NHRD Journal - National HRD Network

organization. Important, it is, to realize that in
any Change initiative it is the 10% of the
resources who lying at either end of the positive
(early adopters) and the negative ends (change
resisters) can sail through or capsize the entire
initiative. Identification of the same is extremely
critical, and while at one end those in the favor
of the Change should be encouraged and
visibly recognized in the system, the alienation
or separation of those at the far end of the
negative tunnel is also equally essential for the
success of the Change initiative. If the Noah's
Ark has to take forward all that is good and
desirable in the new world; it has to begin by
identifying and segregating the unaligned and
incongruent!
Tools to Drive Change - Capability Building
Lastly, some change initiatives may call for
acquisition of newer skills and competencies,
adoption of newer ways of working and
interpersonal dealings; this may necessitate the
organization to undertake formal capability
building initiatives. However this would rarely
be an impediment and thus appears at the
bottom of the list because invariably our
capable and star resources once, they identify
the behaviors and skills that get rewarded and
revered in the organization, invariably either
emulate the same or find ways of covering those
capability gaps on their own in order to stay
ahead in the organization.
Resistance to Change
The toughest challenge with any Change
initiative is that it is always accompanied with
Resistance and the more sweeping the Change,
the stronger the Resistance
Why is there a resistance to change?
Resistance to Change is usually on account of
the following two broad reasons: Sometimes
on account of lack of information or
understanding of why the recommended
change is so inevitable; so people resist what
they do not understand or find essential. This
can easily be tackled through the process of
Communication, Creating a compelling vision
of the future, Appreciative Enquiry processes
etc. However more often than not, resistance to
Change does not owe to lack of understanding
or knowledge but because of a more
fundamental problem…Change challenges the
status quo. This is a bigger and a more deepseated
problem to resolve.
Big or small, every change challenges the status
quo and may cause:
• Redundancy
• Change in job content
• Change in social grouping
• Change in position, status, earnings or even
importance
Richard Beckhard and David Gleicher
beautifully captured Resistance and how to
overcome the same in the following formula:
D V F > R (e + p)
Where D = Dissatisfaction with the Current
ways of working
V = Vision created by the organization of
"What is possible"
F = Concrete steps that can be taken towards
the Vision
R = Resistance(economic as well as
psychological)
The push and pull between these forces
determines the success or the failure of a
Change initiative.
Resistance is also referred to as the cost of
change; and in the above equation is segregated
into economic and psychological cost of
change. Even if financially the cost of change
is low, the change will still not occur should
the psychological resistance of employees be
at a high level.
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November 2007 NHRD Journal