Reframing and reacting to employees' responses to change: A focus on resistance

Reed, Cara ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1085-1661 and McDermott, Aoife M. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9195-7435 2020. Reframing and reacting to employees' responses to change: A focus on resistance. BMJ Leader 4 (1) , pp. 174-177. 10.1136/leader-2020-000249

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Abstract

Background A hallmark of a leader is their ability to manage change—an ever-present feature of organisational life. Indeed, all improvement requires change, and in this context navigating employees’ responses to progress change is a key part of leadership. To support this, research and leadership development have historically focused on how leaders can reduce resistance to change. This review highlights the value of reframing classic conceptions of resistance to change as something negative. Result Widening understanding of non-acceptance responses to change supports the provision of broader, yet more meaningful advice to leaders and managers about how to engage with employees in ways that can support improvement. To do this, the article identifies why resistance is important in the contemporary context and then outlines three current broad views within research on resistance to change identified by Robyn Thomas and Cynthia Hardy. These influence how resistance is seen and therefore how it is approached. The article considers what leaders can learn and do to more effectively navigate employees’ responses to change, and how reframing resistance applies to the specific context of healthcare.

Item Type:	Article
Date Type:	Publication
Status:	Published
Schools:	Business (Including Economics)
Publisher:	BMJ Publishing Group
ISSN:	2398-631X
Date of First Compliant Deposit:	21 July 2020
Date of Acceptance:	25 June 2020
Last Modified:	07 Nov 2023 04:26
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/133635

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