A 28 page paper. Change is a natural part of life, it is a natural process but when change is proposed in the workplace, employees are very often very resistant to the proposal. This essay offers introductory comments about change, which is followed by a discussion of the types or levels of change that might be made. The writer then comprehensively explains and discusses resistance to change and the reasons for resistance, such as fear of loss and fear of the unknown. The next section comments on what else can go wrong in the change process, followed by approaches and methods for overcoming resistance, such as Lewin's equalizing forces, Rogers and Scott's diffusion model and Preston's Organizational Aikido model. In the last section, the writer comments on making changes in education. Numerous experts and theorists are cited. Bibliography lists 31 sources.
Name of Research Paper File: MM12_PGchng8.rtf
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way or other. Lindberg comments that "change is a natural process" (1999, p. 34). Life itself is change (Lindberg, 1999). However, the rapidity and degree of changes in the world
in the last two decades have been overwhelming to many. Despite the fact that change is part of normal life, trying to implement a change in any organization is
a major challenge (Howardell, 2000). It is an endeavor that fails more often than it succeeds (Howardell, 2000). Howardell suggests the "difficulties" with trying to implement change "come from two
areas: 1.) the attempt to design a process that is better in some way than the existing process; and 2.) the attempt to get people to accept and embrace the
new process" without sabotaging it (Howardell, 2000). Howardell also comments that anyone "who has attempted to implement significant change will tell you the latter, getting people to change, is the
more difficult of the two" (Howardell, 2000). Lindberg explains that one of the reasons for the difficulties associated with implementing changes is the mindset established in too many management training
programs (1999). Lindberg explains the factors inherent in the mindset: * Change happens before we know about it (Lindberg, 1999, p. 34). * We all have to just cope with
change (Lindberg, 1999, p. 34). * The catalyst for change is typically one issue, or just a few issues (Lindberg, 1999, p. 34). * Change typically impacts only a few
elements in the business, at most (Lindberg, 1999, p. 34). This mindset is developed as a result of students reviewing case studies when studying change and these case studies
most often focus on only one or two issues, or driving forces, for change (Lindberg, 1999). Lindberg suggests a different mindset, a different paradigm, needs to be developed regarding change