Dealing with resistance to change: Psychological, economic, social and religious approaches

By Rejoice Esi Asante (PhD)

Have you ever had to adapt to a new thing or embrace a new situation, take on a new job, venture into a territory you are not conversant with? It is scary, uncertain and the tendency is to avoid the risk of embarking on new things and venturing into new territories. Fear of the unknown, lack of adequate information and not knowing what is in a change will always cause people to resist.

Change therefore is a difficult thing, especially when our comfort zones are threatened. Attitudes are tendencies to respond either favorably or unfavorably to a given object or situation, generally, the attitudes towards change are usually unfavourable at the onset.

Understanding the many potential forces driving change and in the current world of work, is inevitable. Both internal and external forces are at work and for organisations and individuals to achieve some level of success with their change initiatives, it is only wise that they understand the dynamics and find ways of dealing with them to minimize resistance. This article examines resistance to change and approaches of dealing with it.

External and Internal Forces for Change

Change is defined as making something different, as in to alter or modify. It also means to replace something with some other thing, especially something of the same kind that is newer or better, a substitution (Oxford dictionary). Change happens whether we like it or not, whether we anticipate it or not. It is a constant.

The external forces for change originate outside the organization and the individuals, and these can present new opportunities for growth or can cause ultimate demise. Demographic characteristics, technological advancement, stakeholder/market changes and social and political pressure, are some of the main external factors to watch out for. Demographic characteristics, like age, education, skill level, gender and immigration, present various changes to individuals and organisations, motivating change in different ways.

Organisations are having to change benefits and aspects of the work environment in order to attract, retain and motivate diverse workgroups. For individuals, the factors present changes that affect them personally, some leading to growth and others leading to their doom. Unemployment levels among young people around the world for instance, is creating a strong force for change felt by governments and organizations alike. For developing countries, many youths have had to migrate, some embarking on very dangerous escapades to the east and west, seeking for greener pastures.

Technological advancement is presenting different challenges that necessitate change both for the organisation and individuals. Technology is often seen as a cost-effective tool for improving productivity, competitiveness, and customer service, However, it has led to the redundancy of many, taking over jobs that otherwise would have been done by humans due to automation. The effect of social media, for instance, cannot be overstated, changing the way we socialize. Technology is also taking over how recruitments are done in organisations.

A McKinsey Global Survey of CEOs and other senior executives revealed the five most significant digital enterprise trends in business: digital engagement of customers. use of big data and advanced analytics. digital engagement of employees and external partners. automation and digital innovation (Adams, 2015). The rise of e-commerce, cashless transactions, and technological adoptions like mobile money etc, have brought with them lasting changes for individuals and organization. Those who refuse to change are sure to perish.

Stakeholder demands, in line with current trends cannot be ignored fostering change in operations. Shareholders, customers and market forces are the most significant forces leading change in organisations. Customers’ increasing sophistication and demands are pushing companies to deliver higher-value products and services to beat the competition. This challenge is leading more companies to pursue customer feedback about a wide range of issues in order to attract and retain their business. Additionally, social, political, and regulatory forces created by social and political events have brought about incomprehensible change. Governments can and do apply political pressures to force or block changes.

Internal forces for change come from inside the organization or within the individual. These forces may be subtle, such as low job satisfaction, manifesting in outward signs, such as low productivity, conflict, or strikes. Internal forces for change come from both human resource problems and managerial behavior and decisions (Kinicki and Fugate, 2018).

Understanding Resistance to Change

Change cannot be discussed without thinking about resistance. To effectively manage, there is a need to understand and manage resistance. Resistance to change is any thought, emotion, or behavior that does not align with actual or potential changes to existing routines. Kinicki and Fugate, (2018) observe that people can resist both actual and imagined events, and both individuals and groups can resist. They challenge the notion that resistance to change represents a failed influence attempt, especially when change is seen in terms of influence.  It can be assumed that people will either comply, commit, or resist change.

The Dynamic Model of Resistance to Change offers a complex view of resistance as an evolving, interactive process rather than a static state. It shows that Resistance is caused by an interaction between change recipients, change agents, and the relationships between the two (Farnham, 2012). This is a more complex, dynamic, and systems approach to resistance. When viewed in this way, resistance is a dynamic form of feedback. It moves beyond simple linear models to suggest that resistance is not always negative and can change over time, often revealing a mix of ambivalence (both readiness and resistance) and influenced by factors from both change recipients and change agents.

The model of resistance characterized by a dynamic interaction among three causes, rather than being caused solely by irrational and stubborn recipients of change. For example, recipients resist partly based on their perceptions of change, which are very much influenced by the attitudes and behaviors exhibited by change agents and the level of trust in the relationship between change agents and recipients. However, many managers of change see resistance as employees pursuing their own interests, if not also actively undermining the interests of the manager or larger organization. Similarly, change agents’ actions and perceptions are affected by the recipients’ actions and inactions and the quality of relationships with recipients.

Recipient characteristics include perceptions and a variety of individual differences that help explain actions (engaging in new behaviors) and inactions (failing to engage in new behaviors). Six of the most common recipient characteristics are dispositional resistance to change, surprise and fear of the unknown, fear of failure, loss of status and/or job security, peer pressure and past success (Ward, 2016).

A change agent serves as a catalyst in helping organizations deal with old problems in new ways. They can be external consultants or internal employees, and their characteristics can include actions or inactions. In general, resistance is reduced when change agents and recipients have a positive, trusting relationship. Trust consists of mutual faith in others’ intentions and behavior. Mutual mistrust can doom to failure an otherwise well-conceived change.

Why People Resist Change

Resistance is a natural human reaction to change. It’s an emotional and psychological response that arises when individuals face uncertainty, perceive threats, or are not fully aware of the reasons behind a change. Prosci, (n/d) gave the following reasons why people resist change: lack of awareness, job security, leadership attitudes, fear of the unknown among others. employees for instance, will demonstrate resistance to change in the workplace in the following ways: showing emotions of anxiety frustration and uncertainty, show up as complaints, stress or reluctance to engage, disengagement, a decrease in enthusiasm or participation indicating employee feelings of being overwhelmed, work impact like slower productivity or more frequent mistakes and with some employees expressing frustration by challenging decisions or resisting processes by acting out.

Others will demonstrate negativity, being skeptical or critical often stemming from a lack of clarity or trust in the process, others may procrastinate or avoid change-related responsibilities for a variety of reasons, connoting avoidance, while there are those who create obstacles to protect their team or their routines, building barriers and others engage in controlling, seeking to steer the process for want of a sense of security (Prosci, n/d). Six of the most common recipient characteristics causing resistant to change are dispositional resistances to change, surprise and fear of the unknown, fear of failure, loss of status and/or job security, peer pressure, past success (Ward, 2016)

Dealing with resistance to change

Employees are more likely to resist change when they perceive that its personal costs outweigh the benefits, therefore, responding to employee characteristics such as providing them with much information as possible about the change, including reasons for the change, improving change agent–employee relationships, and implementing organizational processes and practices, are highly recommended using various approaches such as education and communication, participation and involvement, facilitation and support, manipulation and co-optation, explicit and implicit coercion among others (Kotter and Schlesinger, 1979). The Contingency Approach to Overcoming Resistance is also recommended where effective managers apply the knowledge and tools that match the requirements of the situation (one size does not fit all).

Dealing with resistance to change involves using proactive and thoughtful approaches, essentially, anticipating and preventing resistance, engaging and involving stakeholders, addressing the root causes of resistance, creating cultural alignment, communicating transparently and providing support and training (Prosci, n/d).

Psychological, economic, social, and religious approaches that focus on clear communication, involvement, and addressing underlying fears are also highly recommended. Psychological strategies involve addressing the fear of the unknown and lack of awareness through education and training. Encouraging participation, listening and validating employees and managing emotions by offering support and focus on what is in the change for them, have also worked well.

Economic approaches to be used to deal with resistance to change include highlighting benefits, addressing potential losses and focus on mutual benefits. Building trust, using social influence and aligning with values are some social approaches that can be adopted, while framing change with values, promoting spiritual support and fostering compassion are religious means to reduce resistance to change.

Contemporary approaches adopted include communication and transparency for instance communicating clearly and often, encourage two-way dialogue, be transparent; involvement and empowerment, such as involve employees in the process, empower innovation and identify and empower change champions; Motivation and leadership including focusing on the benefits, providing clear choices and consequences and demonstrating leadership commitment. Coping mechanisms using spiritual approaches like praying for wisdom and trust, embracing transformation and encouraging inner repentance are also highly recommended.

In conclusion, change is inevitable, and as humans, we will always resist change but knowing how to manage it can reduce resistance. There is no one-size-fits-all approach to dealing with resistance to change, researchers have recommended an incidental approach to suit specific situations, while others have recommended psychological, economic, social and religions approaches to dealing with resistance when it arise.

Both psychological approaches (focusing on human behavior, cognitive biases, and emotional responses to make change feel less threatening and more manageable).  and religious approaches (often framing change within a larger context of divine purpose, growth, and trust in a higher power) offer valuable frameworks for managing resistance to change by addressing the fundamental human elements of fear, uncertainty, and loss of control.

It is important to translate resistance to an opportunity to win the support of employees and to get their buy in by providing more information, involving them and demonstrating what is in the change for them.

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