What causes “resistance to change”?

The environment changes in many ways. However, if the organization is unable to accept these changes and adapt to the new environment, it faces a crisis. When the leader of the organization notices the change, he or she incites a sense of crisis among the members, saying, “If you don’t change, the organization will go out of business”.
Can the agitated members change just by being agitated by the crisis?

Naturally, the members wonder, How will the organization change? What will happen to my job as a result of this? What will happen to my job as a result of this change? This is what is called “uncertainty about the future”.

They also wonder, Will I do well in the new organization? Will I be able to adapt? Will I be able to adapt? This is anxiety about learning something new.

Leaders need to address these anxieties of their members as well as instill a sense of urgency. In other words, they must convince each member of the need to change, and create momentum for change throughout the organization.

E. Schein describes the anxiety that accompanies change as follows: In order for change to work, it must be done well, he says, it must be done right. 
To make change work, the fear of learning something new must be less than the fear of the future.
Schein also points out that resistance to change arises because of the “organizational culture” behind it, which is accumulated and shared through experience.
There are three levels of organizational culture, from Level 1 on the surface to Level 3 on the deep level.

Level 1 (surface level): culture (artifacts)
Visible artifacts such as the company’s physical environment and company events. It is difficult to explain why this is so. It is difficult to explain why this is so.

Level 2 (middle tier): values being advocated
Imagined values that create the values of the organization. For example, codes of conduct and guidelines for behavior.

Level 3 (deep level): Basic processes that lie behind the values
Beliefs, perceptions, thoughts, and feelings that are unconsciously taken for granted.

When these are accumulated as Level 3 basic processes through successful experiences, the organization becomes resistant to change.

The leader of a company or organization is the one who takes this three-tier structure and leads the entire organization in communicating, spreading, and implementing the significance of new learning…i.e., reskilling. In this way, the organization realizes change and evolves.

(The above English translation is for a reference purpose only and a re-translation of the Japanese into English. Accordingly, please refer to the original text as appropriate.)


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This article was written in Japanese and converted into English using a translation tool. We hope you will forgive us for any inadequacies.
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