Why Do People Resist Change? 3 Key Reasons

How do most people react to change? Why do people resist change? Experience suggests that most people don’t like change and will resist it in different ways. Some will resist and react to change in subtle ways without showing their hand and others will openly challenge any form of change.  Managers hoping to introduce any form of change that impacts others in the organization need to be aware of the 3 key reasons before implementing any substantial change in the workplace…

1- Insecurity

This is probably the number one reason for resistance. Anytime an organization plans any form of change that involves some form of re-structuring or shuffling around of people, this produces resistance caused by fear of loss of job, or job relevance and significance. This is also compounded by an apprehension that such a re-structure may take place without seeking their inputs.

2- Fear of the Unknown

This is also quite common and is usually caused by people feeling they have loss of control – the control they had when they were in their predictable comfort zones. This resistance also occurs when change is hurriedly implemented without giving people time to adjust to the idea of the change and how it will affect them, and to feel comfortable that there are going to be no sudden surprises.

3- Management-Staff Divide

It is not a coincidence that change is always feared and resisted more where there is a management-staff disconnect ie an environment where employees do not trust their managers. Even in normal times, a manager who has not earned the trust of the staff will have a hard time getting any kind of employee engagement. It is imperative therefore to ensure that this is not an issue before considering a change initiative.