1. Understanding and Leading Change
Colbourne College
Summer 2017 – Week Ten
Facilitator: Dr Paul B. Thompson

2. Learning Objective
Determine how barriers to change influence leadership decision-making
P4 Explain different barriers for change and determine how they influence leadership decision-making in a given organisational context.

3. Barriers to Change and Leadership Decision-Making in Organisations
How do the following barriers to change influence leadership decision-making in a given organisational context?

4. Individual Resistance to Change
Habit – programmed responses help with dealing with life’s complexities
Security – jobs may be lost, safety is threatened
Economic Factors – lowering of income, uncertainty in performing new jobs
Fear of the Unknown – ambiguity and uncertainty replace the known
Selective Information Processing – they hear what they want to hear and ignore information that challenges their world

5. Organisational Resistance to Change
Structural Inertia – the built-in stability is threatened so inertia is a counterbalance to change
Limited Focus of Change – Limited changes in subsystems are often nullified by the larger system
Group Inertia – group norms tend to be enduring
Threat to Expertise – decentralisation, e.g., may be a threat to expertise in centralised structure

6. Organisational Resistance to Change
Threat to Established Power Relationships – supervisors and middle managers may no longer be the main decision-makers
Threat to Established Resource Allocations – reduction in budget, cut in staff may threaten those departments that benefit from current resource allocations

7. Other Reasons for Resisting Change
Lack of Trust
Belief that change is unnecessary
Belief that change is not feasible
Relative high cost
Resentment of interference
Fear of Personal failure
Threat to Values and Ideals (Yukl)
Low self-esteem, low tolerance of ambiguity, low tolerance for risk. (Dessler, 2001)

8. Resistance to Change https://www. tutor2u
Parochial self interest
Individuals are concerned with the implications for themselves; their view is often biased by their perception of a particular situation
Habit
Habit provides both comfort and security Habits are often well-established and difficult to change
Misunderstanding
Communications problems Inadequate information
Low tolerance of change
Sense of insecurity
Different assessment of the situation
Disagreement over the need for change Disagreement over the advantages and disadvantages
Economic implications
Employees are likely to resist change which is perceived as affecting their pay or other rewards Established patterns of working and reward create a vested interest in maintaining the status quo
Fear of the unknown
Proposed changes which confront people tend to generate fear and anxiety Introducing new technology or working practices creates uncertainty

9. Leadership Decision-Making and Resistance to Change
For each of the reasons in the following two slides, indicate at least one action that could be taken by management to reduce the prospect that it will be a significant source of resistance

10. Other Reasons for Resisting Change (Palmer, Dunford, & Akin, 2009)
Dislike of change
Discomfort with uncertainty
Perceived negative effects on Interests
Attachment to established organisational culture/identity
Perceived breach of psychological contract
Lack of conviction that change is needed
Lack of clarity as to what is expected
Belief that the specific change is inappropriate

11. Other Reasons for Resisting Change (Palmer, Dunford, & Akin, 2009)
Belief that the timing is wrong
Excessive change or waves of change
Cumulative effect of other changes in one’s life
Perceived clash of ethics
Reaction to the experience of previous changes
Disagreement with the way the change is being managed

12. Contextual Appropriateness of Responses to Resistance to Change
Explain the contexts and circumstances in which the following responses to resistance to change would be most applicable

13. Managing Resistance to Change (Palmer, Dunford, & Akin, 2009)
Education and communication – inform regarding the rationale; provide information
Participation and involvement – involve people as active participants
Facilitation and support – provide technical and emotional resources
Negotiation and agreement – offer incentives to actual or potential resistors

14. Managing Resistance to Change (Palmer, Dunford, & Akin, 2009)
Manipulation and co-optation – selective use of information; “buying” the support of certain individuals by giving them key roles in the change process
Explicit and implicit coercion – threaten people with undesirable consequences (firing) if they resist
NB. These suggestions are situational – the contexts determine the use. Using only one approach is unwise.

15. The Force-Field Analysis and Decision-Making
The first step is to agree the area of change to be discussed.
All the forces in support of the change are then listed in a column to the left (driving the change forward)
All forces working against the change are listed in a column to the right (holding it back)
Throughout the process, rich discussion, debate and dialogue should emerge.  

16. The Force-Field Analysis and Decision-Making
It is more effective to focus on trying to reduce the opposing forces rather than trying to strengthen the supporting forces sufficiently to overcome the opposing ones
In policy influencing, the aim is to find ways to reduce the restraining forces and to capitalise on the driving forces.
Focus on the things that you feel that you can and should change and devise a strategy and plan of action (communications, involvement, training workshops, pressure, etc.) to achieve that.

17. The Force-Field Analysis and Decision-Making http://www
Define the change you want to see. Write down the goal or vision of a future desired state. Or you might prefer to understand the present status quo or equilibrium.
Brainstorm or Mind Map the Driving Forces - Record those that are favourable to change.
Brainstorm or Mind Map the Restraining Forces -Record those that are unfavourable to, or oppose change.
Evaluate the Driving and Restraining forces. 

18. The Force-Field Analysis and Decision-Making http://www
Review the forces. Decide which of the forces have some flexibility for change or which can be influenced.
Strategize! Create a strategy to strengthen the driving forces or weaken the restraining forces, or both. Sometimes it is easier to reduce the impact of restraining forces than it is to strengthen driving forces.
Prioritize action steps. What action steps can you take that will achieve the greatest impact? Identify the resources you will need and decide how to implement the action steps.

19. The Force-Field Analysis and Decision-Making

20. The Force-Field Analysis and Decision-Making