Hodges (2021)
Individual Sense-Making Process:
Resistance as an Opportunity: Resistance to change is natural and should not be viewed negatively but rather as an opportunity to understand the concerns of organizational members and identify areas for improvement.
Impact on Trust and Psychological Contract: Change can generate sensitivity about fairness and justice, potentially destroying trust and impacting the psychological contract between employees and employers. Building and sustaining trust is crucial, as it's not easy to repair.
Understanding Motivation: Motivation plays a key role in how individuals react to and make sense of change. It impacts attitudes, energy, and willingness to engage in change.
Responses to Change:
Organizational Changes: Employees may feel changes are imposed upon them without being included in decision-making, leading to resistance due to loss of autonomy and security in consistency.
Transition Models: Transition models like Kubler Ross' change curve and Isabella's multi-dimensional approach illustrate the stages individuals go through during change, from shock and denial to acceptance and commitment.
Motivating People to Change:
Expectancy Theory: Expectations about the relationship between effort, performance, and valued outcomes determine individuals' motivation to support or oppose change.
Motivators for Change:
Autonomy: Providing freedom and discretion in work tasks can enhance motivation.
Mastery: Encouraging individuals to strive for continuous growth and development.
Purpose: Ensuring work has meaning and value can motivate individuals to support change.
Resistance to Change:
Forms of Resistance: Resistance to change can manifest in various forms, from apathy to active non-cooperation, influenced by organizational and personal factors.
Learning Anxiety: Learning and survival anxieties impact individuals' willingness to change, with creating a safe environment and providing support being essential in reducing resistance.
Positive Aspects of Resistance: Resistance can have positive aspects, serving as a voice to identify flaws in proposed changes and opportunities for dialogue and alternative approaches.
Immunity to Change: The Personal Immunity to Change model provides a three-stage process to help managers understand and address underlying assumptions and behaviors causing resistance to change.
Overall, understanding individual motivations and responses to change, addressing anxieties, and fostering a supportive environment are essential in effectively managing change within organizations.
This comprehensive overview of managing change, individual reactions, and the importance of trust and fairness provides a robust framework for organizational leaders and managers to navigate through transitions successfully. Here are some key takeaways and implications for leaders:
Understanding Resistance: Resistance to change is natural and should not always be viewed as negative. It can provide valuable insights into areas of concern and opportunities for improvement within the change initiative. Managers should engage in open dialogue with employees to understand their concerns, fears, and motivations for resisting change.
Perceptions of Justice and Fairness: Employees are sensitive to perceived fairness in the change process. Managers should ensure fairness in distributing outcomes, implementing procedures, treating employees with respect, and providing transparent communication. Perceived fairness positively impacts trust and acceptance of change.
Impact on Psychological Contract: Organizational change can significantly impact the psychological contract between employees and the organization. Managers should communicate openly, involve employees in decision-making processes, and address concerns about job security, training opportunities, and work-life balance to mitigate threats to the psychological contract.
Building and Maintaining Trust: Trust is a critical factor in successful change management. Leaders must demonstrate honesty, integrity, fairness, and openness to build trust with employees. Trust repair requires immediate acknowledgment of breaches, thorough diagnosis of causes, implementation of reform interventions, and transparent evaluation of progress.
Helping People Make Sense of Change: Employees need opportunities to express their feelings about the change, understand its implications on their roles and work habits, and identify potential gains and losses. Managers should facilitate discussions, provide clarity on the relevance of the change, monitor employee reactions, address resistance, and ensure perceptions of fairness and trustworthiness.
Implications for Leaders and Managers: Leaders and managers should ensure clarity on the rationale for change, monitor and address employee reactions, engage in open dialogue, ensure fairness in the change process, maintain the psychological contract, and foster trust through transparent communication and actions aligned with employees' interests and concerns.
By implementing these strategies, leaders and managers can effectively navigate organizational change, mitigate resistance, and foster a culture of trust, fairness, and engagement among employees.