Organizational Change Problem - Resistance

Research Proposal: Organizational Change Problem-Resistance
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Table of Contents
1.0 Introduction and Definition of Terms……………………………………………………3
1.1 Key Terms………………………………………………………......…………………….3
2.0 Background of the Problem …………………………………………...………………….3
3.0 Problem Statement ………………………………………………………………………..4
4.0 Purpose Statement…………………………………………………………………………5
5.0 Research Questions……………………………………………………………………….6
6.0 Intended Audience………………………………………………………………………...6
7.0 Theoretical Framework …………………………………………………………………..7
8.0 Methodology……………………………………………………………….……………..10
8.1 Method Selected…………………………………………………………………..10
8.2 Research Plan…………………………………………………………..………….11
9.0 Summary………………………………………………………………………..………….12
10.0 Adapting Research Findings……………………………………..……………………….12
11. Conclusion……………………………………………………………….……………….. 13
12. References…………………………………………………………………..……………..14
1.0 Introduction and Definition of Terms
Organizational change is the shift of an organization from one state to another. It takes different forms, including changes in culture, technology, procedures, policies, strategies, and structure. Organizational change can be long-term or short-term, and it may be implemented after years or abruptly due to environmental shifts. Organizational change can be incremental or radical depending on the management goals and strategic direction (El Jazzar, 2022). The change can also occur at a team, individual, or organizational level. Organizational change implementation requires effective skills in managing employees. However, the major problem inhibiting effective change implementation is employee resistance. Resistance is caused by a lack of appropriate strategies and leadership skills to implement change. Besides, employee resistance is also accompanied by ineffective communication and poor working relationship between the employees and the management. The research proposal addresses resistance to change as the major organizational problem. Employee resistance is caused by two major elements, communication pitfalls, and leadership problems.
1.1 Key Terms
Employee resistance- Inaction or action towards change initiated by employee dissatisfaction.
Organizational change implementation-A process that involves shifting the way an organization operates based on the structure, culture, leadership, or strategies.
Qualitative study-Collecting non-numerical data to understand experiences, opinions, and concepts.
2.0 Background of the Problem
Resistance to organizational change is majorly caused by employee dissatisfaction. Mostly, changes in the organizations are significant for them to remain competitive. However, the employees do not always embrace change. According to the SHRM survey, resistance to change is one of the major reasons why organizations fail (Budhiraja, 2020). Resistance to change takes two major forms, active and passive resistance. Active resistance is where the employees negatively react to the proposed change and consider sabotaging any change effort. The employees outspokenly address their dissatisfaction with change. Contrary to active resistance, in passive resistance, the employees do not openly air their views on the change attempts, but they are emotionally disturbed (Appelbaum et al., 2017). The most common and dangerous is passive resistance since it is not easy to handle.
Organizational change resistance emerges from different sources. According to Cinite & Duxbury (2018), poor management of the employees' behaviors during change implementation is the major cause of resistance to change. Ignoring the employees' interests and desires during change also leads to change resistance. Besides, communication pitfalls during change also lead to resistance. Communication pitfalls are also accompanied by cultural, structural, and political barriers in the workplace (Aslam et al., 2018). Therefore, ineffective communication and poor leadership influence the background of change resistance. Managing the two elements and engaging the employees in change initiation and implementation are necessary for smooth transformation.
3.0 Problem Statement
The issue that the study proposes is resistance to change caused by communication pitfalls and poor leadership structure. Other factors that cause resistance include lack of training in specific work functions and lack of consistency in the department. According to Cinite & Duxbury (2018), communication pitfalls and poor leadership lead to resistance since they impact normal employees' behaviors. Besides, the rise of anti-social behaviors in the organization reduces the employees' productivity and jeopardizes organizational success. Therefore, employee resistance is a critical problem that the management should address during change implementation to avoid adverse effects on the overall organizational performance. The management must implement coping mechanisms to ensure smooth transformation and adaptation to the new working environment.
4.0 Purpose Statement
The purpose statement is significant for the research since it highlights the key elements of the problem and the implications for organizational performance. It also provides a substantial background for deriving the research questions. Organizational change is a critical process that every firm advocates for. It enables organizations to adapt to productive strategies and operations, leading to success (Errida & Lotfi, 2021). However, whenever an organization participates in any change implementation process without communication and preparedness, the outcome would be resistance. An organization can opt for change due to various factors, including poor work functions and communication inconsistencies at the departmental level. The employees consider many factors before resisting change. For instance, they may embrace change but still feel anxious about specific elements that the change does not address. Therefore, change is a collective process that should involve leaders, managers, and employees.
Whereas much research shows that poor leadership structures and communication pitfalls cause resistance, there is still inadequate information to justify the influence of leadership on employee resistance. Therefore, this research provides adequate and valid evidence connecting communications problems, leadership, and employee resistance. Besides, the research would indicate the key strategies efficient in managing resistance caused by communication and leadership issues. The research also shows the major implications of the employees' resistance and the implementation process of organizational change. The study's main purpose is to analyze the key strategies that the change agents and the managers need to consider for successful change implementation and reduced employees' resistance. Therefore, its key purpose is to explore resistance management by considering leadership and behavioral factors.
5.0 Research Questions
The research is exploratory and streamlined to answer major questions linked to organizational change and employee resistance.
Management Question: What are the major causes of employee resistance to change, and what strategies are necessary to curb it? The management question is essential since it leads to the listed research questions.
* Question 1: How effective is the current structure of the organization in including communication, leadership, and the onboarding training process for new hires, as well as ongoing professional development in the organization?
* Question 2: What strategic plans can be implemented to identify the best way to overhaul the organizational structure, including leadership, current training method, and communication to improve the organization's functionality?
* Question 3: Is applying Lewin's change model for managing change initiatives impact the overall success rate of the change implementation process?
6.0 Intended Audience
Primarily, the main purpose of the research is to allow the audience to understand the negative aspects of employee resistance and how its management can benefit the organization. The intended audience is the academicians with long-term goals in the business world. Academically, the purpose is to add to the limited understanding of employee resistance to change without considering the change as a negative construct (Karlsson & Westermark, 2021). The research will allow the academicians to improve their skills and knowledge on specific concepts linked to change, including Lewin's model of change, strategic change, and classification of resistance and change initiatives.
The scholars will use the study findings to implement change processes following the due process. Besides, they will also understand the key elements required to suppress change, such as creating awareness. The research is valid for the academicians to understand the adaptive skills in the working environment. For instance, the business world comprises constant changes due to digitaliz...