Problem:
Change is hard for some people and they fear change or see change as a danger so they may engage in either avoidance which is a defense mechanism through which people refuse to acknowledge change or the existence of change. These people kind of have the head in the sand mentality. The other reaction to change is reluctance this is a phase in which people may even sabotage the change or process in order to preserve the old way. Some of the things you may hear is "it will never happen." as they continue to do things the old way. I have seen reluctance at every level of organizations during times of change. People to exactly the opposite of what is expected. How someone reacts to change is influenced by their attributions because attributions are characteristics that we have acquired over time and have been influenced by family, culture, ethnicity, education and social and environmental factors. If a person has a strong character they may be a little leery of change but they will adapt because they see the world in a more positive light than those who have negative personalities. People with positive attributes and strong character are able to keep things and change in perspective.
Another form of resistance to change can be apathy. If people involved in change really don't want the change to work they can just sit back and ignore all of the efforts that we are undertaking to make it work. A good example would be a government program such as No Child Left Behind and the local community simply standing back and watching this program fail because they resent the interference of the federal government.
What are your thoughts on Servant Leadership?
What are your thoughts on this topic of resistance to change?