Looking to Reduce Your Resistance to Change?

With the rate of technological growth and changes introduced by the information age, change is now the normal state of business isn’t it? Change does not come easy, however.

Related: The Zen of Distinguishing Your Leadership Behaviors

Much resistance to change is often blamed on individual traits. Many times, this is true. More often, however, we over-estimate how much change we as individuals can accept. We also often do not appreciate how difficult it is to lead and implement change effectively.

People, just like everything else, are constantly subject to change. When we stop changing, our growing and learning come to a grinding halt. Therefore we need to maintain a clear vision of change options available to us and understand which ones offer the best growth opportunities. And then go with them.

Whenever you consider resistance to change options, try to understand the motivators of the resistance. Use what you learn to guide your choices in how to respond to the resistance you face. Expecting that there will be resistance to change and being prepared to manage it, is a proactive step you’ll definitely want to undertake.

At the end of the day, all sources of resistance to change need to be acknowledged and your emotions validated.

It’s far better to anticipate objections than to spend your time putting out fires. It is important in knowing how to overcome resistance to change is a vital part of any development and growth.

It helps to keep in mind these typical reasons for resistance to change:

Lack of abilities

This is a fear few of us will readily admit. But sometimes, changes going on around us necessitate changes in skills, and some of us will feel that they won’t be able to make the transition very well. Recognizing this fear is critical to solving it.

Don’t appreciate the need for change

If you or your staff do not understand the need for change you can expect resistance. Especially from those who strongly believe the current way of doing things works well…and has done so for a long time.

Uncertainty and fear

One of the most common reasons for resistance is fear of the unknown. People will only take active steps toward the unknown if they genuinely believe — and perhaps more importantly, feel — that the risks of standing still are greater than those of moving forward in a new direction

The less you know about the change and its impact, the more fearful it can become. The leading change also requires not springing surprises on the organization. The organization needs to be prepared for the change. In the absence of continuing two-way communication with leadership, grapevine rumors fill the void and sabotage the change effort.

Holding onto past

If you ask people in an organization to do things in a new way, as rational as that new way may seem to you, you will be setting yourself up. Up against all that hard wiring, all those emotional connections to those who taught you and the audience the old way.

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