Employee Resistance to Change

Change is a common occurrence within organizations, and resistance to change is just as common. There are several types of resistance to change. Understanding these different types can help in understanding ways to reduce resistance and encourage compliance with change. Resistance to change can be broken down into three groups: organization-level resistance, group-level resistance, and individual-level resistance (George et al.). Each of these groups can be broken down further.

Organization-Level Resistance

Organization-level resistance includes resistance to change due to power and conflict, differences in functional orientation, mechanistic structure, and organizational culture.

Power and Conflict - Resistance to change due to power and conflict occurs when a change may benefit one department within the organization while harming another department within the organization.

Functional Orientation - Resistance to change due to differences in functional orientation occurs because employees or departments with different functions will see problems and issues differently, thus making it harder to come to an agreement regarding change.

Mechanistic Structure - Resistance to change due to mechanistic structure occurs because employees working "within a mechanistic structure are expected to act in certain ways and do not develop the initiative to adjust their behavior to changing conditions" (George et al.).

Organizational Culture - Resistance due to organizational culture occurs when organizational change disrupts the values and norms within the organizational culture.

Group-Level Resistance

Group-level resistance includes resistance to change due to group norms, group cohesiveness, and groupthink and escalation of commitment.

Group Norms - Resistance due to group norms occurs when change alters interactions between group members due to changes in task and role relationships within a group.

Group Cohesiveness - Resistance due to group cohesiveness occurs because members of a cohesive group wish to keep things, such as members or tasks, the same within the group.