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.
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.
2.1 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
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
2.1.3 Loss o...