Resistance to change

To be in a position to anticipate change, it is essential to understand the risk factors and in particular the causes that prevent change. Apart from individual causes, before focusing attention on a case by case basis, resistance to change is often closely linked to more global, structural, short-term or even group causes.

Individual causes

Change implies a modification to the individual's environment which can cause anxiety due to:

• Changes in habitual settings (time, space, emotion, behaviour, etc.)
• Questioning of their role in the company, of what will happen to their job, etc...

Group causes

The employees of a company share common values, a business culture and certain rights as employees which may all be questioned when changes take place in the structure of the business. Change management must take these values into consideration and put in place a procedure which identifies these collective fears and reassures employees that these current values and employee rights will not be affected.

Structural and short-term causes

Structural and short-term causes represent the cultural fabric of the company, that is, the work conditions (hours, routine, etc.) and the operational structure of the company (office organisation, hierarchical organisation, etc.).

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