Keypoints

• Resistance to change in the workforce isn’t uncommon and can be a real problem if not carefully addressed.
• There are multiple steps that can be taken to help reduce any resistance across an organization.
• Effective communication is one of the key components of addressing any psychological concerns over resistance to change.

Any time an organization looks to make changes using process improvement methodologies, it often meets heavy internal resistance from the “doers.” These individuals are responsible for instituting many of the internal changes, and unsurprisingly, as there is fear of the unknown, change is rarely easy. 

This is an unfortunate but true reality, and it reminds an organization’s leaders or management to be mindful of where employees or these “doers” will feel like resisting. In many ways, some of the concerns or psychology behind resistance to changes in process improvement are less about the change itself and more about an ingrained fear of job security. 

Understanding Resistance to Change

First and foremost, the most basic psychology here is that anytime a senior individual in a company sponsors organizational change and sees the implementation go wrong, they don’t receive or take the blame. Instead, it’s the middle managers who are on the receiving end of overestimates of how quickly change can and will happen, and have goals that are almost impossible to attain. 

This situation has played out repeatedly and is likely happening in some organizations this very minute, so resistance to change has become a natural response. Change is hard, whether you are in healthcare, automobiles, semiconductors, or just manufacturing widgets. 

In some ways, it’s safe to say that employees want change, at least the kind of change that makes their lives easier, but implementing these changes can be difficult if they feel their jobs are also on the line. 

Psychological Factors To Be Aware Of

If you’re wondering what the main psychological factors are when navigating resistance to change in process improvement, you can expect to see the effect show up in eight different ways. 

Fear of the Unknown 

The fear of the unknown is one of the most concerning feelings anyone in an organization looking to make changes can feel. There will be some unease about what changes are coming, what exactly they will entail, and how they will affect the role of the individual inside an organization. 

As a result, basic psychology tells us this person (or persons) will begin to experience anxiety, uncertainty, and anything else that feels similar, which will lead to more hesitancy to embrace any change that is coming. 

Loss of Control 

An employee’s loss of control or self-empowerment can have an immediate psychological effect, and it’s not good when process changes are handed down. Any instance in which an employee feels like they are losing part of the stability they have known for a long time can create a sense of unease. What’s worse is the sickening feeling in your stomach that results from feeling powerless and as if you don’t have a voice. 

Bad Timing

Upper management should be concerned when introducing process changes, but this is rarely true. If and when a company introduces or announces a change during an already hectic period, it will just create a heightened sense of resistance. Whether more work is being added or employees feel squeezed to overperform will affect their state of mind. 

Previous Experiences

The hope is that employees don’t have to experience such psychological turmoil more than once in their lifetime, but this isn’t always the reality. If an employee has had an experience with change in process improvement before, it will carry over when it’s introduced again. 

This will be especially true if they have previously seen any company-based initiative fail. This only breeds more skepticism about this new change they are being asked to participate in, thereby creating another psychological barrier. 

Not Enough Trust

It goes without saying that middle managers and an organization’s actual “doers” often lack trust in senior leadership for many reasons. If an employee or a group of employees begins to doubt senior leadership’s intentions or the goals of process improvement, it will just create more resistance and roadblocks. 

No Reward System

When discussing a reward system for employees, we aren’t discussing pizza parties for a job well done. Instead, the psychology here is that if employees feel that they won’t benefit from the changes being implemented, there could be real resistance to changes that only make their day-to-day lives more difficult. 

Corporate Politics 

While not as familiar as other considerations on this list, organizational politics or corporate politics can play a major psychological role. If employees inside an organization believe some change to process improvement is wrong, they may look to prove them right, which means they will focus on seeing the effort fail by any means necessary. 

Poor Implementation 

Another less common scenario is worth considering as it could have a psychological effect in that employees in an organization may agree that change is necessary, but not how it is handled. When it comes to implementation, there could be heavy resistance if it again ties back to a moment in time when employees are already busy with multiple heavy workload projects. 

Strategies to Address Resistance

While change is hard and psychological resistance is a definite reality for many organizations, there are steps you can take to address this resistance before it becomes overwhelming. 

Effective Communications 

This should be the easiest thing for any organization’s leadership. Still, transparent communication can go a long way to removing some of the psychological barriers that will pop up during process improvement changes. Leaders should be clear about why changes are taking place and how the changes will be implemented, no matter what process improvement system is being introduced. 

Involve Employees

This strategy ties right back to proper communication, but involving employees or the “doers” as early on in the thought process as possible will go a long way. If employees feel they have a voice, it will go a long way toward reducing overall resistance. In fact, it could even potentially increase engagement levels as employees speak up about how the change should be implemented to be as successful as possible. 

Provide Support

If any process improvement change requires employees to learn new skills, adopt new behaviors in their workflow, or, most importantly, learn new systems, they must feel like they are receiving proper training. Making sure employees have the right resources may be the best investment that can be made as part of any important process change. 

Gradual Changes

Trying to roll out change too quickly will only breed a larger sense of resistance, so it’s important to be gradual and methodical. Break up changes in process improvement into manageable steps so that everything isn’t happening all at once. If someone feels like a ton of bricks is falling all at once, it’s much more frightening than picking up one or two bricks. 

Celebrate Successes

This should be among the easiest things senior leaders and managers do, but celebrate your team’s successes with each milestone. The more positivity flows, the more it can influence behavioral change that is anything but resistant. Even something as simple as an employee recognition system can go a long way to motivating both the employee being rewarded and their colleagues. 

Lead by Example

Any process improvement change scenario will be most successful when leaders exhibit the traits and behaviors they want to see from the “doers.” This means demonstrating a commitment to the change while adapting to ideas that could make things easier for everyone. Creating a positive tone will be critical for success, as it can help positivity flow down the rest of the organizational chart. 

Other Useful Tools and Concepts

Are you looking for other tips to help you overcome psychological concerns about your workplace? Remote work is one way to find a better work-life balance, which can lead to more overall happiness and give you an escape whenever you are more stressed out than usual.

Perhaps more importantly, some strategies should be considered around employee retention, potentially using Lean Six Sigma tools. Employee retention is the name of the game for business, whether or not you are considering process improvement changes.

Conclusion 

At the end of the day, psychological barriers will be erected no matter how hard an organization tries to prevent them. The history of the workforce has taught worker bees to be skeptical of any changes that could impact their jobs and job security. However, with careful planning and thoughtful implementation, there are ways to break down this resistance and introduce changes smartly.