Leadership
- Submitted by: JJ2002
- Views: 309
- Category: Arts
- Date Submitted: 10/27/2014 05:51 PM
- Pages: 7
- Report this Essay
Change Management in Organizations
Much of the recent research and resulting literature in the field of OB has centered on “change” and change management as a critical capacity in today’s dynamic and unpredictable environments. From shifts in employee demographics to the rapid pace of technology evolution, companies are constantly challenged with the need to adapt and to institute change. Even if management carefully plans change and works hard to create readiness in the organization, resistance to change is nonetheless inevitable. As Robbins and Judge (2007) points out, resistance has both a positive and a negative aspect. Resistance can provide a system of checks and balances, and it can promote healthy challenges that force an organization to scrutinize its decisions, perhaps leading to the discovery of more optimal solutions. In its negative aspect, resistance can create formidable obstacles leading to employee behaviors that can range from overt hostility to more subtle forms of dissatisfaction such as absenteeism. Resistance happens for a variety of reasons, at both the individual and organizational levels. According to Robbins and Judge, individuals resist change because they are creatures of habit, and because they fear the unknown –i.e. how is the change going to affect their job security? At the level of the organization, resistance stems from the political influence of established power players and from structural issues that make implementation difficult. One of the difficulties of managing change is actually identifying the sources of resistance, since many times resistance can be covert and even unconscious. Once discovered, the big challenge is how to react in a balanced way so that this resistance can be wisely used as a contributing force. O’Connor (1993) calls for a balance approach and argues that “leaders must avoid any overreaction to resistance once it is discovered” (p. 30). O’Connor...
Much of the recent research and resulting literature in the field of OB has centered on “change” and change management as a critical capacity in today’s dynamic and unpredictable environments. From shifts in employee demographics to the rapid pace of technology evolution, companies are constantly challenged with the need to adapt and to institute change. Even if management carefully plans change and works hard to create readiness in the organization, resistance to change is nonetheless inevitable. As Robbins and Judge (2007) points out, resistance has both a positive and a negative aspect. Resistance can provide a system of checks and balances, and it can promote healthy challenges that force an organization to scrutinize its decisions, perhaps leading to the discovery of more optimal solutions. In its negative aspect, resistance can create formidable obstacles leading to employee behaviors that can range from overt hostility to more subtle forms of dissatisfaction such as absenteeism. Resistance happens for a variety of reasons, at both the individual and organizational levels. According to Robbins and Judge, individuals resist change because they are creatures of habit, and because they fear the unknown –i.e. how is the change going to affect their job security? At the level of the organization, resistance stems from the political influence of established power players and from structural issues that make implementation difficult. One of the difficulties of managing change is actually identifying the sources of resistance, since many times resistance can be covert and even unconscious. Once discovered, the big challenge is how to react in a balanced way so that this resistance can be wisely used as a contributing force. O’Connor (1993) calls for a balance approach and argues that “leaders must avoid any overreaction to resistance once it is discovered” (p. 30). O’Connor...