| Early
findings from Prosci's Change Management study The following tutorial is
based on initial findings from the 2003 Best Practices in Change Management benchmarking
study. This is Prosci's third study in the past six years that investigates best
practices in change management. 288 organizations from 51 countries participated in
this study. The full report is expected to be available in mid-February, 2003.
Email questions about the most recent study to tcreasey@prosci.com.
Information on the
current Best Practices report is available online.
Top reasons for change resistance - 288 companies
reporting
Ability to change
Participants were asked to rate their organization’s ability to change. Figure A
shows the distribution of scores on a 1 to 5 scale, with one being the most rigidly
opposed to change. Only one fifth of participants rated their organization a 4 or 5,
indicating a high level of adaptability to change. More than 40% of participants rated
their organization resistant to change with a score of either 2 or 1.
Figure A – Ability to change
Employee resistance
Participants gave a variety of reasons for resistance by employees and managers. The
top-five reasons for employee resistance were:
- Lack of understanding around the vision and need for change.
Participants indicated that the primary reason for employee resistance was that
employees did not understand the vision of this particular change project. Employees did
not clearly understand why the change was happening, nor did they have adequate knowledge
regarding the change itself. Employees did not have the answer to the question,
“what’s in it for me?” – or WIIFM. This could include, "Will I
have a job?," "How will it impact my daily work?," "How will I benefit
from the change?".
- Comfort with the status quo and fear of the unknown.
Participants indicated that employees tended to be complacent, or that the
current way of doing business had been in place for a long time. The current processes and
systems seemed fine to the employees, and they were opposed to the change since it forced
them out of their comfort zone. Uncertainty and fear of the new system compounded the
desire of employees to continue with the “old way” to which they had grown
accustom.
- Corporate history and culture.
The organization’s past performance with change projects impacted the
employees’ support of the current change project. Employees were desensitized to
change initiatives, as many had been introduced and failed. The project was seen merely as
the “flavor of the month,” and employees expected it go away like those in the
past.
- Opposition to the new technologies, requirements and processes introduced by the
change.
Many participants felt that some employees resisted the change because of opposition to
the actual change itself. Employees were opposed to changes that increased the performance
and process measurement of their work. The change was seen as adding unwanted work,
responsibility and accountability. Lastly, some employees opposed the new processes,
systems or technologies because they felt the change would not solve the problems.
- Fear of job loss.
Employees perceived the business change as a threat to their own job security. Some
employees felt that the change would eliminate the need for their job, while others were
unsure of their own abilities and skills in the new environment.
Manager resistance
The top-six reasons for manager resistance to change were:
- Loss of power and control.
The leading reason for manager resistance to change was a fear of losing power.
Changes often eliminated something the manager had control of or introduced something that
the manager would not have control over. Managers perceived the changes as infringements
on their autonomy, and some participants indicated that the change was even perceived as a
personal attack on the managers. Managers reacted to the change initiative as a
"battle for turf."
- Overload of current tasks, pressures of daily activities and limited resources.
Managers felt that the change was an additional burden. Limited resources
compounded the problem. The change initiative seemed like extra work and resource strain
at a time when the pressures of daily activities were already high. In many projects,
managers were expected to continue all of their current duties in addition to the duties
of implementing the change.
- Lack of skills and experience needed to manage the change effectively.
Managers were fearful of the new demands that would be placed on them by the business
change. Several skill areas were identified as areas of concern. First, managers were
uncomfortable with their role in managing the change. Some feared recrimination while
others did not have the experience or tools to effectively manage their employees’
resistance. Managers also were concerned about the demands and responsibilities placed on
them by the new business processes, systems or technologies.
- Fear of job loss.
Managers felt that the business change would ultimately impact their own job security.
Middle management is often the victim of large-scale business change. One participant
reaffirmed this fear:
“They were eliminated in the change, so no resistance was recorded.”
- Disagreement with the new way.
Some managers disagreed specifically with the change. They did not feel that the solution
was the best approach to fixing the problem. Managers who did not play a role or provide
input in the design and planning phases tended to resist the solution. Some participants
felt that the resistance was due to the solution not being the idea of the manager
("not invented here").
- Skepticism about the need for change.
Managers were not convinced of the need for change. They did not see the business
issues driving the change, or they did not identify the same problems as the design team.
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| Change Management resources: The number one obstacle to project
success was resistance by the organization, leadership and employees. Effectively
managing large corporate changes is essential for a project to be a success. Several
resources are designed to help changing organizations succeed.
- Change Management Toolkit - designed for project teams
chartered with implementing a change. Assessments, guidelines and worksheets help
you develop a change management strategy and plan. Covers team structure,
sponsorship, communication, training and rewards and recognition programs.
- Change management guide for managers and supervisors - designed
for managers that have to implement change with front-line employees. Includes
detailed guidelines and exercises for what you should do as a manager to assist your
employees through the change process. Activities and worksheets are included to give you
tools for working with your team.
- Employee's Survival Guide to Change -
answers the tough questions most employees are unwilling to ask and uncovers what it takes
to survive and thrive in today’s changing workplace. Employees will learn the ADKAR
model and become effective change agents, instead of difficult change barrier.
- Best Practices in Managing Change - presents
comprehensive findings from 254 companies on their experiences and lessons learned in
change management. This report makes it easy to learn change management best practices and
uncovers the mistakes to avoid when creating executive sponsorship.
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