BDC GUIDELINES FOR DEALING WITH CHANGE RESISTANCE

Companies need to adapt to the ever changing environment but how do the employees adjust?
When coaching clients I work with them to understand some dynamics of changes and how it affects them.

Individuals respond differently to change – dependent on their perception of change, which is influenced by personality differences and different value and belief systems. The majority of people perceive change as a threat (rule of thumb: about 80% of people exposed to a certain change) while a minority views change positively, or as an opportunity (approximately 20 % of people). The 20% who respond positively are usually those people who have been involved in planning and initiating the change, or those people who are more change resilient by nature. However, the majority respond with trepidation (or negatively) as it is a natural “survival” response when one’s position of certainty and comfort is threatened. This natural “survival” response triggers off a transition curve of reactions and feelings, which can lead to the majority of people eventually becoming committed to the change over a period of time.

If you are a manager, your employees will probably expect you to provide guidance and support. Unfortunately, this is likely to be difficult as you too may be facing uncertainty about the restructuring-related changes. Understanding change and the resistance to change provides you with some information to enable you to deal with your own feelings as well as those of your employees.

In managing employees it is critical as a manager to maintain focus on the issue of daily tasks as well as to give the necessary attention to the concerns of team members during the transformation period. You should pay attention to the following aspects during the change process: –

Giving direction: Discuss on an ongoing basis the purpose of the restructuring, the opportunities that are created through the restructuring, etc.
Teamwork: Continue to focus on fostering teamwork, use the strengths of the team to support one another.
Building trust: Discuss issues in an open and frank manner, do not create false expectations and do not make promises you cannot keep.
Communication: Pass all information on. Focus on relevant, factual information. Do not allow the “grapevine” to take over the channels of formal communication.
Motivating others: Discuss opportunities with team members. Explore new and different ways of doing things – be proactive.
Support: Be available to discuss individual problems, encourage team members to make use of yourself as a sounding board.

The Resistance Curve

An employee, depending on various influencing factors, may find themselves in anyone of five stages:

Denial;
Resistance (Anger);
Exploration;
Commitment; or
Rejection

The employee will progress along a curve through all the stages or may move directly from one stage to the second or third next step. In some cases, an employee may move directly to the commitment stage without any difficulty whatsoever. This shift is often referred to as the “Tarzan swing”.

However, an employee may regress along the same curve, moving from commitment to exploration or even anger. This is often the case when influencing factors are introduced late in the change process that may only then become an “issue” to the employee. Let us examine the illustration of the Resistance Curve:

General guidelines for dealing with individual concerns

The following general rules should be used when dealing with employees who have concerns about the restructuring affecting them.

Create a positive rapport.
Identify the problem.
Explore influencing factors.
Ensure you both understand the problem.
Ask questions.
Listen.
Ask for suggestions.
Give your suggestions.
Give your opinion.
Ask for solutions.
Give your solutions.
Decide on action steps to help focus the person on the future and its possibilities.
Offer your help/assistance/support.
Summarise.
Explain that others might be in the same boat, attempting to console the person, that they are not alone.

Specific guidelines to deal with the five stages of the Resistance Curve

Considering the resistance curve and the seven stages, what are the behaviour/symptoms that you need to look for and what steps need to be taken to deal with an employee who finds him/herself in any of the stages? The table below provides some specific guidelines that could serve to assist you in this regard.

	STEPS FOR DEALING WITH CURVE STAGES
CURVE POSITION	TYPICAL BEHAVIOUR	ACTIONS
Denial	Acting as though nothing has changed or is about to change Indicating that work will be exactly the same and continues with old ways of doing.	Discuss employees’ perception of events. Test for understanding of restructuring implications. Ask for a list of things that might have to be done differently in future. Ask how these new ways of doing things will influence the person. State what you know through formal communication channels of what the implications of the restructuring may hold for the individual. Incorporate any of the general guidelines as appropriate.
Anger (Resistance)	Challenging the proposed change by asking “why” questions Declarations of broken trust Threats e.g. CCMA actions Possible withholding of co-operation Productivity falls Absence from work	Select a quiet place where you and the employee can discuss the issue in private. Ask and allow the employee to discuss his/her fears regarding the changes. Allow the employee to talk as much as they want, listen!!! Ask the employee to tell you what opportunities they see for themselves in the process. Add any opportunity that you can think of. Decide together what the employee must/should do to explore these opportunities. Incorporate any of the general guidelines as appropriate.
Exploration	Enquiry about the possibilities Exploring the new vision, mission and objectives Neutral to positive statements about the new direction.	Meet with the employee. Explain why you would like to discuss his/her behaviour. Focus on the positive aspects, giving recognition and acknowledgement for positive behaviour. Determine the main areas of interest to the employee. Debate the issue in a positive supporting manner. Declare your support. Incorporate any of the general guidelines as appropriate.
Commitment	Declarations of support Demonstrating initiative through suggestions, proposals.	Stimulate the employee to come forward with ideas, suggestions, etc. Give continuous recognition to the employee. Incorporate any of the general guidelines as appropriate.
Rejection	Voluntary request to leave the organisation.	With the employees permission forward his/her name to the Human Resources Department for outplacement processing and counselling (if required).

Do’s and Don’ts

The primary objective is to deal with the issue(s) as quickly as possible, at the lowest level possible.

In order to ensure that objectivity prevails, consider the following:

Do’s and Don’ts
Do’s	Don’ts
Cascade all information received from Top and Senior management as quickly as possible down to lower levels in the organisation Control your own emotions Encourage employees to remain focused on their tasks and daily responsibilities	Create false expectations Make promises that you cannot keep Disclose unauthorised information about e.g. structures, selection criteria, etc. Speculate about issues for which no formal decisions have been taken or communicated Feed the “grapevine”.