Resistance to Organizational Change

A good example of how to effectively manage employees' natural fear and resistance to change

"Last week my employer laid off 1000 employees across Canada.

"I was impressed with the internal communications they provided to explain the situation.

"Initially employees were required to participate in an audio conference with the Canadian senior leadership team. As well, all employees received an email to repeat and reinforce the same messages conveyed in the audio conference, plus an email from Corporate Communications giving them notes on what to tell their customers.

"A few days after the layoff we participated in another conference call with the senior leadership team. Employees were told what to expect going forward.

"The senior leaders expressed empathy and encouraged employees to raise their questions and to talk about their fears during the question and answer period.

"As an employee, I felt confident that the best decisions were being made."

Sandra comments:

This is an example of an organization communicating in a way that retains and builds employee trust and confidence, and manages resistance to organizational change, despite the bad news.

Resistance to change is a basic feature of human nature (despite the fact that nothing in life is as constant as change!). When things change in an organization (especially when some people lose their jobs), employees fear the unknown and they fear not being in control of their destiny.

This company had an uncomfortable and difficult message to convey but they communicated with their employees. They gave them the information they needed so they understood what was happening and presumably why. They reinforced oral communication by providing the same message in a written form. They let the employees know what to expect, and they encouraged two-way communication through the question and answer periods at the conferences. They acknowledged how the employees were feeling.

In times of difficulty, or any time for that matter, employees will respond with more support for the organization if they are given the facts and treated with respect.

It's interesting to note that the companies most successful in overcoming resistance to change cite good communications as a factor that helped. It's also interesting that when people are asked how well they are communicated with in times of turbulent change, only half agree that the reasons for important changes are explained well.

Perhaps not every employee came away feeling like the one who wrote this tale from the trenches, but if one did, I'm sure there were others.

Comment on this case study.

Sandra Thornton has had a special interest in employee communications for more than 10 years. Contact Sandra with your questions.

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