Change Resistance
Getting your strategy right
SMEs by nature rely on informality and flexibility to compete against larger formal organisations. The informality and flexibility empower an SME to change and adapt much quicker than larger organisations particularly in times of significant external impact.
However when change is afoot often what is said and what is done can be quite different. It is fair to say that humans typically do not like change and change in places should be expected to be met with resistance. As a senior leader, take the time to reflect and remind yourself that with change you are asking your staff members to change their daily routine. Consequently this means staff members will have to adapt, retrain and likely be exposed to increased pressure.
Any adaption or change can be anxiety provoking and in some cases even viewed as threatening. Change requires the leadership team to communicate to the point of over communication to instil assurances and ensure clarity of the journey ahead.
Resistance can take different forms including logical, psychological or sociological.
Logical resistance – this is the notion that we need to adapt but it takes time to learn, understand new processes and technology. For example organisations would have experienced logical resistance as companies moved documentation from offline to online. In this scenario, change makes sense to an individual but the journey to make the change often creates the resistance.
Psychological resistance – this type of resistance emerges from an emotional perspective such as fear of the unknown, a general dislike for management or that change jeopardises the feeling of security.
Sociological Resistance – this can be viewed as a challenge to a group’s collective interests rather than individuals. An individual maybe willing to change but the wider group is not willing to change and therefore creates peer pressure to resist. Examples of sociological resistance can be seen in unions or at an SME level between the factory floor and the office workers.
Questions to ask the senior leadership team when embarking on change:
1) Have we validated that our message is understood?;
2) Has the narrative of the message been adapted to better resonate with each group?
3) Do those involved in the change process understand why they need to change?
If you’re experiencing resistance to change in your organisation, VP Consulting are here to help facilitate change. We can help by:
1) Breaking down the change process and setting a timetable.
2) Helping to reframe the narrative for the resistant person or group.
3) Building two-way communication to understand change resistance.
Let us help get your team onboard
Questions, comments and requests are always welcome, click on Get In Touch below to send an enquiries.
