Coping with Resistance to Change in Organizations

Abstract: Globalization, new technologies, culture shifts are some of the factors contributing to the fast-moving environment where organizations develop their activities. As a consequence, organizations have to change more frequently in response to the environment. The ability to manage change effectively has become crucial. However, recent research shows that 2 out of 3 change initiatives fail. Resistance to change is often cited as a main factor contributing to these failures. Based on that we decided to analyze the concept of resistance, its sources and what can be done to cope with it. After reviewing the literature we found that most researchers consider it as an obstacle; however, we also found that resistance can offer benefits to the change process, such as addressing possible weaknesses or serving as a source of innovation. We described a model to diagnose resistance based on the equity theory with an empirical illustration included. In addition, to manage resistance properly we found that communication and participation are two methods that target numerous sources of resistance and make possible to harness its benefits. Finally, we described the attributes of transformational leaders linking them to a specific example of the sports field to show the effective role that this leadership style has in terms of bringing changes to organizations and managing resistance.