Mitigating Resistance Towards Change – My Blog

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School of Nursing & Midwifery
Mitigating Resistance Towards Change
Dr Vishnu Renjith. PhD, MSN, RN, FRSPH
Lecturer / Programme Director, School of Nursing & Midwifery
Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, 123 St. Stephen’s Green, Dublin 2, Ireland
Email: [email protected]

AssignmentTutorOnline

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School of Nursing & Midwifery
By the end of the session, you will be able to
• Define resistance to change
• Discuss the manifestations of resistance to change
• Understand strategies to manage the resistance towards change
Objectives
School of Nursing & Midwifery
• Resistance to change is the act of opposing or struggling with
modifications or transformations that alter the status quo.
• This resistance can manifest itself in one employee, or in the workplace
as a whole.
Resistance to change
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School of Nursing & Midwifery
• Resistance to change is the unwillingness to adapt to altered
circumstances. It can be covert or overt, organized or unorganized, or
individual or group.
• Some employees may not resist publicly, but this can also be very
disruptive.
• In a worst-case scenario, employees can be forceful in their refusal to
adopt any changes, bringing confrontation and conflict to your
organization.
Resistance to change
School of Nursing & Midwifery
Persistent
reduction in
output
Increase in the
number of
“quits”
Increase in
requests for
transfer
hostile attitude Unfriendly or Chronic quarrels
Sudden
unofficial
strikes
Pseudological
reasons on why
the change
wont work
Resistance to change – Manifestations
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School of Nursing & Midwifery
Lawrence, P. R. (1968). How to deal with resistance to change. Harvard Business Review Case Services.
What Is Resistance to Change?. (2021). Retrieved 19 February 2021, from https://www.thebalancecareers.com/what-is-resistance-to-change-1918240
1. Get people involve in making the change
• Popular method for dealing with resistance to change
• Get the people involved to “participate” in making the change
2. Understand the true nature of resistance
• What employees resist is usually not technical change but social change
• The technical change brings about changes in human relationships
Managing resistance to change
School of Nursing & Midwifery
Lawrence, P. R. (1968). How to deal with resistance to change. Harvard Business Review Case Services.
What Is Resistance to Change?. (2021). Retrieved 19 February 2021, from https://www.thebalancecareers.com/what-is-resistance-to-change-1918240
3. Deal constructively with the staff attitudes
• Emphasize new standards of performance
• Encourage them to think in different ways
4. Top executives making individual efforts
• Discuss about change at staff and operating groups discussions
• This help to increase receptiveness to change.
Managing resistance to change
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School of Nursing & Midwifery
Lawrence, P. R. (1968). How to deal with resistance to change. Harvard Business Review Case Services.
What Is Resistance to Change?. (2021). Retrieved 19 February 2021, from https://www.thebalancecareers.com/what-is-resistance-to-change-1918240
5. Listen to how employees talk about the change
• Informs about any resistance they are experiencing
• Employees may come with ideas to help navigate the changes
• When employees believe their input is considered
• Less likely to experience resistance to change
6. Develop a culture of trust
• Culture of trust, transparent communication
• Employee engagement, Positive interpersonal relationships
• Resistance to change – much less likely to occur.
Managing resistance to change
School of Nursing & Midwifery
Video Courtesy: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o9ulQvQdBQY
Managing resistance to change
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• When a change is introduced, with a lot of discussions and employee
involvement, resistance to change is minimized.
• Resistance is also minimized if there is a widespread belief that the changes
are needed and will have a positive effect.
• Taking employee feedback into account can help improve the chances of
success for change.
Conclusion
School of Nursing & Midwifery
• Furxhi, G. (2021). Employee’s Resistance and Organizational Change Factors. European Journal of Business and
Management Research, 6(2), 30-32.
• Ackermann, C. (2021). A personal narrative on understanding and navigating transitional change: lessons learned
by an accounting academic amidst COVID-19. Accounting Research Journal.
• Lawrence, P. R. (1968). How to deal with resistance to change. Harvard Business Review Case Services.
• What Is Resistance to Change?. (2021). Retrieved 19 February 2021, from
https://www.thebalancecareers.com/what-is-resistance-to-change-1918240
References
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School of Nursing & Midwifery
• Thank you
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