Unit 2: Impact of change & resistance
Organisation Change and Development notes · PTU syllabus (BBA 532-18)
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Unit summary
Change affects people operationally, psychologically and socially, and they often resist it. This unit covers the effects of change, reactions to change, reasons for resistance, methods of minimising it, and strategies of change.
After this unit you can
- Explain the operational, psychological and social effects of change
- Describe reactions to change
- Explain individual and organisational reasons for resistance
- Apply methods and strategies to minimise resistance
PTU syllabus topics
- Operational
- psychological and social effects of change on people
- reactions to change — acceptance
- indifference
- organised resistance
- frustration and aggression
- reasons for and methods of minimising resistance
- strategies of change
Education and communication
Explain why
Participation
Involve people in decisions
Facilitation and support
Training, counselling
Negotiation
Trade something of value
Coercion
Last resort: explicit threats
Topic 1
Effects of change on people
- Operational: new tasks, methods, skills and schedules.
- Psychological: uncertainty, anxiety, loss of control or status.
- Social: changed work groups, relationships and informal networks.
Topic 2
Reactions to change
- 1Acceptance
Enthusiastic or cooperative
- 2Indifference
Passive, little interest
- 3Passive resistance
Delays, minimal compliance
- 4Organised resistance
Protests, union action
- 5Frustration and aggression
Sabotage, quitting
Topic 3
Reasons for resistance
Causes
Habit, fear of the unknown, economic insecurity, loss of status, selective perception
Structural inertia, group norms, threat to expertise or power, resource allocations, limited focus of change
Topic 4
Minimising resistance and strategies of change
Education and communication
Explain why change is needed
Participation and involvement
Involve people in planning
Facilitation and support
Training, counselling
Negotiation and agreement
Offer incentives
Manipulation and co-optation
Give resisters a role
Explicit and implicit coercion
Last resort
Strategies of change (Chin and Benne):
- Empirical-rational: people change when shown it is in their interest (information, evidence).
- Normative-re-educative: change by changing norms and values through involvement and learning.
- Power-coercive: change imposed using authority and sanctions.
Key terms
- Resistance to change
- Opposition to a proposed change
- Structural inertia
- Built-in mechanisms that keep the status quo
- Co-optation
- Giving resisters a role in the change
- Normative-re-educative strategy
- Changing norms through involvement
- Power-coercive strategy
- Using authority to impose change
Quick revision
- Effects: operational, psychological, social.
- Reactions: acceptance → indifference → resistance → aggression.
- Kotter-Schlesinger: education, participation, facilitation, negotiation, co-optation, coercion.
- Chin-Benne: empirical-rational, normative-re-educative, power-coercive.
Important exam questions
Practice questions written to the PTU exam pattern for this unit's syllabus: short answers (Section A style) and long answers (Sections B and C style).
Short-answer questions
- Q1.State the psychological effects of change.
- Q2.List four individual reasons for resisting change.
- Q3.What is structural inertia?
- Q4.Name three methods of reducing resistance.
- Q5.What is the empirical-rational strategy?
Long-answer questions
- Q1.Explain the effects of change on people and their reactions.
- Q2.Explain the reasons for resistance to change and the methods of minimising it.
- Q3.Explain the strategies of change.
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