Knowing the potential types of resistant employees in your organization
will help you focus your change management energy to be the most
successful in your project.
Types of resistant employees
Employees divide into three groups when faced with change. The first group is open and
willing to change and is often called the early adopters. The second group is uncertain
and hesitant about change. The third group becomes entrenched and often
will not change.
Depending on your organization and the type of change taking place, the distribution of
employees in each group will vary. For simple changes with little impact, you may find
that 90% of your employees fall into Group 1, 10% fall into Group 2 and no employees fall
into Group 3. For complex changes that have a significant impact on individuals, then the
distribution may be much different, with a small fraction falling into Group 1 and 3, and
a large fraction into Group 2. Regardless of the distribution of employees into each
group, the approach used to manage resistance to change is
similar.
Group 1
For Group 1, you will be engaging their support and visible participation to help move the
change forward. Each employee in this group can become a strong and active advocate for
change and can influence the background conversation with other employees. This background
network is a key channel to reach Group 2 employees. Group 1 are
your advocates.
Group 2
Group 2 employees require the most time and attention. These employees are the central
focus of the methods provided here. Their
choice to support or not support the change will be influenced by how effectively the
change is managed. Direct supervisors and coaches will be the primary enablers. This is
the group who may need help from the top 10 list on managing resistance to change. The top ten list can be found in the Change
Management Pilot or in the Change Management
Toolkit.
Group 3
Group 3 employees, by definition, are unlikely to change and will not support the change within the organization. They are often beginning an exit strategy that could include moving to another
group or department, moving to another company, or leaving the workforce (e.g.,
retirement).
The key learning point from the different groups above
is about where to focus your change management energy. Many times change management
energy is spent on the small percentage in Group 3. Instead, make sure you focus
your change management energy on the majority found in Group 2.
Diagnose the root cause of resistance
The natural and normal reaction to change is
resistance. Every individual has a threshold for how much change they can absorb;
however, the number one reason front-line employees resist change is a lack of awareness
of the underlying business need for change.
It is beneficial to diagnose the root cause of
resistance, based on the ADKAR model, using
the assessment below. Providing the needed information to increase employees' awareness of the business need for change is the first and most important proactive step in successful resistance
management. The assessment below will allow you to determine if
awareness, desire, knowledge, ability or reinforcement are barrier points or root causes
for employee resistance. The assessment is best done face-to-face by someone who
will actively listen to the employee. This is where your managers and front-line
supervisors play a critical role in managing change. They will be a key player and
can use this assessment with their employees.
Resistance assessment worksheet
Note: this assessment worksheet
is based on the ADKAR model. You can use this worksheet in a face-to-face discussion with
a resistant employee or manager, or the employee could be asked to provide responses in
writing. The administration of this worksheet should be done by the employee’s direct
supervisor if possible.
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- Why do you think the change is happening? For the current change
underway, describe the business, customer, or competitor issues that you believe have created
a need for change.
- Do you support this change? What
factors affect your desire to change? Would you consider yourself in favor of the change,
neutral towards the change or opposed to the change?
- Do you have the training you need? Identify
the skills and knowledge that you believe are necessary to support the change. On a scale of 1
to 5, how would you rate your current training on these skills and knowledge areas?
- Are you having any difficulty implementing these skills and knowledge? If yes, in
what areas? Considering the required
skills and knowledge, how would you rate your ability to implement the changes?
- Are you getting the support you need? Is their
adequate reinforcement and support for the change going forward? In what areas can we provide
additional support or reinforcement?
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Once you have determined the barrier point for this individual, you
can take action specific to that area. More information on how to proceed based on
their barrier point can be found in the "Employee Survival Guide
to Change."
Summary
As a project team or change management team you will
not be able to eliminate resistance, however, you can proactively manage and minimize that
resistance. This tutorial identifies the different types of resistant employees and
provides an assessment worksheet to identify the root cause of resistance based on the
ADKAR model.
For a complete set of change management templates,
assessments and tools including resistance management, see the Change Management
Pilot or the Change Management
Toolkit.
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