Reasons for Resistance to Change

       In the current business environment, change is inevitable. As organizations are faced by changing environment, workers find them selves in a state of confusion not knowing what change entails. As a result, resistance arises. One of the main reasons that employees resist change is fear of failing. Over time, employees develop skills and become experts. When change comes, many of them are afraid to take up new responsibilities since they do not want to fail. Another reason is the need to maintain control that come with familiar routines on a daily basis. This allows workers to control their working environment. The other reason is fear of the unknown. When employees are unaware of the changes that will take place, a sense of job security is lost. Other reasons include unwillingness to learn while others want to maintain their achieved status.

       As a leader, I would prevent or deal with such resistance through involving the employees in planning the changes that will take place. In most cases, the resistance comes when employees are not aware of impact of the change to come. To prevent resistance, I would inform the employees of the specific changes that will take place to prepare them psychologically (Quast, 2012). This gives the employees enough time to think about the changes as well as prepare to receive the change unlike when they are not aware what change is coming. Additionally, it will allow them to think of how it would affect them. Secondly, I would indicate who are going to be impacted by the change. This clarifies who should be worried about the change. Additionally, this allows those who are not affected to carry on with their work without any difficulties. Thirdly, I would inform those that will be affected how the change will impact them. Finally, I would inform them the best way of coping with the change. This allows employees to prepare as well as welcome change since they are aware of what to do to cope.

Quast, L. (2012). Overcome The 5 Main Reasons People Resist Change. Retrieved from http://www.forbes.com/sites/lisaquast/2012/11/26/overcome-the-5-main-reasons-people-resist-change/

Building Cohesive Teams

Being a manager in a company where I am trying to build a culture of collaboration, I would empower teams to work together by encouraging several issues such as defining roles, encouraging open communication, feedback, setting expectations, obtaining commitment to the organization, as well as teams and empowering employees. The first step would be defining roles and the ways in which they affect the whole department or team in achieving its goals. The second step would be setting rules that show how work is to be shared, as well how employees relate to each other such as behavior and collaboration. This would help in avoiding conflict. Thirdly, I would set expectations so that every person will be aware of what they are supposed to achieve in order to create responsibility among the team members.  The fourth step would be creating commitment. This would be though asking the teams to create their own mission that is in line with the organizational mission and set their own goals and objectives, which they believe are challenging but achievable. Finally, I would empower the teams by allowing them to make some of the decisions as well as participate in bigger decisions.

Despite such efforts, conflicts remain inevitable where different people com together. However, the outcome of conflict can be positive or negative depending on how it is resolved. As a leader, I would handle conflicts through mitigating and compromising where necessary. The first step would be preparing for a resolution through acknowledging the conflict and its impact to the team. The team should also agree to cooperate and communicate. The next step would be to understand the situation where every member would give their point of view. Every member’s position should be heard before seeking a solution. Facts of the conflict should be raised to ensure enough information for solving the issue. The final step would be reaching an agreement. After all parties understand the situation and offer their views, a decision that benefits all parties will be made.