Why Do Employees Resist Change Essay

In today’s business environment competition is fiercer than ever. To survive, stay competitive, and be successful, an organization has to provide better services to customers, find new ways to create competitive advantages, and eliminate work and processes that do not add value.

“Permanent White Water” Companies have to constantly go through changes small or large, from changing an IT software, employing new people, or changing management to restructurings and mergers. In the late 1980s, Peter Vaill, an organizational change theorist, started to observe how the business environment was becoming more and more defined by turmoil and change. He named the challenge of leading in this continuously changing and unpredictable context as leading in a world of “permanent white water” (Vaill, 1996), a reference to navigating on unpredictable, wild, turbulent river rapids. Making a parallel to our lives, personal or professional, “permanent

People are generally unwilling to change. Although a few warmly embrace change, most show negative reactions. Employees perceive change as disruptive and there are various reasons why they might resist it. Change coming from someone other than ourselves can make us feel that we are losing control and autonomy. To counteract this, leaders or upper management should allow those affected to be involved in the decision making process. There can also be a sense of uncertainty. No one likes to get involved into something that is unclear or unknown to them. This can be overcome by setting clear steps and timelines for the change. Additionally, there is the element of surprise. If decisions and measures are taken / imposed suddenly and in a short time frame they will be met with strong resistance. The process and intentions need to be transparent from the beginning, instead of preparing everything in secret and then announcing and enforcing it. Leaders need to provide a vision of what the future will look