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A quick web search on the success rate of change will tell you that around 70 per cent of all change initiatives fail. This might not sound very encouraging; however, when we delve further into the statistics, we find that in almost half of these cases it comes down to resistance to change not being overcome or managed effectively. In our “Model for change” article, we explain how resistance fits into the change cycle and the importance of managing resistance in implementing successful change. Resistance is a common stage in the change process. As a leader you should think about potential areas of resistance and design solutions as part of your planning process. In this article we will take you through some of the most common reasons why people resist change, and give you some tools and ideas for managing them.

Failure to understand the need for change

People who do not have a clear understanding of why the change will take place often show a high level of resistance. Change takes work, and unless a person sees a valid reason for it, they are likely to hold on to their old ways of doing things. As a leader you need to ensure that you have clearly communicated the reasons for change and that you have included everyone who will be impacted by change in the planning phase. Change that is forced upon people without warning is rarely successful.[wlm_ismember]

Fear of the unknown

Often people will only move forward when the risk of standing still becomes greater than the fear of the unknown. Think about the person who jumps from a burning building; even if standing still means certain death and a firefighter is waiting to catch them, people are still crippled by fear and cannot make the leap. This is perhaps a dramatic example, but the same thing happens in business every day. People hold on to old ways of doing things, only to find that when they do change it is too late. As a leader you need to provide compelling evidence as to why a step forward is required. Using things such as case studies, success stories or statistics can add weight to your change argument.

Lack of confidence

Some people resist change, not because they do not believe in it, but because they do not think they will be able to keep up with it. This can happen when people have been in their roles for a long time and they don’t feel their skillset will be strong enough. It is essential that you show your people that you understand and you are there to support them through the change. Providing training and support prior to implementation may help to alleviate any feelings of inadequacy.

Feeling exhausted or overwhelmed

This can happen when a business has already been through a lot of change, and just like the straw that breaks the camel’s back, one more change is introduced, and people then start to shut down and resist any change efforts. This same type of resistance can occur when you try to implement too many changes at once and people become overwhelmed and are unable to cope. Remember that as a leader your motivation for change is going to be stronger than that of the people working with you. You also need to take into consideration that you may have been thinking about and working on the changes for some time and therefore are moving at a much faster pace than those around you. It is much better if you implement some change, embed it into your business and then implement a bit more, rather than trying to do everything at once. This not only allows people to get used to the idea of change, but also allows them to see new processes working successfully before moving onto the next change item.

They cannot see the benefit

Resistance can occur when those impacted by the change do not perceive the benefit or reward to be enough to compensate for the pain or effort required for change. Think about the number of people who join a gym but never actually attend. Gyms make a fortune out of the fact that for many people the effort required to work out regularly is greater than their motivation to lose weight or get fitter. As a leader you need to ensure that the benefit of the change is clear to everyone involved; you need to clearly communicate what is in it for them.

They think it is a bad idea

People by their nature will not voluntarily embrace a situation that is worse than the one they are currently in. Change can fail when management makes decisions without consulting with those who will be directly impacted by the change. For example, a business might invest in new software only to find the function or capability does not match the requirements of those employees using it on a day-to-day basis. In this case the business should have done more thorough research and gathered input from the people who would be using the software.

It is bad timing

Always look at the timing before implementing major change. It may never be the perfect time, but you need to be mindful of traditionally busy periods, for example in an accountancy firm at end of the financial year, or when key staff members are on annual leave. It is better to wait a few weeks or months to implement a change rather than push it through and find that the high level of resistance either impacts the success of the change initiative or implementation takes longer than expected.

They are not good at change

You will find in any group that some people are better at dealing with change than others, and this holds true in their business and personal life. This is not to say that they will not or cannot change; it simply means that it may take some people longer to adapt to change or the process may be a little harder. Think about the people in your business who will be impacted by the change. If there are some who are likely to struggle with the change, you should give them some extra support and communicate regularly with them. Once again the more work you do in the preparation phase, the more successful your change initiative is likely to be.

Summary

For the most part, you will seldom find that resistance to change is a result of someone deliberately trying to derail your change efforts. If you sit down and analyse the cause of the resistance, in the majority of cases it is because there was a miscommunication or lack of communication, or not enough work has gone into the planning phase. When you are planning to implementation a change initiative, use this article as a guide to anticipate potential resistance to change. Overcoming this is one of the keys to ensuring you are in the 30 per cent band of change that does work![/wlm_ismember]

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