Fear of change, business resistance to change?

Yep, this week I am again being the big bad change man! See me coming, I’m easy to spot in a crowd, I’m the one with the great big target painted on his back!

Ok, so it’s not quite that bad, not really, but I have, this week, implemented another infrastructure change – this one was an automated menu on our VoIP phone system and thus far there has been a myriad response of shock, frustration and general resistance from many quarters – wasn’t quite ready for it to be honest, I thought we’d been pretty diligent in publishing information/details/etc, anyway, I thought I’d look into what caused it…

Organizational change is comprised of those processes that break down existing structures and create new structures–often new organizations, cultures, business strategies, and ways of working (Hutchison 2001)

I get that, existing structures broken down, if that process has been in use for a lengthy period by many people then of course there is going to be a response to doing away with it – even if it’s less effective, what you have been told to do, cheaper, faster, better, etc, but what is the secret to minimising the fear response?

Change theory tells us that human systems seek homeostasis and equilibrium, i.e. prefer a predictable, stable world (Miller)

Seems logical, and to be honest I was aware of that….how about….

Transformational leaders empower others by keeping them “in the know,” by keeping them fully informed on everything that affects their jobs. People want and need to feel that they are “insiders,” that they are aware of everything that is going on. There is nothing so demoralizing to a staff member than to be kept in the dark about their work and what is going on in the company. (Tracy)

Sounds good, so try to find more time to give to various sections, I have been trying to keep significant parties in the loop but perhaps have relied on them passing out the information – I need to do this myself, utilise existing internal processes to inform everyone of news, ask more questions, listen, take in opinions and encourage individuals to question but at the same time accept occasionally changes will be required by the business for the business.

Understanding how a computer fits together, or how a network is configured or how to install/configure a software application, all that complicated technical stuff?  Childs play in comparison methinks.

The experiment continues, reduce the size of the target, sooth away a few hurt individuals, improve communication and accessibility, there’s a fair amount of work to go…I’m sure this one will run on for a while yet!

http://management.about.com/cs/people/a/MngChng092302.htm

http://www.allbusiness.com/management/187133-1.html

http://www.1000ventures.com/business_guide/crosscuttings/change_resistance.html

http://www.1000advices.com/guru/mgmt_motiation_key_tracy.html

http://www.zoomgb.com/the-f-word/

Leave a Comment

THE PERSONAL BLOG OF CORNWALL-BASED COMPANY DIRECTOR // CHRIS RICKARD