Change Management

Change Management

Change Management

Resistance and backlash is a direct action that goes beyond ignorance and denial. It is outright acknowledgment that the change will not be accepted and there is no fear of voicing this. Confrontation can be difficult and often comes with negative impact. This strategy, when used correctly by the initiator, can cause tremendous roll back in progress and plant seeds of doubts in those who sit on the fence. A few techniques to try for change management challenges include:

There's no point in fighting fire with fire in a public, and potentially hazardous, situation. This is not to say that you're going to take on this fight head-on, but rather understand where the negative sentiment is coming from. This task will require patience, open ears, and time.

Aside from tackling the resistance one-on-one, tackle the resistance face-to-face. Sitting down to talk about it is far more productive than sending an email or leaving a voicemail. The idea is to reduce barriers to communication and ensure there is effective, direct, and clear communication from both ends. In addition, face-to-face interaction will drive both point-of-views home faster and further. Doing it face-to-face with your least supportive team member or colleague is not easy - this is why you have to be brave, think positive, write down points to support your arguments and yet bring an open ear to listen to their opinions. These types of meetings require preparation.

The resistance is not directly aimed at a person, but for people in general, it's just easier to point a finger and cast blame. It is rare that just one person is accountable for change management; it is usually an executive mandate where a number of executives have agreed upon it. However, for the person responsible to initiate the change and the project management of this project, it can be difficult for them. Remove any emotional connection to the project. The resistance is not a personal attack, but rather a rejection of a process. When things get heated, change management challenges are difficult to separate the emotions from results - but to maintain your sanity, it's something to remember.

There is no quick fix for the challenges that come with change management. Only the bravest and the ones with the most perseverance are able to tackle change management activities with success and sanity. These types of exercises will test your negotiation skills, ...