3. Functional Resistance: Dysfunctional Resistance:
• critically assess whether • avoiding dealing with urgent and
change will lead to pressing issues
improvements • declining to work on what really
• exploring the personal needs to be done.
consequences of change. • blaming and criticising without
• feelings of regret, anxiety or proposing alternatives
fear to a previous history of • sabotaging change
non-disclosure and poor • non-collaboration with others.
working relations.

4. Signs of Resistance: Active
Being critical Intimidating or
Finding fault threatening
Ridiculing Manipulating
Appealing to fear Distorting facts
Using facts Blocking
selectively Undermining
Blaming or Starting rumours
accusing Arguing
Sabotaging

5. Signs of Resistance: Passive
 Agreeing verbally but not following through (“malicious
compliance”)
 Failing to implement change
 Procrastinating or dragging one’s feet
 Feigning ignorance
 Withholding information, suggestions, help, or support
 Standing by and allowing change to fail

6. • Ignorance: a failure to understand the situation or the problem
• Mistrust: motives for change are considered suspicious
• Disbelief: a feeling that the way forward will not work
• “Power-Cut”: a fear that sources of influence and control will be
eroded.
• Loss: change has unacceptable personal costs
• Inadequacy: the benefits from the change are not seen as sufficient
• Anxiety: fear of being unable to cope with the new situation.
• Comparison: the way forward is disliked because an alternative is
preferred
• Demolition: change threatens the destruction of existing social
networks.

7. Resistance to Change
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

8. Sources of Individual Resistance
to Change

9. Sources of Organizational
Resistance to Change

10. Overcoming Resistance To
Change

11. Overcoming Resistance to
Change
• Tactics for dealing with resistance to change:
• Education and communication
• Participation
• Facilitation and support
• Negotiation
• Manipulation and cooptation
• Selecting people who accept change
• Coercion

12. Managing Resistance
• A “Situational” Approach:
– this proposes six methods for managing resistance that should be
chosen based on contextual factors.
Method Context
Education & Communication resistance is due to lack of information
Participation & Involvement Resistance is a reaction to a sense of
exclusion from the process
Facilitation & Support Resistance is due to anxiety and
uncertainty
Negotiation & Agreement Resistors in a strong position to
undermine the change process
Manipulation & Cooperation Other methods are too time consuming
or resource demanding
Explicit & Implicit Coercion Change recipients have little capacity to
resist; survival of the org. is at risk
without the change

13. Images of Managing Change
Images Perspective on Resistance to Change
Director Resistance signifies that not everyone is on board with the change
program. Managerial skills can be acquired to overcome this.
Navigator Resistance is expected and represents different interests within
the organization. It should be overcome but this is not always
possible.
Caretaker Resistance is short-lived and change will occur regardless of
attempts to stop it.
Coach Resistance is to be expected and managers need to show others
that the resistance does not promote effective teamwork.
Interpreter Resistance occurs when the change is not interpreted well or
understood. The manager’s role is to clarify the meaning of
change.
Nurturer Resistance is irrelevant to whether the change will occur.
Resistance is a matter of guesswork by the resistor.
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