Why
Resistance is a natural and unavoidable part of any change process. It is a survival mechanism within organizations. There are several reasons why employees resist change, so it is important to identify the root causes in order to plan some of your strategies for implementation. This information gathered by surveying various groups impacted by the change, is useful to formulate your communication and resistance plans.
When
The Resistance Management Plan is integral to managing change, with planning occurring at an early stage in your project, typically after the Analysis Workshops.
How
Identify the key areas of resistance and develop a resistance management plan that can be managed by the project team. A general survey tool, that covers a broad range of areas that are usually barriers to projects can be used to gather information.
The direct supervisor is usually the best person to deliver the survey to identify the level of employee resistance.
This plan should be reviewed as the project progresses with the Project Team (Sponsor, Promoters, Activators) as more points of resistance may emerge whilst the project is being implemented.
- Use the information from the “Resistance Assessment Survey” or gather feedback from other sources or methods to identify the areas of resistance.
- Identify the main cause of resistance
- Provide some ongoing coaching opportunities for the employee or managers that are resistant to the change.
- Communicate the consequences to staff if not supporting the change.
- Implement some of the consequences for not supporting the change.
Resources
Download:
Continue to Training plan
Return to Managing Change in the Change Management guide