Challenging “Resistance to Change”

This article examines the origins of one of the most widely accepted mental models that drives organizational behavior: the idea that there is resistance to change and that managers must overcome it. This mental model, held by employees at all levels, interferes with successful change implementation...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:The Journal of applied behavioral science 1999-03, Vol.35 (1), p.25-41
Main Authors: Dent, Eric B., Goldberg, Susan Galloway
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Change
Employees
Middle management
Organizational Behavior
Organizational change
Psychological aspects
Resistance
Self interest
Studies
Systems Theory
Textbooks
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:This article examines the origins of one of the most widely accepted mental models that drives organizational behavior: the idea that there is resistance to change and that managers must overcome it. This mental model, held by employees at all levels, interferes with successful change implementation. The authors trace the emergence of the term resistance to change and show how it became received truth. Kurt Lewin introduced the term as a systems concept, as a force affecting managers and employees equally. Because the terminology, but not the context, was carried forward, later uses increasingly cast the problem as a psychological concept, personalizing the issue as employees versus managers. Acceptance of this model confuses an understanding of change dynamics. Letting go of the term—and the model it has come to embody—will make way for more useful models of change dynamics. The authors conclude with a discussion of alternatives to resistance to change.
ISSN:0021-8863
1552-6879
DOI:10.1177/0021886399351003