Managing Change

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Managers and leaders of all businesses should constantly monitor their internal and external environment for pressures to change.

When considering pressures for change, managers and leaders must also consider employee resistance to change, known as forces resisting change.

Lewin’s force field analysis supports managers and leaders in comparing pressures or forces for change against the forces resisting this change.

Lewin’s force field analysis states that if pressures and forces for change are greater than the forces resisting change, then such change is likely to be successful.
Lewin’s force field analysis states that if pressures and forces for change are less than the forces resisting change, then such change is likely to be unsuccessful.

Responding to poor financial performance may require a business to make changes, therefore acting as a pressure for change.
Poor customer satisfaction may require a business to make changes, therefore acting as a pressure for change.

A lack of resources, including finance and labour, may provide resistance to change if a business is unable to provide the resources needed for change.
Employee concerns may provide resistance to change if employees are worried about the impact of the change on their job security or working conditions.

Strategies to Implement Change

Kotter and Schlesinger propose six strategies which managers and leaders can use to overcome resistance to change:

Educating and communicating with staff can help employees overcome their resistance as discussions can be used to inform staff of the reason behind why the change is required for the business’ ongoing success.
Facilitation can help employees overcome their resistance through supporting and providing resources so that employees have the tools needed to address and adapt to change.
Participation can help employees overcome their resistance by giving them a sense of involvement and ownership so that they feel involved with the process of change.

Coercion can force employees to overcome their resistance by offering employees the decision to either co-operate or accept redundancy.
Negotiation can help employees overcome their resistance through offering rewards to employees who agree to co-operate with and support change.
Manipulation can help employees overcome their resistance through targeting employees likely to offer the most resistance and offering opportunities for these employees to become involved in the change process.

Employee self-interest may provide resistance to change as employees value their own values and beliefs above those of the business.
Employee misunderstanding may provide resistance to change as employees simply do not understand the change or do not understand how it will affect them.

Employees may prefer the current situation (known as the status quo) and therefore see no reason to change, and therefore resist any change proposed.
Employees may have made a different assessment to that of the managers and leaders, and may agree that some change is needed, but may disagree about the type of change needed, which can provide resistance.