Barriers to Change in the Workplace:

 There will come a time in every organization when change shall become a necessity and detrimental for the survival of the company.

An organization is what shall not consider any change which is destined to failure and will cease to exist eventually. Barriers to innovation and creativity could be identified and an innovation implementation plan in that case can definitely help.

I’m going to discuss with you some of the barriers to change which are required in the workplace, how you can overcome them and what ways can you use to change the work culture of your company.

1. Loss of Control

People fear the loss of control, and this is why they try to avoid excess uncertainty at all cost. It is the fact that a company is built step by step over time and a surprise change in workday routine does not give the employees or the employer any room to deal with it mentally.

2. Loss of Face

An organization is very conscious of its brand image in the market and amongst its customers. It fears that a change might bring with its lots of uncertainties that could lead to loss of reputation.

3. Low employee morale:

One of the barriers to change is low employee morale in the organization. This is so because the workforce is unhappy with the decision of the management and the resulting dissent and lack of consensus results in low morale and loss of self-confidence. 

4. Concern about competency:

Change will create a new environment, and there is bound to be more work during the transition period. The concern about competency is a significant barrier to change as its effects can be felt in the entire organization.

5. Unfamiliarity:

It is essential to implement change management strategies at the right time so that the organization can benefit from its positive effects. It is no doubt that the unfamiliar terrain and the uncertainties involved in the process proves a significant barrier to change.

6. Workforce:

An essential and integral part of an organization is its workforce. It is they who are least receptive in changing the status quo and often proves serious barriers to change.

They are afraid of the consequences and do not promote it efficiently. If an organization is looking to remove this barrier, it has to take its workforce into confidence and make them realise that the move is for their benefit and how it will have a positive impact on their roles and responsibilities in the firm.

7. Lack of Communication:

If you are looking for barriers to change, then look no further than broken communication. An organization cannot introduce and implement change management until and unless it communicates its desire for implementing related strategies.

Every employee has to be a stakeholder for overcoming this barrier to change. Decisive, intentional, open, proactive, and transparent communication is a necessity at this stage if the organization wishes for a successful outcome.

8. Unnecessary Complexity:

Complexities include complex systems, products, and processes that are difficult for the employees in an organization to understand. Implementing and managing the correct change is a challenge, and this is why it becomes necessary to keep it as simple as possible.

9. Bad Planning:

One of the barriers to change is bad planning. It is often seen that the team entrusted with change management overlooks the feelings of the people in its firm. It does not pay attention to the mindset and emotions of its employees, who are an integral part of the change management process.

10. Ineffective Leadership:

If you are looking for a barrier to change, then an important one is an ineffective leader. Lack of strategic direction from the top is an obstacle that makes it challenging to plan and implement an organizational change.

11. Lack of Understanding about the current states:

Change is possible and comfortable when you are aware of your past and present. Lack of understanding about the current state is a barrier to change as the company does not even know what it is trying to change.

13. New Technology:

It is a fact that advancements in technology have helped the business entities to grow at a faster rate. Still, another truth is that employees need time to adapt to these technological advancements.

It is a challenge to make so-called adjustments in the workplace quickly and effectively. Employees will have to go through training to use the new technology efficiently.

This is why new technology and its integration in the organization is considered a barrier to change. It is easy to overcome this obstacle by providing training, skill and know-how to the employees. Help them to understand how technology will streamline work processes and make their life easier.

 

References:

Marketing91. (2020). 15 Barriers To Change in Organizations you Should Know. [online] Available at: https://www.marketing91.com/barriers-to-change/#:~:text=One%20of%20the%20barriers%20to%20change%20is%20low .[Accessed on 15th  Jan. 2021].

Smith, C. (2017). 4 Barriers To Organizational Change. [online] Change! Change Management News & Tips. Available at: https://change.walkme.com/4-barriers-to-organizational-change/. [Accessed on 15th  Jan. 2021].

Smith, C. (2015). 5 Barriers to Change Management and How to Easily Overcome Them. [online] Change! Change Management News & Tips. Available at: https://change.walkme.com/5-barriers-to-change-management-and-how-to-easily-overcome-them/. [Accessed on 16th  Jan. 2021].

https://www.facebook.com/torben.rick (2017). Torben Rick. [online] Torben Rick. Available at: https://www.torbenrick.eu/blog/change-management/barriers-to-organizational-change/ [Accessed on 16th  Jan. 2021].



Comments

  1. Anushka Jayasekara27 January 2021 at 21:45

    Yes, some barriers to change in an organization are limited understanding of the change and its impact in other words unfamiliarity. Also, negative employee attitudes. So, they will failure to involve employees in the change process. As mentioned in this article, poor or inefficient communication is also a huge barrier to change. Additionally, inadequate resources or budget will also be a barrier.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Janaka Ishara28 January 2021 at 23:28

    All of the above are worth changing in each workplace..?

    ReplyDelete
  3. Roshan Wijendra29 January 2021 at 21:46

    Before changing an organization employees knowledge and attitudes need to change. Otherwise it becomes a major obstacle.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Ganga Pathiraja30 January 2021 at 17:45

    Yes. bad planning, ineffective and inefficient leadership, lack of communication and lessen awareness about the current situations will be the major barriers to switch for an organization.

    ReplyDelete

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