Page 1 of 7
Journal for Studies in Management and Planning
Available at http://internationaljournalofresearch.org/index.php/JSMaP
e-ISSN: 2395-0463
Volume 01 Issue 03
April 2015
Available online: http://internationaljournalofresearch.org/ P a g e | 278
Change Management: Effects of Change and Change
Management on employees
Shaveta Dhuppar
Assistant Professor S.D. College (Lahore), Ambala Cantt
E.mail.ID: shvetamahesh@gmail.com
Abstract
-Change is a necessary thing for the survival
and growth of a business unit. Everything is
subject to change in this world. Here our
purpose is to study the word "Change" in
the context of organisation. We generally
observe that there are many changes in the
life of a business. These changes include the
development of new methods of production,
change in government policies, the period of
deflation, inflation, the promotion and
transfer of employees, entry of competitors
in the market, decline in sales, decline in
profits etc. These changes do effect the
employees working in the organisation. It is
important to compromise with these changes
in order to safeguard the existence of both
the employees and the organisation. The aim
of this paper is to represent a systematic
review of the reasons for resistance to
change by employees and the process to
manage these changes in a effective way to
gain acceptance of employees.
Key words- Change Management,
organisaional Change, Employees,
Resistance to change,
Introduction
Organisational Change is the process by
which organisations move from their present
state to future state to increase their
effectiveness. Characteristically, change is
•Vital if an organisation were to avoid
stagnation,
•A process, not an event,
•Normal and constant,
•Fast and is likely to increase further in
competitive business,
•Is "Natural", that is "evolutionary" or
"adaptive", that is reactioon to external
circumstances and pressures,
•"Directive", that is, implemented by top
down management or "participative", that is,
involving those parties impacted by change,
•Is "incremental", that continous small
changes or "step", that is radical shift from
current to new processes, and
•Is interdependent on organisational
environment or culture.
Page 2 of 7
Journal for Studies in Management and Planning
Available at http://internationaljournalofresearch.org/index.php/JSMaP
e-ISSN: 2395-0463
Volume 01 Issue 03
April 2015
Available online: http://internationaljournalofresearch.org/ P a g e | 279
Change is constant in both our professional
and our private lives. Our children grow up
taking for granted such things as powerful
personal computers that we could not
envision at their ages. The idea that human
beings naturally resist change is deeply
embedded in our thinking about change. Our
language (e.g., “resistance to change”), our
assumptions, and our mental models about
change all seem to imply that something in
our natures leads us to resist change.
However, it is easy to find examples of
human beings, from childhood on through
old age, actively seeking out change of all
sorts. Human beings do not necessarily
resist change automatically; however, many
people do resist being changed, i.e., having
changes imposed on them.
Organizational change normally involves
some threat, real or perceived, of personal
loss for those involved. This threat may vary
from job security to simply the disruption of
an established routine. We generally observe
that there are many changes in the life of a
business. These changes include the
development of new methods of production,
change in government policies, the period of
deflation, inflation, the promotion and
transfer of employees, entry of competitors
in the market, decline in sales, decline in
profits etc. These changes do effect the
employees working in the organisation.
Types of Change
Changes in an organization can often be
identified as one of four types, with the
definite possibility of overlap among them:
Operational changes affect the way the
ongoing operations of the business are
conducted, such as the automation of a
particular area.
Strategic changes occur in the strategic
business direction, e.g., moving from an
inpatient to an outpatient focus.
Cultural changes affect the basic
organizational philosophies by which the
business is conducted, e.g., implementing a
continuous quality improvement (CQI)
system.
Political changes in staffing occur
primarily for political reasons of various
types, such as those that occur at top
patronage job levels in government
agencies.
These four different types of change
typically have their greatest impacts at
different levels of the organization. For
example, operational changes tend to have
their greatest impacts at the lower levels of
the organization, right on the firing line.
People working at the upper levels may
never notice changes that cause significant
stress and turmoil to those attempting to
implement the changes. On the other hand,
the impact of political changes is typically
felt most at the higher organizational levels.
Resistance to Change
A manager trying to implement a change, no
matter how small, should expect to
encounter some resistance from within the
organization. Resistance to change is
Page 3 of 7
Journal for Studies in Management and Planning
Available at http://internationaljournalofresearch.org/index.php/JSMaP
e-ISSN: 2395-0463
Volume 01 Issue 03
April 2015
Available online: http://internationaljournalofresearch.org/ P a g e | 280
normal; people cling to habits and to the
status quo. To be sure, managerial actions
can minimize or arouse resistance. People
must be motivated to shake off old habits.
This must take place in stages rather than
abruptly so that "managed change" takes on
the character of "natural change." In
addition to normal inertia, organization
change introduces anxieties about the future.
If the future after the change comes to be
perceived positively, resistance will be less.
Education and communication are therefore
key ingredients in minimizing negative
reactions. Employees can be informed about
both the nature of the change and the logic
behind it before it takes place through
reports, memos, group presentations, or
individual discussions. Another important
component of overcoming resistance is
inviting employee participation and
involvement in both the design and
implementation phases of the change effort.
Organized forms of facilitation and support
can be deployed. Managers can ensure that
employees will have the resources to bring
the change about; managers can make
themselves available to provide explanations
and to minimize stress arising in many
scores of situations.
Some companies manage to overcome
resistance to change through negotiation and
rewards. They offer employees concrete
incentives to ensure their cooperation. Other
companies resort to manipulation, or using
subtle tactics such as giving a resistance
leader a prominent position in the change
effort. A final option is coercion, which
involves punishing people who resist or
using force to ensure their cooperation.
Although this method can be useful when
speed is of the essence, it can have lingering
negative effects on the company.
Reasons for resistance to change
Misunderstanding about the need for
change/when the reason for the change is
unclear — If staff do not understand the
need for change you can expect resistance.
Especially from those who strongly believe
the current way of doing things works
well...and has done for twenty years!
Fear of the unknown — One of the most
common reasons for resistance is fear of the
unknown. People will only take active steps
toward the unknown if they genuinely
believe – and perhaps more importantly, feel
– that the risks of standing still are greater
than those of moving forward in a new
direction.
Lack of competence — This is a fear
people will seldom admit. But sometimes,
change in organizations necessitates changes
in skills, and some people will feel that they
won’t be able to make the transition very
well.
Connected to the old way — If you ask
people in an organization to do things in a
new way, as rational as that new way may
seem to you, you will be setting yourself up
against all that hard wiring, all those
emotional connections to those who taught
your audience the old way – and that’s not
trivial.
