What Are The Top Reasons People Generally Resist Change

Agile and Scrum / By

Generally most of us like to stay in our comfort zone and are generally reluctant for any kind of change be it personal or professional. Every person has his own working style and with time we are so accustomed to it that we cannot think of doing it in any other way even if we are provided multiple benefits of switching to better and latest way.

Reasons why people are reluctant to adapt the changes

  • Fear of mistakes due to misunderstanding or any incorrect learning.
  • Doubt on one’s capability to adapt the change smoothly- When people feel that they won’t be able to adapt the change and might fail to make the transition smoothly.
  • Lack of competence and required skills –Some people lack trust and confidence, they feel that they, or the company, cannot manage the change competently.
  • Job insecurity- People with more than ten years of tenure with their current employer are seen as veterans. They act as mentors for the new joiners, they are the ones who had train almost everyone who joined after them. Any big change with respect to primary application and technology would change them to trainee from a trainer, leading to a feeling of insecurity.
  • Incomplete communication — At times the management do not send the clear communication regarding the change they were planning in near future. The resources basis rumors and knowledge from incorrect sources builds an incorrect picture of the change. This results in negativity among them before the actual change comes into picture.
  • People love to do their work in their own style— and it is natural we all love our daily routine and comfort zones. They make us so secure that we are resistant for any kind of change which deviate our routine working style and requires us to do things differently.

How to minimize or reduce their fear

  • Conduct a demo and presentation session with slides showing the life of employees before and after the implementation of the change. Be very specific when mentioning what the changes include, in case, the changes involve re-structuring the department, consolidating numerous positions, updating certain technology, shutting down few applications, give a very clear picture of the same. It is recommended to convey that things would not change overnight and there is a transition period against all the changes.
  • The advantages and benefits of change must be communicated properly- The management must convey all the benefits to their resources for example the technical change can directly affect their career graph upward or the amount of time they would save with this new change.
  • Be very specific while mentioning about the actual impacted parties. It may include all the department employees, but to what extent, would vary from function to function and from profile to profile. There is a possibility that some functions or profile are not at all impacted, so please make sure that this is communicated as soon as possible to release some management pressure.
  • There are people who spread rumors like layoffs, salary cut down, and news of downsizing, during such situations. Identify this lot and ensure that they are stopped at very initial stage. Convey a clear message that if anyone is found involved in any such activity would be penalized by the top management.

When change is implemented without warning and affects the stakeholders adversely, it becomes difficult to manage resources due to fear of something unknown to occur and negativity all around. But if managed properly the change can happen very smoothly and effectively with minimum emotional and financial impact.

About Aditi Malhotra

Aditi Malhotra is the Content Marketing Manager at Whizlabs. Having a Master in Journalism and Mass Communication, she helps businesses stop playing around with Content Marketing and start seeing tangible ROI. A writer by day and a reader by night, she is a fine blend of both reality and fantasy. Apart from her professional commitments, she is also endearing to publish a book authored by her very soon.

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