Challenges of a change agent

When faced with resistance to change, it is useful to distinguish between initial resistance and experiential resistance. The purpose of this article is to describe the two types of resistance in the context of total quality efforts and to offer strategies for addressing them.

Initial resistance to change is a person's negative reaction to a change when he or she first hears it described. Initial resistance is a reaction to the change message before the change itself is experienced. The best response to initial resistance is better communications.

Experiential resistance to change is a person's negative reaction in the midst of a change, based on first-hand experience. Experiential resistance may be to the change itself.

INITIAL RESISTANCE TO CHANGE

Not all initial resistance to change is stubborn or small-minded. Some resistance is sensible or at least understandable. When change agents call for change, there are at least nine understandable reactions:

1. "Huh?" This is the first reaction of all human beings to new messages. Anyone who has ever given instructions to a group knows this: you go over the instructions carefully, then half of the people in the room turn to the person next to them and say, "What are we supposed to do?" In this case, people aren't being resistant, they're being human.

Strategy: Leaders and change agents have to repeat their messages over and over. As Jack Welch of GE has pointed out: "You've got to be out in front of crowds, repeating yourself over and over again, never changing your message no matter how much it bores you. You need an overarching message, something big but simple and understandable." Also, it helps to remember that words such as quality, value, customer, and process take on huge and important connotations to believers but do not automatically have meaning to new listeners.

2. "You're insulting me or my past." Your message of change implies that I don't care about doing a good job, that I have not worked hard, or that I'm not a good manager. Since you don't seem to like me, I don't like your message.

Strategy: Don't do this. Don't insult people or their institutions, or invalidate anyone's past.

3. "I don't like to jump on bandwagons." If your industry is fast-changing, like fashion or computers, people may be used to change. However, many of us did not grow up in an environment where it was important to get there first. We were told not to buy that high-tech item now -- the price will come down. Remember what happened to the people who bought Beta tape players!

Strategy: See 4. below.

4. "I believe that nothing really changes -- the pendulum just swings back and forth." There's some truth to this in everyday life -- ties get wider and narrower, hemlines get higher and lower. But those are gentle cycles, not real change.

Strategy: Point out that when fundamental paradigm shifts occur, things don't go back. We didn't swing back to hand-lettering after the printing press came along, or back to radio after television was invented.

5. "I just don't think much of these new tools and concepts." In other words, I don't see flowcharts, statistics, or mission statements as very useful. Maybe I have a hard time with the idea that my work is measurable, that it can be done so much faster, or that my customers' opinions should be given such weight. Perhaps I'm not used to thinking about work at all hours, or working with people of other functions, or going back to school.

Discomfort with new tools and ideas is normal and understandable. As Arthur Stone Dewing wrote in Harvard Business Review in 1923: "The human mind welcomes the familiar. It is prejudiced in favor of that which it knows about and against that of which it is ignorant."

Strategy: Emphasize trying the tools. Reiterate that no one has a vested interest in using tools that do not work. Support those groups who are looking for new tools and techniques.

6. "I don't think this is the answer to our problems." In other words, I don't think that the quality of our goods, services, and operations is the problem. It's a strategy, marketing, or financial problem.

Strategy: First, as time passes and successes occur, the value of the change becomes clear. As biologist James Lovelock has pointed out: "At first people say 'no way', then they say 'maybe', finally they say 'I knew it all the time'." Second, point out that the habits of data analysis, problem solving, process management, prevention of defects, and inter-functional communication can only enhance strategic, marketing, and financial decisions.

7. "I don't like the way we're implementing this." In other words, I don't think we need this particular type of training, customer survey, consulting follow-up, or whatever. This is a common and understandable reaction. While everyone might agree on the importance of customer feedback, the exact format of a customer survey and the method for implementing it can be very debatable.

Strategy: Communicate the logic behind the implementation strategy. Involve people as much as possible in implementation planning. Be clear about values behind the implementation such as, everyone will be trained.

8. "I'm cynical about other people around here, particularly senior people, really changing." I believe that, when the rubber meets the road, the company isn't really committed. Let's see them do it first -- I'll wait and see.

Strategy: The leaders have to really do it -- over and over again. As Natasha Josefowitz, points out: "A behavior has to be repeated seventeen times before it becomes believable to others!"

9. "I'm afraid I'm not going to make out well in all this." In other words, I'm afraid of making a mistake, of losing face, losing power, or losing my job.

Strategy: When communicating about change, take a page from Federal Express' approach to communication. At Federal Express, they assume that every associate has three questions all the time:

* Clarity: "What do you expect of me?"

* Rewards: "What's in it for me?"

* Justice: "Where do I go with a problem?"

Clear answers to these questions are the best response to fears.

EXPERIENTIAL RESISTANCE TO CHANGE

Experiential resistance to change often occurs when change efforts reach a plateau. On a plateau, the pace of change stalls and feelings of doubt about the organization's ability to change appear.

Your change effort may be plateauing if you observe some of these symptoms:

* Despite lots of effort -- many teams and lots of dollars -- overall performance of the organization has not improved...

* It is hard to describe, with facts, how the process is going. Anecdotal reports are all that are available. If activity data are tracked, it is hard to link the activities to organizational performance...

* People refer to the change effort in the past tense...

* Customers cannot tell you what the change effort means for them...

* The initiative has not produced noticeable changes in the behavior and practices of the leaders...

* New employees do not experience a different culture than the one described by veteran employees.

There are many reasons for the plateauing effect. One is simply that it is far easier to want to change than to actually change. Also, we tend to be better at spotting the need for change in others -- other people, other divisions, other companies -- than at changing ourselves.

STRATEGIES FOR RESPONDING TO EXPERIENTIAL RESISTANCE TO CHANGE

The best way to respond to experiential resistance is to assess and modify the change effort. Total quality efforts are actually quite resilient. With a renewed focus, the effort can become what it was originally intended to be. Some effective strategies are:

Conduct a thorough self assessment... Develop a survey based on your organizational principles and conduct it throughout the company. The results of the survey will tell how well the company is living its philosophy, as well as provide areas of focus and an impetus for change. Honest feedback from associates provides a clear picture of reality. Basing a survey on your statement of principles can make that document a source of renewed vigor.

Set ambitious goals to drive improvement... Translate the mission and vision of the organization into quantifiable performance improvement targets. These mission measures can be used to judge progress and put a dose of reality into lofty language. Such measures prevent the vision from becoming a mirage and the mission from turning to mush.

Expect results...Ignacio Lopez, the former head of purchasing at General Motors, reportedly approached his job with such zeal that his team adopted his warrior spirit. Senior managers, including CEO Jack Smith, adopted his habit of wearing their watches on their right wrists until the return of profitability at GM of North America. The warrior spirit and opposite wrist watches became symbols of the restless expectation to turn things around.

Plan, and plan to re-plan...Develop a comprehensive plan. One of our clients has taken the task of planning for change to a highly refined level. One-year and three-year visions are broken into 90-and 180-day plans with specific benchmarks. Within a 90-day period, it is clear whether the plan is on track or has fallen behind. In either case, the next 90-day plan is built based on progress to date.

Get new blood -- assign your best and brightest...Many internal change agents are highly talented and capable of contributing to a successful change effort, but lack line-management credibility and the ability to sell new ideas within the company. Bringing successful line managers onto the change team increases experience, expertise, and support.

Change the systems...Signal the rebirth of your effort by changing some of the systems that support the old culture. For example, performance evaluation systems can be based 50% on team performance and 50% on individual performance. Such changes make the new culture real today.

Test against external criteria...Use the criteria from the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award to assess the scope of your overall effort. ISO 9000 can also provide an external reference point. These criteria broaden the base of your change effort and help address the business as a system.

Understanding and responding to the two types of resistance can help us respond more effectively and compassionately to each other's reactions to change.

REFERENCES

AMA Management Briefing. Blueprints for Service Quality: The Federal Express Approach. New York: American Management Association, 1991.

Josefowitz, Natasha. Paths to Power. Reading, Mass.: Addison-Wesley, 1980.

Lawrie, John. "The ABCs of Change Management."

Training & Development Journal, March 1990, Volume 44, Number 3, pp. 87-89.

PEOPLE'S REACTION TO CHANGE...(according to John Lawrie)

John Lawrie has these observations about our human reactions to change and offers the adjoining suggestions.

RESISTING CHANGE...

* People are funny. We view change that we initiate as needed and valuable. We resist change that is forced on us, no matter what the change is...

* We need predictability -- physical, psychological, and social. It is part of our basic need for security...

* We also need variety, creative outlets, and breaks in routine...

* Therefore, we must bring about change without threatening security.

ON OVERCOMING SUCH RESISTANCE...

* Provide as much lead time as possible...

* Allow people to participate in creating and installing the change...

* Expect resistance...

* Do not expect a uniform rate of change...

* Identify innovative groups and use them as pilots.

* Communicate the expected benefits of the change...

* Reward change.

ANOTHER GROUP OF REASONS/CAUSES FOR RESISTANCE TO CHANGE

1. Underestimating the work...The work and resources required in a change effort are not well understood at the outset. Change efforts often begin with a flurry of energy that is long on aspiration and short on implementation specifics. Certainly no one would think of starting construction on a skyscraper without a comprehensive plan, but this sometimes happens with organizational change. It's OK to call it a journey, so long as you supply maps.

In addition, because there is no database for assessing the magnitude of the change task, the resources needed are often underestimated. In some efforts, one mid-level person may be assigned to implement quality in a 10,000-person organization! The more specific the implementation plan, the more realistic the estimate of resources can be.

2. Focusing primarily on training...Implementing total quality requires learning a new set of skills and tools. Training is tangible and can be scheduled and coordinated. Training, however, assures little or no change in behavior. Without a plan to support on-the-job applications of newly learned practices, change doesn't occur. Total quality must be thought of as an organizational change effort, not a training effort.

3. Low, or vague, expectations for change...If performance improvement goals are not specifically defined and new cultural characteristics are not envisioned, there is inadequate fuel in the engine of change. Motorola fueled its change effort with aggressive goals on the order of ten-fold improvement in cycle time and defects.

4. Too much patience...Although implementing total quality successfully may take three-to-five years, there is no time to lose. Some increment of change must take place daily. Otherwise, the plan will continually stretch into the seemingly unreachable future. An unwritten law is that if nothing has really changed after nine months, the change effort loses its credibility.

5. Leadership is inadequate...Leaders that make the initial speech and then return to important tasks destine their efforts to failure. Leaders must be out in front, living the new culture.

6. Disconnection...If the effort is planned as an initiative unto itself, it will suffer from disconnection. Failure to connect the change strategy to the overall strategy or to the annual plans of the business are two common misses.

Copyright Association for Quality and Participation Jun 1994
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