Organizational Behavior (Stephen Robbins)

• Lack of communication and respect from one’s union representative


• Lack of opportunity for meaningful participation in decision making
  The researchers also found that employees with negative personalities were more likely
  to be cynical about change. While organizations might not be able to change an indi-
  vidual’s personality, they certainly have the ability to provide greater communication and
  respect, as well as opportunities to take part in decision making. The researchers found that
  cynicism about change led to such outcomes as lower commitment, less satisfaction, and
  reduced motivation to work hard. Exhibit 10-10 illustrates why some employees, partic-
  ularly Dilbert, may have reason to feel cynical about organizational change.

Organizational Resistance

Organizations, by their very nature, are conservative.^54 They

actively resist change. You do not have to look far to see evi-

dence of this phenomenon. Government agencies want to

continue doing what they have been doing for years, whether

the need for their service changes or remains the same.

Organized religions are deeply entrenched in their history.

Attempts to change church doctrine require great persist-

ence and patience. Educational institutions, which exist to open minds and challenge

established ways of thinking, are themselves extremely resistant to change. Most school

systems are using essentially the same teaching technologies today that they were 50

years ago. Similarly, most business firms appear highly resistant to change. Half of the

309 human resource executives of Canadian firms who took part in a 1998 survey rated

their companyies’ ability to manage change as “fair.”^55 One-third of them said that

their ability to manage change was their weakest skill, and only 25 percent of the com-

panies made a strong effort to train leaders in the change process. When organizations

refuse to change with the times, they can fail, as was the case with Eaton’s, which never

really adjusted to the arrival of Wal-Mart. When Eaton’s was founded in 1869 by Irish

immigrant Timothy Eaton, it was regarded as a “new wave” department store. Eaton’s con-

tinued to set that pace for many years, but by the early 1980s, the store was considered

dowdy rather than fashionable.^56

Six major sources of organizational resistance to change (shown in Exhibit 10-11 on

page 353) have been identified:^57

• Structural inertia. Organizations have built-in mechanisms—such as their selec-
  tion processes and formal regulations—to produce stability. When an organiza-

352 Part 4Sharing the Organizational Vision

EXHIBIT 10-10

Source:Dilbert, by Scott Adams. August 3, 1996. DILBERT reprinted by permission of United Feature

Syndicate, Inc.

What makes

organizations resist

change?

*