Chapter # 17: Organizational Change and Stress Management

Resistance to Change
15.Describe the sources of resistance to change.
A. Forms of Resistance to Change
Overt and immediate
Voicing complaints, engaging in job actions
Implicit and deferred
Loss of employee loyalty and motivation, increased errors or mistakes,
increased absenteeism.
Deferred resistance clouds the link between source and reaction
B. Sources of Individual Resistance to Change
Exam Q: What forces act as resistance to change? Explain (Two Times).
Exam Q: What do you understand by change management? And what
forces can act resistance change? Explain (Three Times)
Change Management:
Change management is the process, tools and techniques to manage the
people-side of change to achieve the required business outcome.
Change management incorporates the organizational tools that can be
utilized to help individuals make successful personal transitions resulting in
the adoption and realization of change.
Forces or Factors as Resistance to Changes
The factors or forces of resistance to change are grouped in two categories:
A. Individual Resistance to Change
B. Organizational Resistance to Change

Chapter # 1 Exam Notes

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A. Individual Resistance to Change

Following are the sources or factors or forces of Individual Resistance to
Change:
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)

Habit
Security
Economic Factors
Fear of the unknown
Selective Information Processing

a) Habit
To cope with lifes complexities, we rely on habits or programmed
responses.
But when confronted with change, this tendency to respond becomes a
source or force or factor of resistance.
b) Security
People with a high need for security are likely to resist change because it
threatens their feelings of safety.
c) Economic Factors
Changes in job tasks or established work routines can arouse economic
fears.
People are concerned that they wont be able to perform the new tasks or
routines to their previous standards, especially when pay is closely tied to
productivity.
d) Fear of the unknown
The Change substitutes ambiguity and uncertainty for the unknown.
e) Selective Information Processing
Individuals are guilty of selectively processing information in order to keep
their perceptions intact.
They hear what they want to hear, and they ignore information that
challenges the world theyve created.
Chapter # 1 Exam Notes

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B. Organizational Resistance to Change

Following are the sources or factors or forces of Organizational Resistance
to Change:
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)

Structural inertia
Limited focus of change
Group inertia
Threat to expertise
Threat to established power relationships

a) Structural inertia
Organizations have built-in mechanisms such as their selection processes
and formalized regulations to produce stability.
When an organization is confronted with change, this structural inertia acts
as a counterbalance (offset) to sustain stability.
b) Limited focus of change
Organizations consist of a number of interdependent subsystems.
One cant be changed without affecting the others.
So limited changes in subsystems tend to be nullified by the larger system.
c) Group inertia
Even if individuals want to change their behavior, group norms may act as a
constraint.
d) Threat to expertise
Changes in organizational patterns may threaten the expertise of
specialized groups.
e) Threat to established power relationships
Any redistribution of decision-making authority can threaten longestablished power relationships within the organization.

Chapter # 1 Exam Notes

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