1.0 INTRODUCTION In this chapter, the background to the study is given, a statement of the

Resistance to change is an expected reaction of human nature. We are not accustomed to change, as it is possible to lead to failure; however, there are also ways to manage the resistance within the company.

This article discusses the pros and cons of advocating change within the workplace. It also discusses the reason (s) individuals are said to resist change because of habit and inertia, fear of the unknown, absence of the skills they will need after the change, and fear of losing power. OD approaches to organizational change presents a solid consensus that change and resistance can and should be "managed" by developing a strategy for change and using the OD tool kit of interventions such as training and communication programs, confrontation meetings, stakeholder

Change is particularly difficult if it is unexpected. It is far easier to accept change if an employee has time to digest the news and prepare to take action once the change has occur. Some of the concerns that worry employees may be address by creating clear goals and timelines that employee can easily follow. As well as addressing the chief objective “why are we changing?” Once these questions have been answer and employees buy in to them change will be easier and resistance will diminish (Strebel, 1996).

Organizational change is not easy, but is an integral component that often allows the company and its employees to be prosperous. There are many ways to approach organizational change. Some are scientific theories like those stated in Organizational Behavior and Management (John Ivancevich) while others like John P. Kotter in “The Heart of Change,” believe it is just getting to the heart of your employees. If an organization today wants to be successful, they must understand why change is resisted and determine how to create a process to overcome this resistance

Even though organizational change can be a valid solution to many problems commonly experienced in the current structure of an organization. One of the primary challenges all organizations incur during implementation is change resistance. This would imply that the plan for change should consider issues associated with resistance in order to eliminate or reduce the associated risk factors. An article featured by the Harvard business review by Rosabeth Moss Kanter (2012) identified the most common (10) reasons change is met with resistance:

Personal impact and fear of change are not the only causes of resistance by individuals during a change to business practices. The lack of respect and negative attitudes can also lead to employees resisting business change. If an employee lacks respect or has a negative attitude towards a person or department leading the change, then there are more likely to oppose the new ideas being implemented. Poor communication greatly impacts individuals’ accepted to new practices in a company. Typically if an employee is given new behaviors to adopt, but is given no reason, then that employee may reject the change. Upper management must effectively relate the value, need and benefit of the change to help get employees on board with new changes. The lack of individual input can also lead to resistance. Some individuals feel the need to be included in new ideas. When employees are not asked to be involved in changes, they may lack the vision of importance or will to change. A heavier workload can also cause opposition among employees. Employees may not embrace more systems and requirements needed

Change is a fact of organizational life that develops in response to interpersonal, cultural, environmental, and other external factors that fluctuate and change for various reasons. Employees can display varying levels of resistance ranging from aggressive resistance to apathy (Spector, 2012). Resistance is a concern because it undermines the effectiveness of the change implementation process, but there are tools available which leaders can utilize to reduce this possibility. The essential tools will be discussed in this paper along with the reasons for utilizing them in a change implementation process.

(Levine, 1997; Huston, 1992; Steier, 1989; Arendt et al., 1995; Tessler, 1989; New and Singer, 1983). As Nord and Jermier (1994) express it, resistance is resisted rather than being purposively managed. Therefore, in order to successfully lead an organization through major change it is important for management to balance both human and organization needs (Spiker and Lesser, 1995; Ackerman, 1986). Organizational change is driven by personal change (Band, 1995; Steinburg, 1992; Dunphy and Dick, 1989). Individual change is needed in order for organizational change to succeed (Evans, 1994). This paper reports on a study that aimed to identify, measure and evaluate how human elements including cognitive and affective processes are associated with an individual 's level of resistance to organizational change.

The top obstacle to successful change is employee resistance at all levels: Front-line, middle managers, and senior managers.

To identify the key elements of the resistanceto change described in this situation, one may make use of the six Change Approaches of Kotter and Schlesinger.[1]The model prevents, minimizes or descreases resistance to change in organizations. According to Kotter and Schlesinger (1979), there are four reasons that why people resist change, three of which are applicable to this case:

There are four primary reasons that people resist change. Once managers know what types to look for, they will be better equipped to spot change resistance in the organization.

‘The business environment is at present moving through a dynamic and turbulent phase driven by technological change, globalization and increasingly competitive markets' (Palmer and Hartley 2002).

Change is an inevitable, it is difficult to ensure it occurs without any problems to your organization. It is good to understand that resistance to change is a frequent and natural occurrence. The most common reasons for resisting change are as follows:

The proposed study will be divided into five chapters. Chapter one will set out the background of the study and present various definitions of

This chapter provides more information on the background to the study. Definition of terms and concepts used will be explained as well as the motivation for the study. Finally, an overview of the research methodology to be used in the present study is explained.