When trying to change, change is not something that comes easy for
anyone, not even for the company, but every employee working in that company.
Every company has to have the change for employees to improve and advance in
the company. There are many employees that will be resistant to change, and
will affect the work environment with their negativity and refusal to the
change. It is of great importance that a company has the right tools to
introduce change, for the company to have a minimum of resistant is to change.
Learning Theories
Companies have the battle to face when it comes to implementing
changes. Some employees may be resistant to changes preferring to do things
they’ve always done and some may not be motivated to change. To assist a company
making the change, the company needs to motivate their employees to become
change agents. According to Courts (n.d.), change agents are individuals who
act as promoters for change by leading the charge for change. Change agents can prompt growth in a company,
leading the charge for change, and opening change to happen much quicker. These
employees rely heavily on the contribution of others in the company to help
with change through delivering a clear vision to change, being patient yet
persistent with the change, asking tough questions to help employees think, and
being knowledgeable about the changes as well as leading by example (Couros,
n.d.).
A company needs more than just individuals willing to lead the
change; they need tools and methods that help motivate individuals to
change. This is where the theory of
operant conditioning can help the organization in change. In operant conditioning learning is
reinforced in a person through systems of rewards and consequences, an
individuals’ behavior can be modified through the use of rewards and consequences
(Schuck, 2012). Operant conditioning would be easy to implement into any
environment as it looks reinforcement that increases the behavior that is
desired or punishment that decreases the behaviors.
In reinforcement, there is positive or negative which both
increase the behavior but in different ways.
According to McLeod (2007), positive reinforcement is the presentation
of a favorable event or outcome after the behavior has been displayed. Positive reinforcement could be anything
really from an awarded certificate for an employee completing training on the
changes or a free soda or food item if the employee can help others with
questions on the changes. The benefit of
this method is that a company just needs little imagination to motivate
individuals to change as well as get the individuals to help each other in the
change. In negative reinforcement according to McLeod (2007), this is the
removal of something unfavorable after the display of behavior. If a manager is
constantly walking the floor during training, this may be unfavorable to
individuals so by removing the manager and only having them walk the floor
occasionally it would strengthen the desire to get the changes down.
Punishment is different than reinforcement as it looks to decrease
a behavior. Individuals not open to
change may have punishment used to increase the individual wanting to change
and decrease the resistance to the change. Punishment also deals with positive
and negative punishment with positive punishment being the presentation of an
unfavorable thing and negative being the removal of a favorable thing (McLeod,
2007). Punishment would be opposite of
what we see for reinforcement as a person or group of persons display unwanted
behaviors the rewards that the got like the certificates and the sodas would be
removed, negative punishment. When the manager was removed it was reinforcement
for doing the right behavior, however, the wrong behavior could result in more
scrutiny as the manager is placed back or more managers are placed on the
floor.
Employee Resistance
Despite preparing employees for change within the company through
informing them and trying to motivate them to change there can still be
resistance felt when it comes to change. According to Scott (2007), in general,
employees tend to resist change because of a lack of knowledge about what will
happen or due to the manner in which the change was communicated. Employees may
feel that they are unable to adapt to the new changes, or there may have been a
lack of communication about the changes that has caused confusion for the
individuals. If employees are expected to change sufficiently, the employees
need to be fully prepared on changes and informed of how and when things will
happen. Managers should be up front with these employees prepared to answer
their questions and assist with any reservations the employees might have about
the changes. Managers also need to be trustworthy to their employees so that
they can effectively manage resistance to changes. If the employees do not
trust the manager then no matter how much the manager reassures them and
answers their questions the employees will not trust the information. Another
reason for employees to be resistant to change is that they believe that more
work will be required of them for the same pay, or they will have fewer tools
to accomplish their work. This is again where communication is key as
communication can ease this fear.
Additionally, training on the changes can show employees the benefits to
the changes, so employees can see that the opposite is true, and they are not
being required to do more with less.
External Resistance
External resistance is also a problem. Forces such as laws and
regulations, technology, and labor markets can also have an impact on a company
being able to change (Scott, 2007). These external forces may provide
resistance to change that the company did not take into account. Laws and regulations, for instance, are put
in place by governments on how a company should conduct business practices
(Scott, 2007). If these regulations are
not in line with the changes the company wants to implement or they are telling
the company what changes the company needs to make then resistance can be seen
on both sides. The company may feel
resistance trying to go against the regulations to implement changes, or they
may feel resistant being told what needs to change. Technology is another factor that may provide
resistance for a company looking to make changes. Technology can impact change
for a company by advancing more quickly than the company can implement changes,
employees may not feel comfortable with newer technology, or the company may
need something that technology has not advanced at this point in time (Scott,
2007).
Conclusion
Change is something that can be difficult for anyone, not just a
business but for every individual within that business. Change is something that naturally must occur
though for individuals to progress through their lived and for businesses to
adapt to offer tools and services for the ever-changing world. Organizations
have the battle to face when it comes to implementing changes. Some individuals
may be resistant to changes preferring to do things they've always done, and
some may not be motivated to change. In operant conditioning learning is
reinforced in a person through systems of rewards and consequences, an
individuals' behavior can be modified through the use of rewards and
consequences (Schuck, 2012). Operant conditioning would be easy to implement
into any environment as it looks reinforcement that increases the behavior that
is desired or punishment that decreases the behaviors. According to Scott (2007), in general,
employees tend to resist change because of a lack of knowledge about what will
happen or due to the manner in which the change was communicated. Employees may
feel that they are unable to adapt to the new changes, or there may have been a
lack of communication about the changes that has caused confusion for the
individuals. Forces such as laws and regulations, technology, and labor markets
can also have an impact on a company being able to change (Scott, 2007). These
external forces may provide resistance to change that the company did not take
into account.
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