Resistance to Change

• Self-Interest
  Where someone has achieved status, privilege or self-esteem through effective use of an old system, they will often see your plan as a threat. Where the plan threatens paid overtime, people will naturally fear the impact on their bank balance!
• Fear of the Unknown
  People may be uncertain of their abilities to learn new skills, their aptitude with new systems, or their ability to take on new roles.
• Conscientious Objection or Differing Perceptions
  People may sincerely believe that you are wrong. They may view the situation form a different viewpoint, or may have aspirations for themselves or the organisation that are fundamentally opposed to yours. It is worth trying to understand their position, however once you have done so and formed an opinion, do what you think is right. Remember that different people in different jobs will have different perceptions of a situation: a sales manager will almost inevitably have a different view of the right level of commission payments to salesmen from the view of a finance director!
• Suspicion
  People may not trust you.
• Conservatism
  Organisations or people may simply be opposed to change. This can result from a feeling that everything is OK, from loss of touch with customers, from lack of exposure to better ways of doing things, or from slowness of decision making, etc.

If you understand the root of possible resistance to change, you can plan for it and overcome it before it becomes a significant obstacle.

Managing Change

Closing a Plan

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