The top six reasons why individuals resist change are shown below. In each case, a rating of “1” indicates the issue was not seen as a concern, while a rating of “10” indicates the issue was of major concern:
Current level of stress: When people are already busy and under stress, the additional pressure of a change may become too much for them to assimilate.
Inadequate rewards for accomplishing change: For people to be motivated to change, a reward must be provided in the form of something they truly value.
Low involvement for planning the change: It is human nature for people to support what they have helped create. If people do not believe they have had a significant degree of input into the planning of a change, resistance usually increases.
High tangible, intellectual, or emotional costs of change: People resist changes that appear to be too costly relative to what they will gain.
Lack of consideration for daily work patterns: Failing to acknowledge the impact a change may have on people’s work patterns tends to promote distrust and alienation.
Unclear communication during change: Even if a change affects only one other person, communication can be easily distorted.
These resistance issues are the most commonly cited by our sample. Interestingly, all of the highest rated issues can be influenced by effective change-management methods.
