In the workplace, why are people so resistant to change?

Here are three key reasons:

• An “If it isn’t broke, why fix it?” mentality.
  People are naturally comfortable with the knowledge and skills they possess, as well as the ways they perform work. This provides them with a sense of competency, and change forces them out of their “comfort zone.”
• Fear of failure.
  Most people shy away from new responsibilities, projects or ways of accomplishing work because they don’t want to mess up and look bad (and really, can you blame them?). Beyond the embarrassment factor, people also naturally fear the consequences of failure – things like receiving a poor performance review, being passed over for a promotion, missing out on bonus money, or even losing their job.
• Protection.
  Sometimes, managers (either knowingly or unwittingly) protect employees’ patterns of behavior and shield them from consequences. When change isn’t required, most people will stay the course.

How can you get people to overcome their fear and resistance – and make changes for the better? Try these tactics:

Reduce the fear of failure.

Build a “psychological safety net” by creating a secure environment for learning, risk-taking and change. Make it clear to employees that it’s okay to fail during the change process – without fear of embarrassment, rejection or punishment.

Make what’s unfamiliar, comfortable.

Habits are familiar. Established work routines are familiar. People like what’s familiar. When you take that away, and replace it with something new, they become uncomfortable and resistant.

Whenever possible, implement change incrementally. Along the way, check in with team members to address the anxiety they may be experiencing – because the simple act of talking about what makes one uncomfortable can reduce that discomfort. As what’s unfamiliar becomes more comfortable, resistance will lower and momentum will increase.

Stop protecting employees.

If you make excuses for people, you merely validate their behavioral “status quo” – and nothing is likely to change. Instead of protecting them, start asking them some tough, but vital, questions:

• By holding onto your own ways, are you selling yourself short – and missing out on big opportunities?
• How could you challenge yourself to grow?
• What are you so afraid of?

Address the proverbial elephant. Ignite desire for change by creating dissatisfaction. Press your team for improvement by challenging their old ways. Be supportive, yet persistent, and you’ll get even the most resistant employees to change for the better.

Time for a change?

With a full complement of national staffing solutions, the Exact Staff family of companies offers the resources and expertise to drive change in your organization. To learn how we can help, schedule a free consultation today.