior management should then draw up a programme for the change;

5.4.1.1	setting goals and defining the new state required after the 
change
5.4.1.2	analysing the present conditions in relation to the goals.
5.4.1.3	defining the transitional activities and commitments required to 
achieve the new state.
5.4.1.4	developing strategies and action plans for managing the 
transition. This involve identifying the forces resistant to change and 
the reasons for resistance.
5.4.1.5	identifying a Achange agent@ to facilitate the change.

5.5	Impact of change

5.5.1	To understand the impact of the change, it is essential for 
senior management to Acome off their high horses@ and listen to the 
ground. Management can initiate discussion with trade unions and obtain 
their feedback and inputs on any proposed changes, before implementation. 
Union representatives, having stronger credibility with the members 
(employees) will also be the best person(s) to garner support for the 
change. Management have to  identify the perceived or real negative 
consequences of the change.

5.6	Change mechanism

5.6.1	Reducing resistance to change can best be understood by 
considering the complexity inherent in the change process. Successful 
change requires unfreezing the status quo, moving to a new state and 
refreezing the change to make it permanent. 

5.6.2	According to Lewin, the basic mechanism for managing change is;

5.6.2.1	unfreezing - changing the present state which supports existing 
behaviours and attitudes. This process must also consider the perceived 
threats of any change (as earlier discussed) and the need to motivate 
people to achieve the new state by accepting the change.

5.6.2.2	Changing - developing new attitudes and responses.
5.6.2.3	Refreezing - stabilising the change.

5.7	Change management

5.8	The are many styles of managing change and reducing resistance to 
change, include;

5.8.1	Education and communication ) Resistance can be reduced through 
communicating with employees to help them see the logic of a change. This 
tactic basically assume that the source of resistance lies in 
misinformation of poor communication. If employees receive the full facts 
and get misunderstandings cleared up, resistance will subside. However 
the management-employee relations have to be characterised by trust and 
credibility. If these conditions do not exist, the change is unlikely to 
succeed. The time and effort that this tactic involves must be considered 
against its advantages, particularly when the change affects a large 
number of people.

5.8.2	Participation )  It is difficult for individuals to resist a 
change decision in which they participated. Prior to making a change, 
those opposed to it can be brought into the change process. Assuming that 
the participants have the expertise to make a meaningful contribution, 
their involvement can reduce resistance, obtain commitment, and increase 
the quality of the change decision. However, against these advantages are 
the potential for a poor solution and great time consumption.

5.8.3	Facilitation and support ) Change agents can offer a range of 
supportive efforts to reduce resistance. When employee fear and anxiety 
are high, employee counselling and therapy, new skills training, or a 
short paid leave of absence may facilitate adjustment. The drawback is 
that as with the others, its is time consuming,. It is also expensive and 
its implementation offers no assurance of success.

5.8.4	Negotiation  ) Another way for the change agent to deal with 
potential resistance to change is to exchange something of value for a 
lessening of the resistance. Example, the resistance is centred in a few 
powerful individuals, a specific reward package can be negotiated that 
will meet their needs. Negotiation as a tactic may be necessary when 
resistance comes from a powerful source. Yet one cannot ignore its 
potentially high costs. There is also the risk that once a change agent 
negotiates to avoid resistance, he/she is open to the possibility of 
being blackmailed by other individuals in positions of power.

5.8.5	Manipulation and co-optation  ) Manipulation refers to overt 
influence attempts. Twisting and distorting facts to make them appear 
more attractive, withholding undesirable information, or creating false 
rumours to get employees to accept a change are all examples of 
manipulation. If management threatens to close down a particular 
manufacturing plant if that plant=s employees fail to accept an across 
the board pay cut, and if the threat is equally untrue, management is 
using manipulation. Co-optation on the other hand, is a form of both 
manipulation and participation. It seeks to Abuy off@ the leaders of a 
resistance group by giving them a key role in the change decision. The 
leaders= advice is sought not to make a better decision, but to get their 
endorsement. Both manipulation and co-optation are relatively inexpensive 
and easy ways to get the support of adversaries, but the tactics can 
backfire if the targets become aware that they are being tricked or used. 
Once discovered, the change agent=s credibility may drop to zero.

5.8.6	Coercion  ) The application of direct threats of force on the 
resisters. Examples of coercion, include pay cuts, threats of transfers, 
loss of promotions, negative performance evaluations or a poor letter of 
recommendation. The advantages and disadvantages are similar to those for 
manipulation and co-optation.

5.9	If resistance is extremely high, management may have to resort to 
both reducing resistance and increasing the attractiveness of the 
alternative if the unfreezing is to be successful.


CONCLUSION

6.	Assuming that the change has been implemented, if it is to be 
successful, the new situation needs to be refrozen so that it can be 
sustained over time. Unless this step is taken, there is a high chance 
that the change will be short lived and employees will attempt to revert 
to the previous equilibrium state. The objective of refreezing then is to 
stabilise the new situation by balancing the driving and restraining 
forces.


Bibliography and references

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Effective Change: Twenty ways to make it happen
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