Resistance to change is one of the most common and serious business challenges. Employees who discourage innovation can be reliable and talented, but their rigidness can sometimes become an insurmountable obstacle to the organization’s development. As noted by Shimoni (2017), resistance to change is both a personal and a social phenomenon associated with an individual employee as well as with the organization as a whole. When dealing with a colleague who resists change, it is vital to find a compromise: on the one hand, it is important not to slow down the work process; on the other, it is essential to maintain a good relationship with the person.
The first thing I would do when dealing with someone resistant to change is to listen. Sometimes people are afraid of change and need to be listened to. Rafferty and Jimmieson (2016) argue that “negative emotions experienced about change are associated with insomnia and employee well-being” (p.13). Thus, after a frank conversation, the resistant colleague will realize that his or her feelings matter to others and will be able to refer to the innovations more positively. It is also important to note that, while resistance to change is considered irrational and undesirable, its positive effects are largely neglected (Moutousi & May, 2018). What if the colleague’s resistance makes sense and the innovation is worth revisiting? Such a turn of events is also probable, and a frank conversation will help to find this out.
Another way to deal with a colleague who is resistant to the innovation is to involve him or her in managing it. It often happens that people are resistant to change because they do not feel that they can influence the process. If the employees actively use the result of the transformation daily, their contribution can help improve innovation while also making them more tolerant to it.
References
Moutousi, O., & May, D. (2018). How change-related unethical leadership triggers follower resistance to change: A theoretical account and conceptual model. Journal of Change Management, 18(2), 142–161.
Rafferty, A. E., & Jimmieson, N. L. (2016). Subjective perceptions of organizational change and employee resistance to change: Direct and mediated relationships with employee well-being. British Journal of Management, 28(2), 248–264.
Shimoni, B. (2017). What is resistance to change? A habitus-oriented approach. Academy of Management Perspectives, 31(4), 257–270.