In process improvement, this question comes up again and again. When Management is convinced of the change, they sometimes view employees who doubt as being ‘change resistant’. These employees are seen as roadblocks to be overcome. As people who just want to keep doing things the way they’ve done them. Of course, there are people like this – but fewer than you’d think in my experience.
Why are people resistant to change after all? Maybe they have good reason. Maybe they can see flaws in the approach – they know the detail of the work after all. Maybe they think there is a better way to do it but no-one’s asked them. I’m simply not convinced that most people are resistant to change. Why is it that so many make New Year’s resolutions to get fit, lose weight, join a dating agency and so on? Because they want change. But they want change when they are in the driving seat. Not to be told what changes are going to happen to them. I spoke with someone once about the introduction of computers to the workplace. She was an experienced secretary and shorthand typist. She arrived at work one day to find her typewriter replaced by a computer. And her boss thought she’d be delighted. She was not. Was she ‘change resistant’? No – but she wanted to be involved in the change rather than have it done to her. So it is when the decision is made to automate a process without involving the people who do the day-to-day work in improving the process first.
One of the trickiest parts of process improvement efforts is not the complex techniques, or the statistics, it is implementing change that sticks. The secret is to involve the people doing the work. Something I have seen time and time again is the enthusiasm and ingenuity of those doing the work to actually improve what they do. People love to take time to understand their work better, with measurements if possible. And to come up with new ways of working. When those ways of working are implemented, they have a much better chance of sticking than the top-down ones from Management. These small teams are a delight to facilitate. With some guidance in process improvement, and the time and support, they can move mountains.
To get effective change, Management should set the direction and then support the employees to work out the best way to get there. This is true empowerment. And change resistance will melt away.
Text: © 2021 Dorricott MPI Ltd. All rights reserved.
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