Assignment 5: Change Management Plan

Running head: RESISTANCE AND COMMUNICATION 1

RESISTANCE AND COMMUNICATION 7

Resistance and Communication

Penny Williams

HRM 560: Managing Organizational Change

Dr. Allan Beck

May 26, 2019

Resistance and Communication

Successful management of change processes at Wal-Mart requires effective analysis and diagnosis of the causes of resistance to change. Managers must identify the phases in which they expect to encounter unusual situations, problems as well as resistance to change. The move requires adequate preparation for change and preparation of a resistance management plan for change management. In addition, managers must reinforce the change initiative to improve the company’s effectiveness. According to Hayes (2018) many employees are vaguely aware of the changes taking place in their organizations, which can lead to rumors, anxiety and resistance. Thus, the management must communicate to the employees about intended organizational changes to minimize chances of resistance in the future. This paper explores the role of communication in reducing resistance to change management at Wal-Mart Incorporation.

Diagnosis of Causes of Resistance to Change

One of the unprecedented challenges faced by businesses is workers resistance to change. Kuzhda (2016) indicates that the resistance may take different forms such as persistent reduction in employee productivity, chronic conflicts, rising employee turnover and slowdown strikes. Resistance to change at Wal-Mart would happen when employees take actions they perceive would shield them against perceived threats brought about by change. Hence, the management must understand the different causes of resistance to change. Resistance to change at Wal-Mart can occur due to cognitive causes, emotional causes and behavioral causes. Cognitive cause is a negative mindset toward change. Khuzda (2016) posits that cognitive resistance to change can happen when employees believe that the proposed change would affect their ability to voice their concerns about critical issues within an organization. The key indicators of cognitive resistance include unwillingness to participate in a change initiative.

Emotional state focuses on the emotional issues, including aggression and frustration, which arise to changes within an organization. Emotional resistance happens as employees try to balance their emotions during change process. In most cases, emotional about changes are deeply entrenched in a company’s values, cultural symbols and beliefs. The key indicators of emotional resistance worth noticing are high emotional commitment resulting in chaos and low emotional commitment to change resulting in inertia (Khuzda, 2016). With regards to behavioral state, the management at Wal-Mart must explore employees’ action or lack of action toward the proposed change. Khuzda (2016) opines that behavioral resistance to change is an integration of emotional resistance and cognitive resistance, which is manifested by lack of action toward a change process. The key indicators of behavioral resistance include development of rumors and common forms of resistance by employees.

Possible Causes of Resistance to the Proposed Change

The three major reasons employees may resist the proposed change at Walmart are fear of the unknown, mistrust and bad timing. Fear of the unknown can occur when the organization decides to implement change before warning the affected parties. Quast (2012) asserts that people can resist change when a firm decides to push it onto employees without providing them with prior and appropriate warning. Failure to help employees in understanding the components of the change and its implications can result in resistance due to fear of the unknown. Resistance to change can also occur due to lack of trust and respect to organizational leaders.

According to Hayes (2018), employees are more likely to accept any change if they respect their leaders because of the trust that the latter has built up over some time. If the leader is new and does not have employee’s trust, the chance of resistance to change is very high. Moreover, timing is everything and workers can resist change because of bad timing. Heaping excessive change on workers over short duration can lead to resistance. Change cannot work if it is implemented at inappropriate time or with lack of appropriate tact.

Minimizing Resistance to Change Management Plan

In order to minimize resistance to the change management plan at Wal-Mart, I will explore the elements of the proposed change. Also, I will take time to understand the parties affected by the change, how it will affect them, and the possible reasons they may resist the change. Complete awareness of the reasons employees resist change will play a significant role in ensuring that the change management plan is implemented with fewer issue. I will inform the affected groups about the imminent change in order to eliminate fear of the unknown. Also, I will involve all stakeholders in the change process by asking for their input and feedback in order to avoid mistrust as well as the feeling of lack of control. Providing workers with a clear vision and need for change alongside a schedule of what they should expect and when they should expect it would help prevent resistance due to bad timing.

Communication and Resistance to Change

The role of communication during change management cannot be overlooked as it is at the core of core of a successful reform effort. Communication is important for effective attainment of change programs. Rezarta and Mimoza (2017) posit that communication and changes within an organization are closely intertwined. Hence, managers must understand that effective communication is crucial for s successful change management process. In the absence of clear communication, it is difficult to capture the hearts and minds of workers. In light of this, one of key measures to overcome resistance to change is by informing employees about the change in advance. Rezarta and Mimoza (2017) assert that an organization must inform workers about when an intended change will happen, the implementation process, and the role to be played by employees. Also, it is important to inform employees how they will be affected by the anticipate change and how the organization will sustain as well as motivate workers to be committed to the change. Early communication can reduce pessimism, uncertainty and rumors before they can spread throughout the entire organization.

Communication Strategies

The communication strategy adopted must match with the phases of a change process. In this regard the three communication strategies include: communication during unfreezing stage, communication during the move stage, and communication during the refreezing stage. Rezarta and Mimoza (2017) indicate that the primary objective during the unfreezing stage to prepare the company and the organization for change. A leader can minimize resistance to change by designing a communication strategy that takes into consideration early resistance. The way forward is for the chief executive officer to communicate the message through face to face communication. Communicating during the move or implementation stage aims to provide employees with information about their roles and how the change will affect them. The strategy also aims at clearing any form of misinformation flowing through the company. Communication during the unfreezing phase aims at developing processes plus structures that can support the new ways. The information flow must be incessant and multidirectional in order for employees to have adequate understanding about the implications of the change.

Recommended Strategy

Wal-Mart should adopt the unfreezing stage communication strategy because the change process is still at an early stage. The primary objective at the initial phase of a change management process is to get the employees and the organization ready for the proposed change. There is no doubt that resistance will rise at the same rate with the proposed change. Nonetheless, early communication about the reasons for the change and the parties affected by the change will play a greater role in preparing the organization and employees for the change

Communication Plan for Change Management

A good communication plan should explain the intended change initiative to Wal-Mart Incorporation’s employees. Three factors will play key roles in relaying the new information in ways that respect the company’s employees. These include: the information, employee engagement and trust. Regarding information, employees will be provided with specific details concerning the implementation process of the proposed change initiative and the proposed timeframe. For employee engagement, the organization will have open question and answer platforms with employees. By doing so, employees will have the opportunity to mention concerns that the management may have not considered. Finally, the management will win employees trust by keeping an open door policy for continued communication aimed at allaying employees’ fears about job losses and pay cuts. Also, managers will continue communicating with workers by repeating the same information discussed using newsletters and during meetings.

References

Hayes, J. (2018). The theory and practice of change management. (5th ed.). London, LN: Palgrave.

Kuzhda, T. (2016). Diagnosing resistance to change in the change management process. Economics, Management and Sustainability, 1(1), 49-59. doi:10.14254/jems.2016.1-1.5.

Quast, L. (2012, November 26). Overcome the five main reasons people resist change. Forbes. Retrieved from. https://www.forbes.com/sites/lisaquast/2012/11/26/overcome-the-5- main-reasons-people-resist-change/#4dc2e4553efd

Rezarta, H., & Mimoza, M. (2017). Importance of communication during change: A case of the Municipality of Vlora. European Journal of Multidisciplinary Studies, 2(1), 15-19.