Resistance To Change

Management-Issues reports on research by workplace consultants BlessingWhite, who found that leading teams through organizational change is viewed as extremely or very challenging by nearly half of those surveyed.

Their research findings:

• The study suggests the usual approaches to leadership development aren't delivering solutions.
• Organizations are meeting increased resistance to change, especially at middle-management level.
• "The Board may pivot at any moment, and so can an agile CEO, but getting the next echelon to move proves to be a lot harder. There's always a call for resilience and flexibility, but not enough guidance how to go about it."

The recommendations:

• Instead of looking at this as a leadership training or development issue, organizations must focus on substance and content. That's what is truly important. After all, the critical part is getting the top management team to have a clear fix on the strategic direction, and how that translates for different parts of the organization.
• The strategy has to be communicated so people understand what they need to do, and care enough to do so even if it disrupts their routine.