How to Overcome Resistance to Change

Resistance to change is a common psychological problem for people who thrive on routine. Persistent resistance to change can lead to denial and repressed feelings. The key to overcoming resistance to change is to reframe the way you (or members of your team) think about change. Specific strategies can be used to change your mindset; some involve repeated action as well as reflection.

Instructions

• 1

  Acknowledge your reasons for resisting change. Either write, or state out loud, all the fears, anxieties and uncertainties that make you wish things remained static. If you are working with a team of people, ask them to state their own fears out loud to the team. Make the team take a vow of non-judgment before they disclose, so that nobody will be afraid to say why they're scared of change.

• 2

  State exactly why you need to face the reality of change. Let yourself and your team know why the change is expected to occur, how the change is expected to affect your lives, and how you plan to deal with the coming changes.

• 3

  Host or attend meetings that deal with the topic of change. If no one at your workplace is already taking initiative on this, organize an impromptu strategy meeting after work in which you discuss the various ways that change is going to affect your organization.

• 4

  Write a list of behaviors, attitudes and skills that you or the group will need to adopt in order to cope with the changes. If the new changes consist of new tasks, make a list of the specific skills involved in completing these tasks. If the new changes require working a different schedule, make a list of ways that employees can change their work habits to fit all their activities in with their new work hours.

• 5

  Write memos that continually emphasize the new standards, routines or skills you outlined in step 4. If you are working on your own, hang these on a wall in a visible space. If you are dealing with change in a work situation, publish these memos on the workplace bulletin board.

• 6

  Practice new behaviors pro-actively. Begin implementing the new skills you will need in order to deal with the coming changes, before the changes actually occur. Prepare for at least a month before the changes come into effect, so that the new behaviors will be well established before they need to be.