(More On Resistance Cont 5)

Some Strategies for Overcoming Rresistance to Change (6)

After identifying potential sources of resistance to change,implement specific strategies:

i) select a strategy to overcome resistance (one key reason for resistance is misunderstanding the proposed change, ie the reason for it; need to educate and communicate with the relevant stakeholders, especially staff, to handle rumours, gossip, etc; use everything to prevent misinformation)

ii) encourage ownership, buy-in  (focus on participation and involvement so that stakeholders feel that it is their change, not somebody else's that is being imposed on them; encourage feedback and questions.

Need to better involve stakeholders who feel they are not part of things, ie they may feel they have no control and their input does not matter.)

iii) offer facilitation and support (many stakeholders associate change with cutbacks and lost opportunities; as a result, they feel nervous, anxious and apprehensive about the change; to handle this
"...You may need to expand your counselling and mentoring options, offer extended training, or fully communicate to employees new opportunities for growth and promotion..."
Nathan Altadonna, 2023)

iv) negotiate an agreement for exit (for some stakeholders who are strongly against the change, it is best that they leave the organisation; develop a plan on how to handle this situation)

v) manipulate and co-opt (encourage informal leaders who have credibility in the organisation to become champions of the change so they convince others to become supporters)

vi) coerce explicitly and implicitly (when time is short, you may need to be more dictatorial, ie 'join the change or leave'.