Managing Resistance to Change

According to social psychologist Kurt Lewin, change is a function of the forces that promote change and the opposing forces that slow or resist change. Change forces lead to differences in the form, quality, or condition of an organization over time.

In contrast to change forces, resistance forces support the status quo, that is, the existing conditions in an organization. Change is difficult under any circumstances. Resistance to change is caused by self-interest, misunderstanding and distrust, and a general intolerance for change.

People resist change out of self-interest because they fear that change will cost or deprive them of something they value. Resistance might stem from a fear that the changes will result in a loss of pay, power, responsibility, or even perhaps one’s job.

According to psychologist Kurt Lewin, managing organizational change is a basic process of unfreezing, change intervention, and refreezing. Unfreezing is getting the people affected by change to believe that change is needed. During the change intervention itself, workers and managers change their behavior and work practices. Refreezing is supporting and reinforcing the new changes so that they stick.

Because of the intense negative reactions it can create (for example, fear, stress, resentment, sabotage of company products), coercion should be used only when a crisis exists or when all other attempts to reduce resistance to change have failed.