2.2.4. Strategies for overcoming resistance

A variety of strategies is recommended to overcome resistance, such as participation, education and training, facilitation, negotiation, communication and discussion. Two strategies are selected for closer analysis: participation and communication.

Participation is perhaps the most effective way to achieve change because it capitalizes on self-discovery. This can range from observing and learning from others, successive involvement and practice to participation in decision-making. Research findings confirm that employees who were allowed to participate in the design and the development of the changes have much lower resistance than those that do not. It is therefore advisable to solicit employee involvement in the planning of change.

Several principles govern participative management in change situations:¹⁵

• It is easier to motivate staff by means of positive attitude and participative structures than by authoritarian and sometimes arbitrary practices;
• All forms of delegation of authority imply more trust and responsibility. Problem can be resolved at the level where they occur;
• Adhesion to change is greatly favoured when staff has taken part in defining values and objectives and staff motivation grows;
• Participation in defining processes and future action is itself a form of training which improves participants’ knowledge and capacity;
• Staff’s practical experience allows elements to be injected into decisionmaking, in particular for workplace organisation, which very often are unknown to higher levels of management, the lack of which leads to costly failures of reorganizations,
• Mobilization of the intelligence and competence of staff as a whole increases productivity, often to a large degree, by identifying necessary improvements and implementing processes which allow a guarantee of quality;

Communication:

Researchers are in agreement that communication and the provision of information are key tools to reduce the uncertainties created by change. In the context of organisational change, it is mainly internal communication which matters. It can be defined as all formal and informal communication taking place internally at all levels of an organisation. 16 The role of internal communication is to build employee relation, establish trust, provide timely and reliable information and thereby contribute to general motivation, particularly in times of change and stress. Internal communication should ensure that any employee is able to understand the change, what it means for their part of the organisation, their team and themselves personally, so that they know what they need to do to deliver it.

• Principles of communication: Communication should be comprehensive, transparent and two-way. Leaving staff in the dark may create a divide between those who know and those who do not, thus creating an atmosphere of distrust and anxiety. Letting people learn of a major change plan from rumours is the worst possible introduction to the change process. Literature also pleads for giving a full picture whenever possible. If management tells staff only what they need to know in order to fulfil their own particular role in a change plan they may not see the wider significance of their tasks or feel commitment to the plan as a whole.
• Sources of communication: Research indicates that trust influences which source of information employees seek information from. Information on strategic issues is typically provided by top management, often as oneway communication. While this is important during the initial stages of the change process, employees also like to receive more specific implementation-oriented and job-oriented information from sources they know and trust. In this context, direct supervisors play an important role. Employees perceive information they receive from their supervisors as more accurate, timely and useful than general information. This type of communication is usually two-way, allowing for questions, discussions and suggestions. These findings were confirmed by supervisors who described their role as a filter of information in which they ensured that staff received information regarding change but in a way that was relevant and understandable.
• Methods of communication: People have to be drawn in using a range of communication methods 17 starting from personal communications, written notification, presentations, team meetings, workshops, staff meetings, training to trouble shooting meetings to using all means of information technology (websites, blogs, videos etc). In large organisations groups are often informed in sequence: top management briefs department managers who brief unit managers who brief unit members.

This suggests a comprehensive approach when developing communication strategies for change. Specifically it means ensuring that senior management provide the more strategic component of change communication, whilst ensuring that supervisors are provided with more practical information they can disseminate to employees. The communication of practical information should be done in a way that allows questions from employees, ensuring that job-relevant issues are clearly articulated. Participative strategies should establish two-way communication between employees and management, using supervisors who have the trust of their employees, as facilitators in this process.

¹⁵ Near You, Renouveau et Democratie: Towards a Participative Management of Change, Information Leaflet, Brussels June 2012
¹⁶ Dorlo C. : A critical view on the internal communication process in Directorate general for the Information Society and Media Research paper for Post Graduate Certificate, Brussels June 2012
¹⁷ See Heller R.: Managing Change, Essential Managers, London 1998, pp 42