Understanding Employee Resistance to Change

Employee resistance participants gave a variety of reasons forresistance by employees and managers. The top-five reasons for employee resistance were:

• Lack of understanding around the vision and need for change:

Primary reason that indicates the employee resistance was that vision of change project are not understandable by the employees. Employee did not understand clearly that why this change is happening, nor did they have adequate knowledge regarding the change itself. Employees did not have the answer to the question, “what’s in it for me?” . This could include, "Will I have a job?," "How will it impact my daily work?," "How will I benefit from the change?".

• Comfort with the status quo and fear of the unknown:

Participants showed

Changes often eliminated something the manager had control of or introduced something that the manager would not have control over. Managers perceived the changes as violations on their independence, and some participants designated that the change was even identified as a personal attack on the managers. Managers reacted to the change initiative as a "battle for turf."

• Overload of current tasks, pressures of daily activities and limited resources: Managers felt that the change was an adscititious burden. inhibited resources compounded the problem..The change initiative seemed to be extra work and resource strain at a time when the pressures of daily activities were already high. In many projects, managers were expected to perpetuate all of their current obligations in integration to the obligations of implementing the change.

• Lack of skills and experience needed to manage the change

First, managers were uncomfortable with their role in managing the vicissitude. Some feared recrimination while others did not have the experience or implements to efficaciously manage their employees resistance. Managers withal were concerned about the demands and responsibilities placed on them by the new business processes, systems or technologies.

• Fear of job loss:

Managers felt that if change occurs the system changes and that can have effect on their job security. Middle management is often the victim of large-scale business change. One participants reaffirmed this fear: "They were eliminated in the change, sono resistance was recorded."

• Disagreement with the new way:

Some managers dissented(disagreed) concretely with the transmutation. They did not feel that the solution was the best approach to fine-tuning the quandary(problem). Managers who did not play a role or provide input in the design and orchestrating phases inclined to resist the solution. Participants felt that the resistance was due to the solution not being the conception of the manage.

• Doubt and distrust about the need for change:

Managers are not convinced for the need of change. They did not visually perceive the business issues driving the change, or they did not identify the same quandaries(problems) as the design