Understand Why You Might Resist Change In Any Organization

Understanding why you might resist change in your organization is very important. If you do not understand the potential threats, you may find that change will be almost impossible to implement. You might be able to overcome the obstacles, but it is very difficult to overcome the resistance.


When we think about change we usually picture a massive sweeping change taking place. However, change can take place quietly. It might take the form of more limited changes such as a newly hired personnel or a small change such as a logo change. Understanding why you might resist change in your organization can help you decide whether a change is necessary at all.

One of the most common reasons why people resist change in any organization is that they have been used to doing things in a certain way. If you have been in an organization for years and you are asked to change, for whatever reason, you will probably resist it. You might resist because of the way things have been done in the past. There are many examples of this type of resistance, from the manufacturing assembly line to the retail assembly line.

In organizations that emphasize teamwork, change management issues are often brought up. Many managers believe that change management is a waste of time and that managers should spend their time communicating with their employees. There are some great ideas on change management, such as having regular team meetings where people can air out their concerns. There are problems with communication in teams that are not regularly scheduled. The bottom line is that you must get the team to focus on the goal of the meeting. It might be to decide how to handle a problem or set up a new process.

Another reason that people resist change is that they are afraid that they will lose their existing status quo. For example, many hospitals offer medical insurance, but some people choose to pay for their own medical insurance. Sometimes the change to a medical insurance company might cause them great distress, especially if they were happy with their current insurer. Change management can also be about a pay raise or promotion for a specific individual. This person might resist the idea because they believe that they are worth more than the new salary.

Another group of people who might resist change are some managers. They are afraid that the employees might think that they are beneath management, or that they are not successful, or that they would lose their jobs. A manager might have an inner battle with himself over how he thinks his subordinates view him. He might resist change because he does not want to admit that he is not managing properly.

A third set of people who resist change include business owners. Owners are often afraid of change, especially if they have built an entire organization around the status quo. They might resist because they are used to the way things are, or they might simply be afraid that the business might fail if a change occurs. Change management might mean that an owner retires, or he quits, or he takes a different position within the company. He might resist this change because of the way he has raised the salaries of his employees, or the benefits his company offers.


Understanding the reasons why you might resist change is important in change management situations. If you understand why you might resist change, then you will know what to do to make the process easy for the other side. You need to communicate your ideas clearly and make sure that you get the cooperation of the other party involved. In addition, you need to understand why the other party resists change and how you can change their minds so that they are comfortable with the changes you want to introduce in your organization. This way, you will be able to implement change successfully.