Change Management | Top Reasons for Change Resistance

There are many reasons for people to resist a change. We summarized the common ones as follows: 

• Change fatigue refers to people being overwhelmed by frequent or continuous changes. They can't keep up with the changes. PMO office can prevent this by creating a change management inventory to prioritize the changes to focus on high-priority ones. 
• Lack of buy-in means the audience doesn't understand the reason for the change and thus is not convinced, which goes to a fundamental question of whether people are willing to make the change. A typical question is:
  • (Why) "Why do we need the change. Is this really necessary? "
• Lack of a clear goal causes people to worry about the result of the change. A typical question is: 
  • (What) "The change is in a rush, and I don't think this can help. "
• Fear of Failure is caused by people seeing the risks and unknown, thus worrying whether the changes could be implemented successfully. What matters is whether they trust that the team has the knowledge and ability to make the change. A typical question is: 
  • (How)" Do I get enough support to make the change? "
  • (How)" Does this really work?" 
• Fear of Loss refers to adverse effects on people who are impact by the change negatively as as loss of status or job security.  A typical question is:
  • "Will I lose my job or impact my performance because of the change?"

The typical solutions are:

• Bring early awareness to the team and explain the objectives and impacts. 
• Provide a detailed plan and step-by-step guide to help people take action quickly. 
• Give people impacted negatively by the change new opportunities after the change. 

​Be prepared to answer these questions and address the concerns.