Implementing changes within an organization, no matter how major or minor, can be an
extremely difficult task. As Joan Lloyd pointed out in her article “Resistance to Change is Often
Subtle”, resistance to change is often unspoken and subtle. Lloyd goes on to point out that that “a
resistant person will say the right things but make no Changes in behavior or subtly undermine
anyone who does.
When it comes to implementing a change Lloyd’s stated that “The leader is the most important
factor in change”. It is up to the leader to provide clear communication about the changes that
need to be made. However, if the employees have not developed a trust for the leader it doesn’t
matter what the message is. As Kreitner and Cassidy suggested “promises of improvement are
likely to fall on deaf ears when employees do not trust management” (424). Kreitner and Cassidy
goon to make a point that I had not considered in the past but if a leader doesn’t trust their people
it can also cause additional resistance because the leader may not permit necessary participation
from their people.
Another interesting point that Lloyd made is how change is communicated, leaders need to
realize that change within an organization can have a big effect on people’s lives. They also need
to take this into account when determining they are going to communicate the change. Face to
face communication can build trust, this will also allow employees to ask questions to gain a
better understanding of the change. Out of Lloyd’s entire Article I feel that the last sentence has
the biggest impact “you don’t build trust via email and you can’t change an organization via
memos and speeches”. Employees need to feel valued and having face to face communication
can have a huge impact on minimizing the resistance to change.
Works Cited
Kreitner, Robert, and Carlene M Cassidy. Management. 12th ed., Mason, OH, South-Western,
2011. Print
Lloyd, Joan . “Resistance to change is often subtle Leadership is key.” Milwaukee Business