Preview

Real Reason People Wont Change

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
1933 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Real Reason People Wont Change
INTRODUCTION OF THE ARTICLE
"The real reason people won't change" is an article by Robert Kegan and Lisa Laskow Lahey. The article was first published in November 2001 in Harvard Business Review. The article describes and summarize about the personal immunity of people that resist them from being changed.
The real reason people wont change is not due to lack of skill and deep commitment within them but it is due to hidden competing commitment followed by big assumptions. For some, the need is confidence-building, for others it's behavior change or skill development. But sometimes, no matter how hard a person tries, their progress remains inexplicably stalled. The situation can be as frustrating to bosses, colleagues, and family members as it is to the individual.
Organizational psychologists Robert Kegan and Lisa Laskow Lahey developed the theory of a "competing commitment" to explain what they term "personal immunity to change." Competing commitments are long held belief that has become an integral part of their make up so that it is difficult to change. When these beliefs are uncovered, change is possible. And it is still true that some people opt not to disrupt their immunity to change, choosing instead to continue their fruitless struggle against their competing commitments.
The competing commitments cause even the valued employee to behave in inexplicably and irremediable way. It is a subconscious hidden goal of the people that conflicts with their stated commitments. Many of these 'competing commitments' are based on long-held beliefs that are an integral part of their make-up so they can be difficult to change.
Some examples of competing commitments are: * Dragging one's feet on an assignment because one wants to avoid a next tougher assignment or future lack of work. * Avoiding teamwork or meetings because one wants to avoid the conflict that is associated with it. * Using sarcastic disruptive humor to keep oneself at a distance from a

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Better Essays

    It’s a psychological dynamic called a “competing commitment,” and until managers understand how it works and the ways to overcome it, they can’t do a thing about change-resistant employees.…

    • 6431 Words
    • 26 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Better Essays

    Resistance to change comes along quite a bit in all organizations; and individuals are comfortable with what he or she knows. Organizations are constantly struggling with combating resistance to change, and all the while keeping individuals ideas and concerns in mind. In order to make things a little easier Lewin’s theory can be used, to make this transition to change a little easier. There is also organizational and individual resistance, and what major factors can cause resistance to change. Resistance to change can be managed, and how it does solely relies on the organization. Organizations have a lot to cope with on a daily basis, and when changes are made this impacts the company as a whole. Many things can contribute to resistance to change, and listed below are factors organizations face when changes are implemented.…

    • 1428 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Better Essays

    For many years, the world of business has experienced an increasing rate of change. Alvin Toffler (1970) predicted the trend several decades ago. Toffler also noted that people exhibit a natural tendency to resist change. This resistance to change is a major organizational challenge that organizations must learn to manage. As individuals respond to change in different ways, and as variations in responses produce different outcomes the recognition of this resistance to change is an essential step in the development and implementation of effective change management strategies. Change, positive or negative, is unsettling because people seek stability. Certain individuals are more resistant to change than others, at times there can be situational characteristics such as a lack of trust in management contributing to this resistance to change. Often this resistance to change is out of self interest, at stake can be factors such as income, job security, prestige, power, and personal convenience. Low tolerance for change, lack of trust in management, and self interest are all factors which result in resistance to change. However my experience suggests that lack of understanding of the need for change can be the single greatest contributing factor and is the factor which the organization has the greatest control over.…

    • 1114 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Change Discussion

    • 593 Words
    • 2 Pages

    According to Mcshane & Steen in Canadian Organizational Behaviour, 8th Edition, many people today still resist change as it was reported that 71% of Canadian managers says that their employees resist change (Mcshane & Steen, 410). There are several reasons to the resistance of change among employees and one of the most common factor is related to the direct cost in which…

    • 593 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Organizational Change Plan

    • 1877 Words
    • 8 Pages

    Wynn, G. (2005). Managing Resistance to change, A change in employee attitude IS possible. Retrieved from Change Management: http://www.managingchange.biz/index.html…

    • 1877 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Change in the Workplace

    • 724 Words
    • 3 Pages

    For change to be effective, people must understand and actively participate in the process. To successfully get personnel to buy into change, the change insurgent has to accurately and effectively convey the current state of the market. By doing this, they can convince personnel of the benefits that can be gained from the proposed change. People have a tendency to resist change. By explaining the danger of maintaining the status quo, change insurgent can impress upon personnel that success often means changing before the competition sees the need for change and that survival requires action, not reaction. Reich (2000) recommends making it "impossible for people inside the company to stay comfortable".…

    • 724 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Organizational change has become very prevalent when discovered amongst successful companies and plays a significant role in designing a lucrative business. Although “change is good”, it is important for management to accept that not all employees will be receptive to changes within the organization. Throughout the transformation, it is important for the organization to maintain a comfortable working environment and be prepared to handle the challenges that may stem from employees that may be resistant to change. Following are common reasons why employees and the organization as a whole may resist change:…

    • 1780 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Jick (1993) defines change as "a planned or unplanned response to pressure and forces. Change is inevitable and organizations, which do not respond to change, are likely to struggle and may eventually, die. Change however can be painful and therefore needs to be managed, as the empirical evidence points to approximately 66% of major changes as failures. Fortune 500 executives claim that this is not because of a lack of resources but resistance to the change. Managing change will facilitate the achievement of strategic goals of the organization, which is its primary focus.…

    • 832 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Change Management Plan Paper

    • 2603 Words
    • 11 Pages

    References: Atkinson, P. (2005, Spring). Managing resistance to change. Management Services, 49(1), 14-19. Retrieved September 1, 2006, from EBSCOhost database…

    • 2603 Words
    • 11 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Best Essays

    The No Asshole Rule Summary

    • 3274 Words
    • 14 Pages

    “The No Asshole Rule” by Robert Sutton effectively illustrates the multitude of detrimental effects abusive staff members can have on fellow employees. Sutton discusses in detail how to identify both certified and temporary assholes, how to deal with and reform these assholes, and how to keep from becoming an asshole oneself, supplemented with anecdotal examples and studies that reinforce his opinion that the removal of these types of destructive people will maximize workplace productivity and relieve the workplace of asshole poisoning. For employees that cannot leave their current job situation, he offers advice on how to survive these kind of people and how to negate their damaging influence. By primarily focusing on how…

    • 3274 Words
    • 14 Pages
    Best Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Resistance to Change

    • 514 Words
    • 3 Pages

    An individual is likely to resist change for many reasons. Some of these include, uncertainty, concern over personal loss, and the belief that the change is not in the organization’s best interest. Employees in organizations often hold a dislike for uncertainty. The second cause of resistance is the fear of losing something already possessed, the more people have invested in the current system, the more they resist change. They fear the loss of their position, money, authority, friendships, personal convenience, or other benefits that they value. The final cause of resistance is a person’s belief that the change is incompatible with the goals and best interests of the organizations. One of the most important resistant to change is fear of incompetence. Some people may fear they will not be able to handle the new job requirements. Therefore they manipulate the system for their own agenda. The morale in the organization becomes affected negatively and becomes fragile.…

    • 514 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Top 10 Reasons Employees Resist Change 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. The individual's personal predisposition to change. Surprise and fear of the unknown. Climate of mistrust. Fear of failure. Loss of status and/or job security. Peer pressure. Disruption of cultural traditions and/or group relationships. Personality conflicts. Lack of tact and/or poor timing. Not seeing the benefits.…

    • 706 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    "Leading Change" Simulation

    • 7838 Words
    • 32 Pages

    de Jager, P. (2001, May/Jun). Resistance to change: a new view of an old problem. The Futurist, 24-27.…

    • 7838 Words
    • 32 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    issues on resistance to change and examine their relationship to one of the objectives of…

    • 4334 Words
    • 18 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Best Essays

    Meyer, J. P., Allen, N. J., Topolnytsky, L. (1998). “Commitment in a Changing World at Work”.…

    • 3835 Words
    • 16 Pages
    Best Essays

Related Topics