Employees Actually Embrace Change: The Chimera of Resistance

Abstract

The belief that people resist change is widely held in organizational life. This paper will explore that belief in a number of ways. The phrase "resistance to change" is unmasked by briefly deconstructing the term. A review of the literature suggests that there is no commonly held definition for resistance to change. In fact definitions range from willful opposition to valuable passion. To begin an effort at understanding change in all its richness and depth, an exploratory study used interviews to reveal the fullness of how people experience change at work. Six primary dimensions surfaced from 945 change incidents analyzed. Reactions to change varied considerably by dimension. Overall, interviewees made 1.9 positive statements about change for every negative statement. The belief in resistance to change may be not only inaccurate, but one which impedes the success of change efforts.

Keywords: Employees, Actually, Embrace, Change, Chimera, Resistance