Most organizational leaders know their organizations must continually change to survive. But they may not know something that has been kept virtually a secret until now....There are "good" reasons to resist change ..... Yes, you heard correctly, "good reasons to resist change" and here they are:
- lack of communication about the reasons for, or benefits of, a change
- lack of involvement of the people impacted by the change
- too much change too fast
- implementation not sustainable
These good reasons are just the natural reaction that well meaning people have when they believe those imposing change have not taken proper care to ensure that the result will be worth the effort. This type of reaction is often based on a "gut feeling", borne of experience, and may not be communicated effectively.
Most people have heard the "bad" reasons for resisting change:
- takes people out of their comfort zone
- requires people to learn new things
- creates new responsibilities and expectations
Things get "ugly" when good reasons are mistaken for bad reasons and people are forced to accept the change even though their concerns have not been addressed. Experienced leaders learn how to handle resistance effectively. They take care of the concerns behind the good reasons and manage through the bad ones, so things don't get ugly.
