Final- Session 12

Question 1

Reasons for Employee Resistance to Change

Answer 1

1. Direct costs: lose something of value
2. Saving face: the status quo is good
3. Fear of the unknown: uncertainty implies risk
4. Breaking routines: uncertainty implies risk
5. Incongruent team dynamics: norms contrary to the desired change
6. Incongruent organizational systems: systems reinforce status-quo

Question 2

Lewin’s Force Field Model

Answer 2

• Driving forces
  • Push organizations toward change
  • External forces or leader’s vision
• Restraining forces
  • Resistance to change – employee behaviors that
  block the change process

Three stages of change:

1. Before change: Unfreezing
2. During change
3. After change: Re-freezing

Question 3

Strategies for mitigating resistance to change

Answer 3

1. Communication
2. Learning
3. Involvement
4. Stress Management
5. Negotiations
6. Coercion

Question 4

Communication

Answer 4

• Highest priority and first strategy for change
• Generates urgency to change
• Reduces uncertainty (fear of unknown)

Question 5

Learning

Answer 5

• Provides new knowledge/skills
• Includes coaching and other forms of learning
• Helps break old routines and adopt new roles

Question 6

Involvement

Answer 6

• Employees participate in change process
• The sense of ownership helps saving face and
  reducing fear of unknown
• Includes task forces, future search events

Question 7

Stress Management

Answer 7

• When communication, learning, and involvement are not enough to minimize stress
• Potential benefits
  • More motivation to change
  • Less fear of unknown

Question 8

Negotiations

Answer 8

• Influence by exchange – reduces direct costs
• May be necessary when people clearly lose something and won’t otherwise support change
• Problem
  • Gains compliance, not commitment

Question 9

Coercion

Answer 9

• When all else fails
• Assertive influence
• Radical form of “unlearning”
• Problems
  • Reduces trust
  • May create more subtle resistance