One of the most baffling and recalcitrant of the problems which business executives face is employee resistance to change. Such resistance may take a number of forms—persistent reduction in output, increase in the number of “quits” and requests for transfer, chronic quarrels, sullen hostility, wildcat or slowdown strikes, and, of course, the expression of a lot of pseudological reasons why the change will not work. Even the more petty forms of this resistance can be troublesome.
All too often when executives encounter resistance to change, they “explain” it by quoting the cliche that “people resist change” and never look further. Yet changes must continually occur in industry. This applies with particular force to the all-important “little” changes that constantly take place—changes in work methods, in routine office procedures, in the location of a machine or a desk, in personnel assignments and job titles.
No one of these changes makes the headlines, but in total they account for much of our increase in productivity. They are not the spectacular once-in-a-lifetime technological revolutions that involve mass layoffs or the obsolescence of traditional skills, but they are vital to business progress.
Does it follow, therefore, that business management is forever saddled with the onerous job of “forcing” change down the throats of resistant people? My answer is no. It is the thesis of this article that people do not resist technical change as such and that most of the resistance which does occur is unnecessary. I shall discuss these points, among others:
1. A solution which has become increasingly popular for dealing with resistance to change is to get the people involved to “participate” in making the change. But as a practical matter “participation” as a device is not a good way for management to think about the problem. In fact, it may lead to trouble.
Continue Reading at https://hbr.org/1969/01/how-to-deal-with-resistance-to-change
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Feliciano Center for Entrepreneurship
Montclair State University
October 13-17, 2014
Marjorie Perry is the president and CEO of MZM Construction & Management Company, Inc. She is also an innovator, public speaker, writer and role model for women and minorities in business. Marjorie built a career working for such corporations as 3M, Johnson & Johnson and United Airlines, before launching her own consulting firm focused on helping entrepreneurs succeed in the marketplace. Impressed by her insight and vision, MZM Construction, which was one of her clients at the time, asked her to join the business as a partner. Eventually Marjorie became the sole principal and CEO of the company. Under her guidance, MZM Construction has enjoyed more than 20 years of profitable performance. Her Newark-based construction and transportation firm has done notable projects for the New Jersey Performing Arts Center in Newark, New Jersey, Delta Airlines at the Port Authority of NY/NJ, Verizon, Continental Airlines, for Marriott Courtyard/Residence Inn Hotels and the New Meadowland Stadium.
Marjorie excelled in additional coursework at Rutgers, Stevens, NYU and NJIT, and has a BA degree from Kean University. She received her MBA from NJIT and completed Leadership for the 21st Century at the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College. Her passion for continuing education carries over into MZM’s commitment to keeping up with new industry developments and technologies that can benefit their clients.
Marjorie has received numerous awards and recognitions, including being listed in New Jersey’s premier business publication, NJBIZ, as one of the state’s Best 50 Women in Business, and as one of the Top 25 Entrepreneurs in New Jersey. New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie selected Marjorie to be a member of the New Jersey Economic Development Authority. More recently, she was announced as the SBA’s 2012 New Jersey Small Business Person of the Year.
LINK: http://www.montclair.edu/entrepreneur/how-we-think/the-team/marjorie-perry/
