Ecomansf Essay Research Paper Management of changeAnalyse

Ecomansf Essay, Research Paper

Management of changeAnalyse the ways in which resistance to change becomes evident withinorganisations. What strategies can senior managers adopt to overcome suchresistance when implementing change programmes. CONTENTSPageINTRODUCTION1WHY PEOPLE RESIST CHANGE1Fear of the unknown1Disrupted habits2Loss of face2Loss of confidence3Loss of control3Poor timing4Work overload4Lack of purpose4DEFENSE MECHANISMS5Overt resistance5Implicit resistance5SYMPTOMS OF RESISTANCE TO CHANGE6Aggression6Fantasy6Regression6Resignation/avoidance7Negativism7Compensation7Rationalisation7Projection 7STRATEGIES TO REDUCE RESISTANCE8Change programme9Impact of change9Change mechanism10Change management11Education and communication11Participation12Facilitation and support12Negotiation13Manipulation and co-optation13Coercion14CONCLUSION15Bibliography and references161.INTRODUCTION1.1Change is the process of moving from one state to another state.Just as moving house requires the massive packing of furniture and otheritems, change requires just as much preparations to be successful. 1.2Most people do not like change, we like things to remain thesame. Changes require more effort from us to adapt. Change threatens ourstability and security and we fear that we will not be able to cope withthe change. Resistance is the natural defense to such perceived threats. 2.WHY PEOPLE RESIST CHANGE2.1To know the symptoms of resistance to change, we have tounderstand why people resist change. Reasons can range from as trivial(though not trivial to the person) as not knowing how to take a bus home(in the instance of a shift in the office) to as serious as fearing theloss of job or status. 2.1.1Fear of the unknown; The person does not know what is happeningand why it is happening. Imagine a person walking down a street only tohave a electricity blackout. He panics for a moment, because he does notknow what had happened and he is afraid of being robbed or murdered inthe dark. Similarly, employees do not like to be kept in the dark. Theywant to be kept informed of happenings, especially when it will affectthem, so that they can prepare themselves for any onslaught. 2.1.2Disrupted habits: AYou can=t teach a old dog new tricks@ ringtrue in some instances. Older employees especially who are set in theirways get upset when they are told that they can no longer use the oldmethod of doing things. In the 1960s, the Singapore government advocatedfamily planning banned spitting in public areas. The older folks who werebrought up on the tradition that clearing phlegm is good for the lungsgot pretty upset. 2.1.3Loss of face: The Chinese in Singapore are divided into variouscommunities depending on their forefathers= origins in China and thedialect group. To unit the Chine, the Singapore government advocated theuse of Mandarin as a common language. Use of dialects was stronglydiscouraged. Television shows and radio programmes in dialects wereAbanned@. This pretty much upset the older folks who felt that their oldtraditions and culture were being Aerased away@, and that the Aold@ wayswere not the Agood@ ways. 2.1.4Loss of confidence: The employee feel that he cannot perform justas well under the new way of doing things. A typist who formerly couldtype at 60wpm and now has to use the computer, is afraid that she cannottype just as fast on the machine. In the 1960s, English was promoted asthe official language of Singapore. The older Chinese, who came toSingapore in the first half of the century, were mainly uneducated. Theybuilt up their businesses through hard work. Accounts were kept in Athehead@ and credit was given on trust. They felt that they would not ableto cope just as well in the new English speaking environment. 2.1.5Loss of control: The government=s population control policyencourage the Singapore citizens to Astop at two@. Measures to discouragehaving more children, such as higher accouchement fees for the thirdchild, low priority in education, etc. were implemented. Many couplesfelt that they had no choice but to follow the policy. Their feeling wasof >things being done >to= you rather than >by= or >with= you.@. 2.1.6Poor timing: In these times, when changes are happeningfrequently, the employee will feel overwhelmed by the many changes andalso that things are moving too fast. Before he has learnt how to useWordPerfect 5.1, Microsoft comes out with Microsoft Word 6.0 and he hasto re-learn again. 2.1.7Work overload: With the tight labour shortage in Singapore, manyemployees had Aenjoyed job enlargement@. Their energy is already consumedby the additional workload, and they do not have spare energy, physicalor psychic to commit to the change. 2.1.8Lack of purpose: To control traffic congestion on the East CoastExpressway, the Communications Ministry had implemented the ARoad PricingScheme@ (RPS), whereby motorists using the East Coast Expressway (ECP)from 0730 hours to 1030 hours in the morning, have to pay a toll ofS$1.00. Many motorists see this as purposeless, as the ECP was built toease traffic congestion in the eastern part of the island. They do notsee any reason for the change and/or do not understand the benefits. 3.DEFENSE MECHANISMS3.1Just as we resist physically when someone tries to assault us, weuse resistance as a defense mechanism, when we perceive any change as athreat. Resistance can be overt or implicit. 3.1.1Overt resistance ) When resistance is overt and immediate, it iseasiest