Organizational Culture and Employees

Resistance to Change

The concept of employee resistance to change is an important one to consider especially from a change management perspective, wherein a change in some aspect of an organization is required. Overcoming the hurdle of employee resistance to change can be an imperative part of effectively implementing change. Therefore, knowing what to do to assist in rising above this hurdle should be an essential element of change management. This paper will consider the organizational factors and employee attributes that may contribute to employee resistance to change.

Resistance to change may be defined as the action and behaviors of individuals or groups as whole who view a change that is implemented within their space as a threat to their ability to successfully perform their duties. Resistance can come in a variety of ways -- through active and passive behavior -- but is typically negative in some aspect and contributes to the formation of a negative perception among others that prevents the change from being fully embraced in a positive manner by all.

Organizational factors that can impeded acceptance of change can be the way that information flows or is passed around the organization (Hanif, Khan, Zaheer, 2014). For employees to embrace change they need to understand the valid reasons for the change. If the organization is not supportive of providing this information or of educating the employees as to why a change is being effected, it is very unlikely that workers will be in turn supportive of the change. Kissack and Callahan (2010) point out that education and planning are fundamental aspects of organizational success and that a positive organizational culture depends upon the facilitation of education for workers. Just as employees need to know the aims and goals of their project and work in order to be able to meet expectations, they need to know the purpose of what they doing when they are expected to accept a change in the workplace. People are rational creatures and reason should be a major part of one's decisions and behavior. Thus, a major organizational factor to impeding the change management process can simply be a poor role played by Human Resources and their inability to properly spread information to all parties regarding the purpose and aim of the change.

Another organizational factor that can cause resistance to change could be a negative organizational culture that exists as a result of bad leadership (Schyns, Schilling, 2013). Culture plays an important part of a workplace, providing support for employees in emotional, social and intellectual ways so that they are agreeable to the aims of the organization. A negative culture, on the other hand, can lead to employees opposing the aims of the organization, giving less than 100% in their daily activities, and refusing to participate in the work of moving towards the company's goals. Bad leadership can even lead to employees actively working against the company's well-being (Schyns, Schilling, 2013). Therefore, organizational culture should be positive and flow out of positive leadership.

Employee attributes that might lead to resistance to change include employee burnout, fatigue, and skepticism. Employees have lives outside of work that can impact their ability to concentrate and be positive at work. It is crucial that HR systems provide a supportive role for employees so that their own personal issues do not become workplace issues. By allowing employees the right and opportunity to come to work and discuss issues they might be having, get it out in the open, and receive whatever counseling or supportive advice might be available. This kind of strategy would enable employees to be more receptive to any demands management might make upon them -- such as a change in the workplace.