The only thing constant is change

The only thing constant is change – How to accept and embrace change in life

You are perhaps aware of the axiom “the old order changeth, yielding place to new” implying that the only certainty in the world is that there will be change. In this process of change, the Darwinian principles of adaptation and natural selection are as true for the corporate world as for the living beings. Just as any living organism needs to keep harmony with the ever changing environs for its survival, so does an organization need to respond to changes in its environment comprising of the market, the government, the economy, the technology, the community etc., and ‘Survival of the fittest’ is the radical rule of this game.
So in order to survive and grow, you want to implement change in your organization. But wait! It is not going to be that easy. You will find all kinds of resistance to change, the workers trying to block introduction of a new technology, supervisors balking at large scale projects in job redesign, and divisional heads pitching battles against realignment of corporate structure etc.; and don’t at all be surprised by all this resistance! Comfort with the ‘status quo’ is tremendously powerful, and fear of moving into an unknown future state creates awful anxiety and stress. It is extremely difficult to make people leave their comfort zones. So resistance is natural and expected, and you should work to address it and alleviate it. Here are some strategies that you can adopt for overcoming resistance to change.

Many a times your employees are not aware of why the change is needed. So communicating authentically the objective, coverage, timing, individual and organizational implications and change methods, and also the consequences of not going for the intended change and the post change benefits is the first step towards overcoming resistance to change. It makes managing change a proactive and ultimately more effective tool for mobilizing support and addressing objections, rather than a reactive mechanism.

In most cases, organizations justify changes by telling their employees all the wonderful things the change will mean for the organization. In doing this, they forget that when faced with a change, people first look at their own concerns, such as fear of increased work-load, change of habits, loss of security, fear of failure, and loss of belongingness etc. So, in addition to emphasizing on organizational benefits, employees’ personal concerns must also be addressed to. Also, people are more sensitive to loss than gain, and this ‘negativity bias’ is a longstanding survival trait that has kept human beings alive and grow throughout their development. Therefore, rather than just telling your employees what they stand to gain from a change, you may have a greater impact if you tell them what they are going to lose if they don’t accept and implement the change.
Everyone may not have the requisite knowledge, expertise and skills to implement the change. So you must train them up for the change. If you want to computerize some of the organization’s processes, you must first make the concerned employees computer-literate. Also involve the people likely to be affected by the change right from the initial stage; this will not only lessen the anxiety out of uncertainty about the consequences of change, but will also inculcate a sense of ownership in them leading to a commitment to see the change effectively implemented.

There are, in every organization and at every level, some people, whom the employees admire and listen to. Get these individuals on board with your idea of change, and co-opt them as change agents. With their influencing power, these change agents will be able to motivate others to adopt the desired change. Resistance to change can also be reduced if feedback is taken from the affected persons, and they are apprised of the steps to be taken.

In some extreme cases, application of threats or force on those who resist change may also be necessary, but this is the ultimate step, and should only be applied in crisis situations.
To win your employees’ commitment towards change, you must engage them on both a rational level and emotional level. It is only by doing so that you can overcome the resistance to change.

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