Why Is Change So Difficult?
| by Steve Flick | ||||
What is it about us that makes change so hard to accept and even harder to manage? Where does resistance to change come from and what can we do about it?
“There is nothing wrong with change, if it is in the right direction.”
Winston Churchill, 1874-1965
Well, there is no ready solution (especially not in the space of this blog post). The word “change”, in whatever context, has always made people react with varying degrees of fear, frustration, and/or anger (or “FUD”). Yet, change goes on all around us, all the time. Much of change (the expanding waistline, for instance) happens so slowly and subtly that we don’t notice it until well after it’s taken place.
Some change is thrust upon us. We hear around the office that “change is in the wind” and we feel threatened and anxious. Let’s say your company has elected to implement a quality management system. Even if the current situation is not good — your customers are letting you know your product quality has slipped by walking away — many of us would still rather have the status quo. Better the devil we know than the one we don’t…right? (“We just have to make our stuff better…that’s all.”)
The organization has to deal with resistance on a personal and an institutional level. Each is difficult to overcome and, like it or not, both must be dealt with.
Personal Resistance
If I say to you, “We’re going to change the way we do things around here”, what’s your reaction? You have an emotional reaction, don’t you? Probably a mixture of shock, anxiety, apprehension, and a few other gut feelings.
“The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again
and expecting different results.”
Albert Einstein, 1879-1955
You may feel unprepared. You may fear being left behind. Certainly, if you’re like most you don’t like the idea of leaving safe, familiar territory. (Besides, you haven’t done anything wrong.)
Experience may tell you to anticipate interpersonal conflicts in the course of change. It might also tell you to watch out for interoffice conflicts (power grabs, backstabbing…that kind of thing).
Institutional Resistance
Larger companies have a harder time with change, due to inertia (i.e., “It’s the way things have always been done around here”). With the current state of the world economy, there’s the question of where and how to expend your limited time and other resources, not to mention that as resources are harder to come by, the company’s focus narrows considerably. (“We need to increase sales now!“)
Then there’s that 800-pound gorilla in the room — office politics. Whenever — wherever — there is change, some stand to lose power and others, to gain and consolidate. People forget about what’s best for everyone and concentrate on self. “Office politics” is probably the single biggest obstacle to change. Let me amend that — office politics has a hand in change, but not the change we really need.
“Change is the only constant.“
Heraclitus, 535-475 BCE
Understand that resistance to change exists. It may take unusually strong leadership — someone with uncommon vision and fortitude — to overcome individual and organizational resistance to change.
Make no mistake, though — change is a part of us. Are you taking an active role in change, or do you passively submit to it? Which of those will bring the kind of change you want and need?
Is change — or change management — a problem for your organization? If you were in charge, what would you do differently about the problem?
Categories:
Policy • project management
Tags:
change management • office politics • political barriers • product quality • quality management system • resistance to change
Bizmanualz has been at the forefront of deploying business best practices since 1995 delivering Policies, Procedures and Forms; quality systems implementation; and strategic business process improvement to help business owners achieve the growth and expansion they envision.
Learn more about Bizmanualz solutions:
Originally published in 2010 by Bizmanualz, Inc. under the title Why Is Change So Difficult?. All rights reserved. Reproduction permitted with attribution only. www.bizmanualz.com
14 Responses to “Why Is Change So Difficult?”
Leave Your Comment
May 11th, 2010 at 12:41 pm
The difficulty in my opinion is that people are hard to change when there is a need for change.
May 11th, 2010 at 1:06 pm
Why are people “hard to change when there is a need”? Of the most recent occasions when — let’s say the last two or three times — you were presented with a “need for change”, what was the nature of the change?
What was it that brought about the change, or made the change necessary? As far as you were concerned, was it a small change or was it on a large scale? Did the change cause you any pain (e.g., job loss, job change/change of duties, removal from a friendly group of coworkers)?
Did you derive any benefits/pleasure from the change, and did that (those) outweigh the pain? Did you benefit while coworkers/friends felt pain?
People’s resistance to change relates to the pain they perceive. Now, how do you overcome someone’s perception of what is or what might be felt? Or, do you tell them to “deal with it”?
June 1st, 2010 at 2:43 pm
People will always resist changes:
(a) That they do not understand;
(b) When personal ego is at stake;
(c) That will impact them negatively; and
(d) Because their reflex to anything is the “No” response. These are members of the “No Party”.
June 1st, 2010 at 9:44 pm
According my opinion, keys of organization change’s is depend on management (top management/CEO/board of director). Beside that “change” must be guided by good leadership of CEO. Because “change” will be give big impact especially for employee (e.g, job loss, job change, uncertainty, etc.). How about your opinion ?
June 1st, 2010 at 10:47 pm
In my present company, change is very hard because people here are already 20yrs employed and they don’t want to get out from thier box including the top management. On time when I issue NCPAR to one of the Senior Manager because their section did not meet the quarterly target. I was shock how the manager reacted ( negative response).
June 1st, 2010 at 11:54 pm
Sir can you share survey for Quality Management System. just want to know how well employees here know about thier QMS. thanks
June 2nd, 2010 at 5:21 am
I think planning for change is more difficult than the change process because we need to understand the business area and the people very well, if we plan well the change will be executed smoothly, resistant will be there but with less damage.
June 2nd, 2010 at 11:25 pm
change – almost always translates to getting out of our comfort zone, ‘ things we do around here’ ‘if it ain’t broke, why fix it’ – but in my experience, i tend to adjust to change when i know the reason for it before hand. when change is introduced without any explanation, i tend to resist it… and yes I agree, the change agent’s integrity and leadership can help a lot in helping facilitate the change most especially when the person is highly respected in the community, institution, for his leadership, skills and experience.
the 800 pound gorilla – how does one “kill” it?
June 3rd, 2010 at 1:14 am
According to me change is not a big deal at all. If person, who initiate any reform in the organization have proper authority and power as well as have proper understating to deal with typical people,…..then change is nothing for anything
June 3rd, 2010 at 3:48 am
In my opinion many peolple resist change due to the following;
-fear of insecurity
-fear of losing power
-culture
June 3rd, 2010 at 11:45 am
Resistance to change can be intentional or unintentional or being frustrated for the future events. Those who can not understand and those who resist intentionally are on different ladders of “resistance to change”. Governments like mine are good examples (who stole the polls and discarded the opposition’s). Change!!!
June 4th, 2010 at 6:12 am
Change is very interesting to me because it has made some people think that it affect the way things are done previuosly and currently in the working environment. yet change is meant for proactiveness of overcoming the current challenges in the business world. Change is difficult because not all employees will accept it at all. Those who accept it at early stages may not own it and those who resist at the beginning may own it later after getting to know the change being introduced in the organisation. Lastly, to me change is not difficult to implement but it needs time to make all corners of the business to know that its good to have in the life time of the business and its employees.
June 4th, 2010 at 6:21 am
In my expereience, reasons for change resistance is not a basis that change is difficult. The approach used might affect change due to inexperienced knowledge and skills in implementing change. all those who are incharge of change should know the dynamics of change in the organisation instead of concluding very first before you understand the environment. Next should first let employees know by giving some training on new systems to be introduced in place. Study your employees attitude with pschological skills and reporting lines in the organsaition before any change is introduced. otherwise it will be thrown out immediately rigth from top management and it is even worse at the operational level.
August 17th, 2011 at 9:38 am
I don’t want to believe resistance to change is due to fear or any thing like that. It is more about not understanding why there is a need to make the change, or lack of trust in the reason given by management. Within an Emerson company I experienced (and coordinated) the implementation of Quality Function Deployment as a management system. This method turns ad hoc management into systematic management. Objectives and their targets are set in consensus with management and employees in such a way that the goals were really shared. Due to this employees started changes on all levels of the organisation on their own initiative. How could that happen if peoples fear for change was a given???
Don’t introduce change…introduce objective driven and systematic management and change will come.