Change is one of the aspects of the organization's performance. It is an element, which benefits the company's performance more, than it damages it. In fact, change can become a start for the future company's development, which will push employees to the new level of performance. The main aim of the research is to identify the ways, in which employees can effectively resist to changes. In this case, effectiveness means that the resistance brings benefits to the company's performance. The research will identify the main ways, in which employees will try to avoid changes proposed by top management of the company. Obviously, resistance not always means that the company goes through the difficult stage of misunderstanding between employees and top management. In fact, employees become the source of the company's transformation. Resistance only means that the company needs to find an appropriate approach to proving employees that changes are necessary for further development. This paper outlines the main ways, which lead to the long-term accommodation of the employees to changes. It examines the main ways, which employees effectively use in the process of change resistance. Finally, the paper concludes regarding the place of change resistance within the general system of management.
In general, the main objective of change resistance is employees. The research takes into consideration employee's behavior, cooperation, teamwork, ability to adhere to the changeable environment, and general identity to the company's traditions. All these aspects have a direct influence on the employee's ability to accept changes. However, these aspects play a major role in employee's resistance to the changes in the management system strategies or policy. In addition, the research includes reasons and basement of employee's decisions regarding changes. It explores the nature of human behavior within company's performance. The paper discusses the diversity of other objectives, which play a major role in shaping human resources management (HRM) system. In general, HRM is the part of the company's performance responsible for employee's resistance. That is the reason the research takes HRM as a basement of employee's resistance to changes. Change management is another aspect, which plays a significant role in shaping effective research of the problem. The interlocking nature of HRM and change management becomes the basement of further the investigations and research in the field of resistance. It helps to outline the main ways of employee resistance, explain human behavior within company's performance and further integration of resistance for the sake of the company's development. The paper does not take into consideration any financial data, policy of making strategies, planning, competitor's influence or environment in general. The main objective of the research is employees and the internal environment, which contributes to the establishment of behavioral patterns within employees. In fact, the research takes into account internal environment with all its aspects, which create a specific nature for the performance of every employee. All elements of the workplace have a significant impact on the employee's performance and productivity. Resistance to the change means that employees became used to the traditional performance and need time to adhere to changes. Accommodation of employees is another objective taken into consideration, which can explain ways of effective resistance. It means that the research takes into account the positive side of the resistance. In this case, the research does not take into consideration any aspects of customer service. Its objective is to take into account the influence of changes introduced by top management. The company is responsible for investigation of the main ways of employee's resistance as long as it promotes the development of the company and its further growth. It expands the view on employee's behavior.
Many authors dedicated their studies to the research of the resistance to change among employees. Yue (2008) defined resistance in the following way "Resistance at its most obvious is a slow motion response to meet agreements or even a complete refusal to cooperate with change." According to Bolognese (2002), "The first known published reference to research on resistance to change in organizations was a 1948 study conducted by Lester Coch and John R. P. French entitled, "Overcoming Resistance to Change." It means that change has always taken a significant part in the management of the companies. Many critics do not stop their research on one study. They continue their investigation into the problem later in the process of company's growth and development. Obviously, resistance to change is an essential element of the company's performance and stages of improvement. Employees go through the difficult process of accommodation when they face changes. According to Dent (1999), "Employees may resist the unknown, being dictated to, or management ideas that do not seem feasible from the employees' standpoint." Change management and employee's resistance formulates an interlocking system along with HRM. In general, resistance has different epicenters. It involves three parts of the company's performance. Resistance takes into account the area of changes, process making changes, and employees who fall under influence of the company's transformations. Resistance is a natural pattern of behavior of a person, which falls in unusual conditions. It means that employees try to oppose the intention of the company to implement changes. There is no doubt that employees get used to the traditional system of management. In fact, they need time to accommodate to the new approach towards any change introduced by the company. Many authors compare resistance to change to the organism's ability to fight the disease. They explain their example by mentioning that resistance comes as a natural response to the disease. It is a fact that diseases arouse an automatic reaction intended to fight the transformation. Employees may understand that changes will benefit their performance, but they may still resist transformation of the company's structure or policy. However, there is a point in employee's perception of the problem as a disease. Experienced employees may see gaps in the company's transformation. In fact, the company should guide its employees in order to cooperate with them in case of evaluation of gaps in the change management. Effective change management means that the company guides its employees through the process of accommodation and company's transformation. Changes affect employees from all levels of the performance. There is no doubt that both top management and employees may go through a difficult process of accommodation. For example, when employees face problems in accommodation to the changes, they reflect their negative emotions on top management. Top management, in its turn, becomes confused and expresses its resistance to the changes among employees caused by unexpected behavioral pattern. It is obvious that the resistance is a process, which touches upon all aspects of human behavior.
Any system has its strengths and weaknesses. It is necessary to take into consideration different aspects of all objectives, which give an insight into the nature of employees' behavior. The level of employee resistance to change is an indicator of the company's effective management of human resources (Stanley, 2005). Regardless of the level of employee resistance, it has a positive impact on the company's performance. Any change teaches employees to accommodate and switch into the mode, which will allows performing effectively in terms of changeable environment. It teaches employees that it is necessary to be ready for any company's transformation (Pieterse, 2012). As a result, changes leave only powerful and capable employees to accommodate to changes. In addition, it will solve the problem of communication within the boundaries of the company. It will help employees cope with their problems in a team. Teamwork will gain another level of efficiency. In addition, the company will achieve a stronger management system, which will include only those employees, which can accommodate to the changes (Zafar, 2014). It will have to maintain balance between company's functions during breaks in the management system, structure of the company or policy. Employees and the company in general become strong enough to accommodate to the changes both in external and internal environment.
Employee's resistance to changes also has its weaknesses. Changes arouse fear, discomfort, irritation, and rejection of basic rules within the company's policy. According to Baker (1989), "One other major type of employee fear is caused when the potential social consequences of the change are not anticipated and allowed for." In fact, employees may lose balance between their usual performance and changes introduced by the company. As a result, employees lose the key to the successful performance, and the company may obtain a chaotic nature of behavior (Lunenberg, 2010). Chaotic behavioral patterns, in its turn, may lead to imbalance in the company's strategic plans and employee's productivity (Beal, 2013). It is the main weakness of employee's resistance to change. The company, which goes through a process of transformation, should be ready to lose employees with lacking accommodation abilities. In addition, it is possible that the company will face conflicts and misunderstanding among employees (Liaz, 2011). It may lead to sabotage of the projects introduced by the company, which implement changes into the company's performance. As a result, the company may lose the track of its further development.
Any company should be aware of the fact that change management affects the company's performance and productivity. It enhances human behavior in terms of emergencies. It teaches how to switch to the mode of accommodation. These advantages and many others form the diversity of benefits, which help the company improve its performance and financial sustainability. However, disadvantages of the employee resistance include employee's fear, irritation, and inability to cooperate and work in teamwork. In addition, employees may lose the track of the company's values, mission and traditions. That is the reason employer should carefully choose an appropriate change management approach.
In conclusion, it is essential to mention that resistance is a process, which should not arouse doubts among top management of the company. It is a tool, which can regulate the effectiveness of the company's transformation program. It helps to evaluate the most-effective ways of the implementation of changes. It introduces the regulation of employee's response to a transformation. In fact, resistance helps the company formulate a strong team of professionals. Obviously, the process of resistance may cause a leak in the company's human resources, which means that the company may experience a lack of employees. However, those who manage to go through accommodation process and changes, become the basement of the company. Resistance has its strengths and weaknesses. It is an element, which has a significant impact at all levels of the company's performance. Top management and its subordinates have to accommodate to changes. The company is a comprehensive system of human relations and cooperation, which may result in effective teamwork. It is the company's obligation to guide employees in the process of accommodation to changes. Effective change management is a tool, which can help employers create an effective management system. In fact, employees develop identity to the company's traditions regardless of internal or external changes. The company should realize that it has a significant impact on employee's behavior. It should support any initiative of the employee and support his intention to take part in transformation. However, it may become a challenge for both the company and its employees to make transformations. It is hard to make recommendations as every company has its specific nature and conditions. In general, the company should actively support employees and help them to create effective teamwork. According to Avey (2008), "it follows that to be successful, employees undergoing change would need to have the motivation and alternate pathways determined (i.e., hope) when obstacles are encountered and make optimistic attributions of when things go wrong and have a positive outlook for the future." This step is essential for the company's growth and development. Moreover, the company should emphasize that it goes through the same process of accommodation along with its employees. Equality can become a key to the effective resistance. Regardless of the employee's negative attitude towards company's transformation, the company improves its productivity. In fact, resistance is an element, which contributes to the company's growth and development. It comprises its productivity and efficiency of resources usage.
