Overcoming Negativity and Resistance to Change

Professor Paul Strebel wrote in his classic Harvard Business Review article ‘Why Do Employees Resist Change?’ that the ‘personal compact’ between employer and employee is a key driver when it comes to employees’ attitudes towards change. Defined by Strebel as "the reciprocal obligations and mutual commitments [between employee and employer], both stated and implied, that define their relationship", the terms of the personal compact are altered with every change initiative. [1] Unless those terms can be successfully renegotiated, Strebel argues, change initiatives can effectively ‘break’ the personal compact, and this, in turn, can result in resistance towards the change, as well as a broader dissatisfaction and disengagement on the employee’s part. [2]

Meanwhile, psychologists Robert Kegan and Lisa Laskow Lahey have argued that competing commitments are the reason behind some people’s resistance to change. These competing commitments are beliefs or assumptions that are at odds with a person’s role in the change process and consequently prevent him or her from performing the role to the best of their abilities. Kegan and Lahey provide the example of a manager who is unable to collaborate successfully because, despite a genuine commitment to teamwork, they are equally committed to avoiding the conflict that can sometimes occur when working with others on an ambitious project. Further examples of competing commitments and a suggested approach to uncovering and addressing them with employees can be found in Kegan and Lahey’s Harvard Business Review article, ‘The Real Reason People Won’t Change’. [3]

Spotting the Signs

Some employees will voice their objections to a proposed change directly, but others might demonstrate their resistance in other ways. These might include:

• adopting a defensive attitude or becoming withdrawn when changes are discussed
• identifying problems with a proposed change without offering any solutions
• displaying negative body language when discussing change
• continually complaining to colleagues about the proposed change
• fixating on small details about the change
• lowering their standards and levels of productivity when working on tasks connected to the change project

The Change Curve

To respond appropriately to resistance, it can be helpful to understand the feelings that employees are likely to experience during periods of change. Based on a model first developed in the 1960s to explain the grieving process, the change curve depicts the stages of emotional response that people typically experience when they learn about a forthcoming change. These are highlighted in the diagram below:

The change curve, and its associated emotions, can be used to predict how performance is likely to be affected by the announcement and subsequent implementation of a significant change. There are numerous versions of the curve in existence. However, the majority of them use the same set of basic emotions, which are often grouped into the three distinct transitional stages of shock and denial, anger and depression and integration and acceptance.

While the change curve is a useful tool for understanding emotional responses to change, it’s important to remember that it should be used as a guide. Not all changes will evoke the full range of emotions on the change curve (indeed, small changes may provoke only minor reactions) and different people will respond to change in different ways.

Responding to Resistance Within The team

If you become aware of resistance or negativity to change within your team, there are a number of steps you can take to address this and earn team members’ support for the change. These steps include:

Keeping the Lines of Communication Open

Effective and timely communication regarding the change will reduce uncertainty for team members, particularly during the initial stages of the change process. It’s important to hold regular meetings and briefings regarding the change initiative; be sure to book time with individual team members to talk to them about the change and how they are feeling about it. You should also encourage team members to approach you to discuss any questions or concerns they might have about the change as it progresses.

Giving People Time

It’s unrealistic to expect team members to be completely comfortable with the proposed changes immediately, so be sure to give them a reasonable amount of time to understand and accept the change and the reasons behind it, ideally before the change is implemented. Depending on the nature of the change, this could be anything between a day or two to a few weeks.

Encouraging Skeptics To Speak Up

Remember that some healthy skepticism can be good for the change process. By flagging up potential problems and suggesting improvements, change skeptics can perform an important role, as long as they voice their concerns in a constructive and positive manner.

Being Aware of How Your Team are Reacting to the Change

Look out for any signs that might indicate that people are struggling during periods of change. Do any team members seem confused or frustrated for example, or are they exhibiting any of the signs of resistance that are outlined above? If this is the case, it’s important to take these people to one side and find out how they are feeling about the change, and if there are any questions they would like to ask about it. During the conversation, be sure to listen to team members’ concerns, show empathy for how they are feeling and to address each of their misgivings in turn. If individuals continue to display signs of resistance after this conversation, it’s important to have a more formal, structured meeting with them to address this.

Being a Champion for Change

Your team will take a cue from your own attitude towards change, so it is vital to demonstrate support for it on a day-to-day basis. This means being positive about the change initiative and playing an active role in its implementation. It’s also important to keep your team motivated throughout the change process by encouraging them to focus on the end goal and painting a positive picture of the future.

Providing Practical Support

It’s vital to provide your team with the support they need to learn and adapt to any new working practices. This might mean arranging training on new processes, for example, or developing written guidelines or standard operating procedures for your team.

Reflecting on the Change Process as a Team

Once you have reached the end of the change process, it is important for you and your team to take time to reflect upon the experience together. As well as encouraging team members to consider their response to the change and their contribution towards the change process, it’s also good practice to ask people for feedback on how you led and supported them during this time.

Change Fatigue

In teams and organizations where changes are constantly being made and team members are perpetually required to learn and adapt to new ways of doing things, change fatigue can set in. [4] Employees affected by change fatigue tend to doubt the value of the changes being made and often feel de-motivated and disengaged. This, in turn, can have a negative impact on performance and productivity.

The Signs of Change Fatigue

There are a number of signs that can indicate that change fatigue is affecting employees. These include:

• a ‘wait and see’ attitude - team members are unwilling to embrace new initiatives as they doubt they will last, or be followed through
• a reluctance to become involved in ideas sessions relating to proposed changes
• a tendency to ask negative questions regarding suggested initiatives
• increased staff turnover as employees become increasingly dissatisfied and disengaged, and morale starts to dip

Addressing Change Fatigue

Change fatigue can be a divisive force in the workplace. However, there are a number of simple yet effective strategies that can help counter and prevent it:

• Be upfront and honest. During times of frequent change, where one initiative may be abandoned in favor of another, or where more than one thing is changed at a time, it is vital to be upfront and honest with team members about why this is happening. Working in this kind of environment can be challenging for even the most engaged employees, but they are more likely to be accepting and supporting of frequent change if they understand why it is necessary.
• Be proactive. While it’s not necessarily possible to predict how every employee will respond to frequent change, there are steps that managers can take to pre-empt certain concerns. This might involve highlighting the anticipated benefits of each change initiative, for example, or managing expectations regarding timescales.
• Break large changes into manageable stages. Long-term, wide-scale changes can be overwhelming, especially when they occur at the same time, or in quick succession. Breaking these projects down into manageable stages will help employees feel less intimidated by the changes and the work required to make them happen.
• Get employees involved. Seeking the input of employees who are affected by the changes taking place will help to gain their commitment and buy-in to the initiative(s). If a proposed course of action doesn’t go according to plan, and further changes are required, employees who are involved are more likely to feel motivated to help turn things around, rather than feel deflated by all the changes that are happening around them.

Summary

Left unaddressed, negativity and resistance to change can have a damaging effect on team and individual performance and morale, as well as on the change initiative as a whole.

It is therefore important to understand how change tends to affect people at work, and to be on the lookout for signs that team members might be resisting change, or suffering from change fatigue.

It is vital to then take the necessary steps to help teams and individuals understand, accept and support the change. Doing so will help to safeguard the success of the change initiative, and will ensure that team members remain motivated, productive and happy throughout the change process.