Strayer University HRM560, Assignment 4

Assignment 4

Resistance and Communication

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Strayer University

HRM560-Managing Organizational Change

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March 2, 2020

Diagnosing Reasons for Resistance to Change

”People will often resist change out of genuine self-interest, knowing that the change will have adverse effects on them and others in the organization” (Hodges & Gills, 2015, p. 319). When the word change is mention, most people respond with a negative reaction immediately. The word ‘change’ is powerful, and people are not readily ready to accept change without resistance. Change means doing things differently. Change produces anxiety, and the mind goes to racing; then, fear sets in. Change is not easy; but, it is important and attainable. There are many reasons why people resist change from apathy (indifferences) to aggressive resistance; for example, destructive opposition (Hodges & Gill, 2015). Diagnosing the sources of resistance is the first step toward finding the best solutions to address the reasons for resistance to change (Kanter, 2012).

Three Causes of Resistance to Change

Fear. Fear of the unknown has been the most common reason why people resist change. Also, when the reason for change has not been appropriately communicated, fear sets in immediately. When change is mention within an organization, employees’ emotions began to run high and thoughts of doing things a new way consumes their thought process, and they resist change. Additionally, because of fear employees leave the organization. Change is scary and some people will never accept change because they can only see the vison for change from their hilltop. For this reason alone, people resist change. Hodges and Gill (2015) said, “How individuals perceive the impact of change depends on their own personal view of it, from their own perspective-their hilltop” (p. 307).

Not feeling apart. Employees must feel that they have received adequate information and have been engaged in the change process. When employees feel that they are left out of the process, they resist change with negative reactions. When employees don’t feel involved, they are not motivated to participate in the change; therefore, they destroy what has been done by resisting change with their negative behaviors. Management must involve employees in the change process as soon as possible. The objective should always be to engage employees and to make them feel a part of the change process. The objective is to make employees feel a part of the change and to get them to see the vision for the future. Employees need to be convinced that the future is where they want to go.

Change to routine. The thought of doing things differently and breaking away from old habits makes the implementation of change a big challenge within organizations. Some employees even decide to say no to change regardless of what the promises of a brighter future look like. Change comes with unfamiliarity and changes to daily routines; therefore, employees resist change. When employees perceive the idea of having to do things differently, they resist change. Connelly (2017) said, “Whether it's new procedures, new parking places, new reporting lines, or new corporate culture, changes to routines can be uncomfortable” (para. 17).

A Plan for Minimizing Resistance to Change Management

Face-to-face meetings. Scheduling meetings for all employees to come together to inform them of the upcoming changes is vital. Employees will be informed as to why the changes are needed, and what the future will look like with the new changes in place. The “why” for the change, the “how” for the change, and “who” the changes will affect would be discussed. Employees would be given clear and simple information as to the reasons for the urgency for the change, and the future of the organization. Face-to-face meeting will allow time for questions. Questions would be encouraged.

Regular communication. Frequent communication will be essential to help reduce and eliminate resistance to change. For example, weekly scheduled meetings with all supervisors, team leaders, and managers will take place. All management teams would be encouraged to support the change in their actions and behaviors. Further, employees would be given regular updated information as to the progress of the change via inter-office memos and emails. Taking this approach would reduce employee’s anxiety and encourage engagement. Employees must feel a part of the change process in order to eliminate resistance. “The ability to communicate effectively may be the number one management quality” (Roebuck, 2016, p. 5).

Relationship between Resistance to Change and Communication

There is a direct link between resistance to change and communication; in fact, it is one of the main component in an organization’s daily operation of communication.

Channels

The channels selected to communicate are vital in the change process.

According to Akan, Ulker, and Unsar (2016), “Resistance to change is a significant factor that has a direct effect on change efforts” (p. 53). When employees are well-informed about the organizational change process through the proper channels such as face-to-face meetings, emails, memos, and inter-office communication, then, the change process is less resisted. Everything about the change process depends upon selecting the correct communication channels and the effectiveness in the delivery of the messages. Roebuck (2016) expressed, “The ability to communicate effectively may be the number one management quality” (p. 5). Finding the proper methods and selecting the right channels to effectively communicate change in an organization will determine the success or failure of the change. “Communication has crucial impacts within or among workgroups in that organizational communication is a channel to flow information, resources, and even policies” (Akan, Ulker, & Unsar, 2016, p. 54).

Effective Communication

Communication is one of the central components of every organization; therefore, it is clear why communication efficacy has been key to the overall success of organizations. Recent studies conclude that Effective organizational communication is one of the primary determinants of resistance to change. Effective communication is extremely critical during the change process. Ask employees to share stories as well, and use these as the foundation for dialogues that foster greater understanding of the behaviors that you want to encourage and enhance versus those that pose risks (Akan, Ulker, & Unsar, 2016, pp. 53-57).

Three Communication Strategies

Communicate messages clearly. Simple and inspiring messages that are easy to relate to and understand should be delivered to all interested parties that will be affected by the change. Strategy-specific messages linked to your purpose become tools to help employees connect their day-to-day efforts with the aspiration of the company (Roebuck, 2012).

Build and maintain relationships. Building relationships between managers and employees is important. would be by listening, asking questions, mastering nonverbal communication, applying emotional intelligence, effectively addressing conflict; mentoring, coaching, and counseling; and giving feedback (Roebuck, 2012, p 9-10).

Show genuine concern. Showing genuine concern is key; for example, building meaning relationships with employees will be important to the organizations. Leaders must show the people that they genuinely care about them by listening, asking questions, and requesting feedback. When employees feel that management genuinely care about their development and growth, they are more apt to support the decision-makings of their leaders.

A Communication Strategy

Effective communication. Communication should consist of face-to-face meetings, inter-office memos, and emails. Clear messaging will be the focus. Also, all communication would be simple, clear, direct and to the point. In general, effective communication should be done at all levels of management and cohesive in content whenever delivered. Employees should see top executives and all levels of management conforming to the new change. Unity shows strength in the organization. An effective communication strategy is key for an organization because it will determine the success or failure of the change. Bottom line, effective communication is the most important component in the change process.

A Solid Communication Plan

The purpose and identifying the audience. The purpose would be to inform employees and all interested parties as it relates to the progress of the change within the organization. All employees and stakeholder would be the targeted audiences when it comes to communication.

Designing the messages. Messages would be clear and direct. Keeping employees informed of the progress in the change at every stage is important. Further, employees must take part in the change process; interaction through messaging will be vital in the change process.

Plan for obstacles. Employees will find many reasons to resist change from fear of doing things in a different way to their perception of justice. “Although leaders can’t always make people feel comfortable with change, they can minimize discomfort. “Feedback from resistors can even be helpful in improving the process of gaining acceptance for change” said, Kanter (2012, para. 12).

Build trust and transparency. Building trust between managers and employees will be key to successfully implementing change within an organization. Employees must first believe that Sears is clearly transparent in their best practices. For instance, from sharing the company’s financial report to practicing high ethical standards. When employees trust those in leadership roles to make decisions, change is easier to implement. The organization must build on the change and never let up until the vision becomes a reality. Otherwise, letting up will result in failure of any progress in the change process. Employees need to see consistency in the organization’s actions toward the implementation of the new changes.

Anchoring the plan. The primary objective would be to make the change stick by keep everyone involved and informed of the progress in the change. Also, the new changes would be implemented into policies and procedures. All employees, interest parties, and stakeholders must be able to see regular and updated information on the change process using proper communication channels for the targeted audience. Effective communication is the main component in making change stick in a solid communication plan.

Conclusion

In conclusion, people fear change, and change has considerable impact on people from apathy to aggressive resistance. Organizations must involve people in the change process as early as possible to reduce resistance to change. Additionally, organizations must engage people in each step of the change process; in this way, people are motivated to support change with less resistance. Building trust and effectively communicating with employees would ensure less resistance to the change process. Change is evitable. Change will happen, and so will the reasons for resistance to change.

References

Akan, B., ER Ulker, F., & Unsar, A. S. (2016). The Effect of Organizational Communication towards Resistance to Change: A Case Study in Banking Sector. Economic Review: Journal Of Economics & Business / Ekonomska Revija: Casopis Za Ekonomiju I Biznis, 14(1), 53.

Hodges, J., & Gill, R. (2015). Sustaining Change in Organizations. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.