MOST Analysis

Mission Statement

When it comes to transformational change, dealing with resistance is not a matter of “if” but rather of “when”. It is one of the most challenging change management issues. This workshop will take a deeper dive into the psychology of change, the change curve, and gaining an awareness on the inevitability of leaders, managers, employees having to face resistance and fear in transformational initiatives. Participants will become familiar with the power of the subconscious mind, on people’s basic needs to feel secure and safe, and when they feel threatened consciously or subconsciously, how resistance shows up. Participants will be introduced to organizational change models for navigating through various levels of emotional and rational resistance in organizational behaviour, often involving distraction, dissuasion and alarm techniques, with strategies on how to help transcend the fear or resistance at each stage and mitigate risks of potential adverse reaction, inaction or sabotage. A key goal will be to use the training as an example of how to provide a safe space to lift the veil on limiting emotions, addressing fear respectfully and authentically, being transparent about the overall change, realigning focus to the vision and rewards of the change initiative, leading with emotional intelligence and making available professional support (coaching, human resource specialists) where appropriate. The workshop will provide tips on how to stand firmly yet respectively in the face of leading change, being open and honest, and communicating often, early on, well and with integrity. Attention will also be placed on the attributes of a caring organization, the importance of values and ethics, training and development of new competencies and skills, and ensuring fair and equitable treatment for all.

Some of the case work/group discussion will be on understanding shifting paradigms experientially — by looking at change through two lenses – the paradigm of fear and the paradigm of abundance, and how the paradigms can interchange often during the change journey triggering different behaviours. The workshop will explore the emotions associated with each to provide insights into how the transformation is perceived. Key to managing transformational change is to be aware of what is unfolding in the present, recognizing the paradigm of fear when it surfaces and how to bring back focus to the vision, the art of possibility and achievement of vision in a spirit of positivity and abundance.

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Objectives

01. Ignoring Resistance: departmental SWOT analysis; strategy research & development. Time Allocated: 1 Month
02. Common Causes: departmental SWOT analysis; strategy research & development. Time Allocated: 1 Month
03. Emotional Aspect: departmental SWOT analysis; strategy research & development. Time Allocated: 1 Month
04. Identify Signs: departmental SWOT analysis; strategy research & development. Time Allocated: 1 Month
05. Manager Resistance: departmental SWOT analysis; strategy research & development. Time Allocated: 1 Month
06. Change Tolerance: departmental SWOT analysis; strategy research & development. Time Allocated: 1 Month
07. Transcend Fear: departmental SWOT analysis; strategy research & development. 1 Month
08. Listen First: departmental SWOT analysis; strategy research & development. Time Allocated: 1 Month
09. Change Models: departmental SWOT analysis; strategy research & development. Time Allocated: 1 Month
10. Trust: departmental SWOT analysis; strategy research & development. Time Allocated: 1 Month
11. Support: departmental SWOT analysis; strategy research & development. Time Allocated: 1 Month
12. Resistance Benefits: departmental SWOT analysis; strategy research & development. Time Allocated: 1 Month

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Strategies

01. Ignoring Resistance: Each individual department head to undertake departmental SWOT analysis; strategy research & development.
02. Common Causes: Each individual department head to undertake departmental SWOT analysis; strategy research & development.
03. Emotional Aspect: Each individual department head to undertake departmental SWOT analysis; strategy research & development.
04. Identify Signs: Each individual department head to undertake departmental SWOT analysis; strategy research & development.
05. Manager Resistance: Each individual department head to undertake departmental SWOT analysis; strategy research & development.
06. Change Tolerance: Each individual department head to undertake departmental SWOT analysis; strategy research & development.
07. Transcend Fear: Each individual department head to undertake departmental SWOT analysis; strategy research & development.
08. Listen First: Each individual department head to undertake departmental SWOT analysis; strategy research & development.
09. Change Models: Each individual department head to undertake departmental SWOT analysis; strategy research & development.
10. Trust: Each individual department head to undertake departmental SWOT analysis; strategy research & development.
11. Support: Each individual department head to undertake departmental SWOT analysis; strategy research & development.
12. Resistance Benefits: Each individual department head to undertake departmental SWOT analysis; strategy research & development.

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Tasks

01. Create a task on your calendar, to be completed within the next month, to analyze Ignoring Resistance.
02. Create a task on your calendar, to be completed within the next month, to analyze Common Causes.
03. Create a task on your calendar, to be completed within the next month, to analyze Emotional Aspect.
04. Create a task on your calendar, to be completed within the next month, to analyze Identify Signs.
05. Create a task on your calendar, to be completed within the next month, to analyze Manager Resistance.
06. Create a task on your calendar, to be completed within the next month, to analyze Change Tolerance.
07. Create a task on your calendar, to be completed within the next month, to analyze Transcend Fear.
08. Create a task on your calendar, to be completed within the next month, to analyze Listen First.
09. Create a task on your calendar, to be completed within the next month, to analyze Change Models.
10. Create a task on your calendar, to be completed within the next month, to analyze Trust.
11. Create a task on your calendar, to be completed within the next month, to analyze Support.
12. Create a task on your calendar, to be completed within the next month, to analyze Resistance Benefits.

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Introduction

Employee resistance to change is one of the perplexing and stubborn issues that corporate executives deal with. Such resistance may manifest itself in a variety of ways, including persistent output reduction, an increase in “quits” and transfer requests, recurring disputes, glum hostility, wildcat or slowdown strikes, and, of course, the expression of numerous illogical justifications for why the change won’t work. Even the smaller manifestations of this resistance might cause issues.

Executives all too frequently “explain” change resistance by using the cliche that “people oppose change” and never take a closer look. But industry must always undergo changes. This is especially true of the crucial “small” changes that regularly occur, such as adjustments to working methods, customary office practices, the placement of equipment or workstations, and staff assignments and job titles.

None of these adjustments garners much attention, but taken together, they are mostly responsible for our rise in productivity. Although they are not the spectacular once-in-a-lifetime technology revolutions that result in widespread job losses or the obsolescence of conventional skills, they are still essential to the development of businesses.

Does this mean that corporate management will always have the difficult task of “pushing” change down the throats of people who are opposed to it? No, is the response. The article’s thesis is that individuals don’t generally oppose technological change, and the majority of what opposition there is is needless. We’ll discuss points such as:

1. Getting the people concerned to “participate” in the change is a solution that has gained popularity for dealing with resistance to change, but practically speaking, “participation” as a technique is not a useful approach for management to think about the problem. In fact, it might cause problems.

2. Understanding the underlying nature of resistance is the solution to the issue. Actually, the change in their interpersonal interactions that frequently comes along with technical change is what employees typically reject, not the technical change itself.

3. Because staff specialists are so focused on the technical details of novel concepts, they often have certain blind spots and attitudes that lead to resistance.

4. Management can act decisively to deal with these employee attitudes in a positive way. The measures entail stressing new performance requirements for staff specialists, encouraging them to think differently, and utilizing resistance indicators as a practical warning signal for timing and directing technical changes.

5. In meetings of staff and operating groups where change is being discussed, top executives can also make their own efforts more successful. They can achieve this by focusing instead on what the discussion of schedules, technical specifications, work assignments, and other data suggests about developing resistance and receptivity to change.

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How to Overcome Change Resistance

Within your company, you can depend on at least two things. Change is the first, and certain employees inside your business will fight against it, is the second. However, since long-term growth frequently depends on your organization changing over time, it’s crucial that individuals in your company learn to welcome change and encourage others to do the same. It’s simpler to overcome opposition when you walk folks through the full process from start to finish.

We observe leaders who are dedicated to bringing about positive, organizational-wide improvements in our work with organizations. These modifications could involve enhancing systems and procedures, introducing fresh technology, and adapting to societal and economic changes. These are the kinds of adjustments that offer the organization and its employees the chance to grow.

“You need to be ready to assist your team members in overcoming resistance if you want to benefit from the positive pressure of change.”

Innovation and development are driven by change. It necessitates routine adjustments to your business operations in a setting that is always changing. You need to be ready to assist your team members in overcoming resistance if you want to benefit from the positive pressure of change. Most of their aversion to change stems from a fear of the unknown and a worry of losing something as a result of the change.

Here are some resources that you and the other organizational leaders may utilize to create a team that is adaptable, self-assured, and trustworthy that sees change as an opportunity for progress.

Here are some resources that you and the other organizational leaders may utilize to create a team that is adaptable, self-assured, and trustworthy that sees change as an opportunity for progress.

Utilize Effective Communication to Overcome Resistance to Change

In order to address everyone affected by the shift’s dread and sense of loss, very effective communication is necessary to overcome resistance to change. Many people experience anxiety whenever there is change or simply the threat of change. Their feeling of psychological security can be jeopardized. Some people may react emotionally out of fear for what they might lose as a result of the shift.

Neuroscientist David Rock created the SCARF model to define five areas of social experience in order to more accurately understand this process. Organizational changes can cause powerful emotional reactions when we are focused on what we might lose as a result because we react to social threats in the same way we might react to physical threats. This results in a decline in motivation, an inability to focus, and lower productivity at work. None of these will assist you in reaching your objectives.

Here is an explanation of the SCARF approach and how to use it in your company.

The SCARF Approach:

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Status is a term used to describe how people perceive themselves and how others perceive them. You may elevate status by giving them the chance to gain new skills and a platform to share their knowledge with others. Or, acknowledge their contributions and ideas.

Certainty is a term used to describe a person’s level of assurance over their future course of action. Setting clear standards and guidelines will help people feel more secure of their roles and their place in the organization, regardless of what may be going on outside of their personal workspace.

How much control individuals believe they have over their surroundings is referred to as autonomy. Allowing workers to choose their own working hours, decide how a specific task will be accomplished, or even have a say in the project’s timeframe or team will boost their sense of autonomy.

The term relatedness describes how people feel about one another and the organization as a whole. By involving individuals in the development of your organization’s vision and in how you explain the future in a way that includes everyone, you can foster relatedness.

The term fairness describes how just people believe decisions affecting them to be. Their perception of fairness and their level of trust in you grow when you live up to expectations or keep your word. A stronger sense of justice at work is facilitated by paying employees according to their talents and being open and honest about priorities and decision-making.

Change and the Fear of the Unknown

In order to make the shift less about loss and more about the opportunity for progress, it can be helpful to examine the stages of transition that people experience when faced with change. To examine how businesses manage change, Transcend has modified the linear Bridges Transition Model.

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The Endings: In a time of transition, letting go is the first step in overcoming resistance to change. Leaders should first concentrate on the case for change in this phas