Role of managers as change agents in managing resistance to change

The ability of organizations to adapt and change has become a central research issue focusing on the complexities of regulatory, political, technological and social changes.

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ROLE OF MANAGERS AS CHANGE

AGENTS IN MANAGING RESISTANCE TO

CHANGE

Dr Ejaz Ahmed Qureshi

Director, Poona Institute of Management Sciences & Entrepreneurship,

Pune, Maharashtra, India

Mrs Anjum Usama Sayyad

Assistant Professor, Poona Institute of Management Sciences & Entrepreneurship,

Pune, Maharashtra, India

ABSTRACT

The ability of organizations to adapt and change has become a central research issue focusing on the complexities of regulatory, political, technological and social changes So central, in fact, is change to the study of organizations Today, it is common place to note that the volatility of changes confronting organizations has dramatically increased In light of competitive uncertainties the notion of planning for the future is constantly changing Organizational change and the environmental turbulence of the modern market economy have brought about a need to re-define the meaning of change agent’s role in change management For employees in today’s market economy the importance of a “change” is becoming less significant More important is their employability and the marketability of skills Employers are both subject to changing demands of external environments, as well as the resulting changing organizational structures implemented as reactions to changing environments This generates the need for existence and survival of change agents in organizations to help employees overcome resistance to change Hence this research is conducted with a view to identify the sources of resistance to change and manager’s role in managing this resistance to change

Key words: Change Management, Change Agents, Resistance To Change,

Pharma Companies

Cite this Article: Dr Ejaz Ahmed Qureshi and Mrs Anjum Usama Sayyad

Business Role of Managers as Change Agents in Managing Resistance to

Change International Journal of Management, 7(1), 2016, pp 42-49

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1 INTRODUCTION

Change management is a structured approach for ensuring that changes are thoroughly and smoothly implemented, and that the lasting benefits of change are achieved

The focus is on the wider impacts of change, particularly on people and how they,

as individuals and teams, move from the current situation to the new one The change

in question could range from a simple process change, to major changes in policy or strategy needed if the organization is to achieve its potential In order to manage change successfully, it is therefore necessary to attend to the wider impacts of the changes through change agents As well as considering the tangible impacts of change, it's important to consider the personal impact on those affected, and their journey towards working and behaving in new ways to support the change

Change management is, therefore, a very broad field, and approaches to managing change vary widely, from organization to organization and from project to project Many organizations and consultants subscribe to formal change management methodologies These provide toolkits, checklists and outline plans of what needs to

be done to manage changes successfully

2 CHANGE AGENT DEFINITION

A change agent is a person from inside or outside the organization who helps an organization transform itself by focusing on such matters as organizational effectiveness, improvement, and development A change agent usually focuses his efforts on the effect of changing technologies, structures, and tasks on interpersonal and group relationships in the organization The focus is on the people in the organization and their interactions

A change agent is basically a consultant, either from within the organization or brought in as an outsider They often play the role of a researcher, trainer, counselor,

or teacher Sometimes they will even serve as a line manager While some change agents specialize in one role, most will shift their roles depending upon the needs of the organization

One of the most baffling and recalcitrant of the problems which business executives face is employee resistance to change Such resistance may take a number

of forms—persistent reduction in output, increase in the number of “quits” and requests for transfer, chronic quarrels, sullen hostility, wildcat or slowdown strikes, and, of course, the expression of a lot of pseudo logical reasons why the change will not work Even the more petty forms of this resistance can be troublesome

3 RESEARCH DESIGN

The research is designed to apply force field analysis which means to diagnose the individual situation and to identify forces for and against change and also to recommend strategies to reduce resistance to change

This study focuses at the area of change management in groups especially how people react to change and how managers/ organizations can work to facilitate the change process On the successful completion of this study, the question: “How to improve the effectiveness of change management by identifying the forces to change and by reducing resistance and motivating employees towards change with the help of change agents.” will be answered Research will be carried out to examine

respondent’s opinions about change The study also attempt to propose suggestions for a more successful change implementation in Pharma Companies in Pune region

4 OBJECTIVES

1 To verify whether managers are real change agents that drive the vehicle called

“change” in the organization

2 To find out whether change process is practice and strategies followed up by organizations in managing change

3 Does the change agent play a vital tool in the process of resistance to change

5 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

A survey on change management was carried out in the select pharmacy organizations

of Pune Region 25 Pharma companies were taken into study where in 2 managers and 4 employees from each organizations responded to structured itemized questionnaire Separate questionnaire was designed for managers as change agents and employees The sample size was 50 managers and 100 employees

For a start, big pharmaceutical companies are no longer providing the service they once did

"The system has served us well in terms of developing good new medicines, but in the past 10-20 years there has been very little breakthrough in innovation," says Dr Kees de Joncheere at the World Health Organisation

This dearth of genuinely new potential blockbuster drugs is a grave problem for big pharmas, and of course society at large, particularly given the industry is falling off a patent cliff the like of which it has never seen bringing many environmental and structuraal changes in the organization which further impacts individuals both physically and psychological

The third in the Pharma 2020 series outlines a confluence of dynamics that lead to

a new marketing and sales system with a smaller, more agile and smarter sales force The pharma industry is no longer being rewarded for incremental innovation Companies will need to demonstrate that their brand adds value to patients and they will have to offer a package of products and health services that the market not only wants and needs but is willing to pay a premium for The paper highlights some very strong facts related to the need for Pharma to change in order to sustain future growth and performance This report outlines in some detail how changes in the business environment will be and provides pharma companies with indicators of organizational and operational structure that could influence their success and readiness to compete Some of the major sources for response to changes in pharmacy companies according to the study are:

1 Loss of loyalty: in the form of loss of motivation to work and increased errors

2 Loss of purpose in organization: Resistance can hinder the organization main goals

and existence

3 Lack of freedom: employees to be given more freedom in decision making

Sources of RTC No of responses Percentage

Figure 1

With the above analysis it is exhibited that 60% of majority employees view any kind of change from a negative point of view as its results in their loss of freedom to work, freedom in decision making 40% also are of the opinion that introduction of change in the organization results in loss of purpose to the organization because of high resistance from employees

However the restraining forces of change are viewed differently by managers and employees in the following manner:

working conditions are dirty and dangerous 12 22

Figure 2

38%

40%

60%

Sources of RTC

Loss of loyalty

Loss of purpose in organization Loss of freedom

low Starting wages wage revision

working conditions are dirty and dangerous

working morale is low

attitude towards the company is negative

Employees 45 18 22 12 3

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

50

Restraining Forces

Thus we analyze that the difference in perception towards the restraining forces by managers and employees We can highlight that starting wages is a matter of concern for both the respondents for restricting change followed by filthy working conditions and low morale existing within the organization to accept change

The restraining force act as a reason which create resistance among employees in case of introducing and implementing change One of the vital tools in response to the above forces is COMMUNICATION Communication is paramount when trying

to raise the level of understanding in the organization The key to communicating is to use multiple platforms and ways to communicate change Hence from the study we could conclude that the following areas are witnessed in the Pharma Companies:

Communication in Change Mgt No of employees Percentage

Figure 3

We can infer that 55% respondents believe that communication pattern in pharma companies are unclear and lack transparency Whereas 20% respondents are of the view that communication systems is chaotic and relax which prohibit two way communications in the system

6 RESPONSES OF CHANGE AGENTS

1 Association of change with dislodgement and uneasiness

Change is

associated with

dislodgement

and uneasiness

%

Strongly

Agree 42 84

Agree 3 6

Neutral 2 4

Disagree 3 6

Strongly

Disagree 0 0

50

Figure 4 Source Primary Data

10%

10%

5%

20%

55%

Communication in change mgt

Existing Barriers Widely Spaced Easily Handled

84%

6% 4% 6%

0%

Association of change with Dislodgement and

uneasiness

Strongly Agree Agree Neutral

Interpretation

We can conclude that 84% change agents are of the view that change is positively associated with dislodgement and uneasiness as change disturbs employee contentment and grind down their status quo

2 Managers play vital role in managing resistance to change

Managers vital role

in managing resistance to change

%

Strongly

Agree 20 40

Agree 10 20

Neutral 7 14

Disagree 3 6

Strongly

Disagree 10 20

50

Figure 5 Source Primary Data Interpretation

We can analyze that 40% respondents strongly agree to the fact that change agents play a vital role in managing resistance to change Followed by 20% respondents agree with the statement Change agents act as a medium from unfreeze to refreeze stages in change management process However 20% respondents strongly disagree with the fact as they consider that leadership is more vital in change management

3 Change to be driven, bottom up and top down

Bottom up and Top

Strongly

Strongly

50

Figure 6 Source Primary Data Interpretation

We find that equal percentage of respondent’s i.e 24% agree and disagree with the aspect of change driven both bottom up and top down Therefore we can analyze that continuous improvement in effective change management is possible through internal control systems as change is radical in nature

40%

20%

14%

6%

20%

Managers role in managing resistance

to change

Strongly Agree Agree

4 Manger shows direction of change better than outsiders and consultants

Direction by managers better

than consultants

and outsiders

%

Strongly

Agree 12 24

Agree 10 20

Neutral 10 20

Disagree 10 20

Strongly

Disagree 8 16

50

Figure 7 Source Primary Data Interpretation

We could identify that employee in pharma companies look out for direction from their managers in support of change as change agents other than consultants and outsiders As well as same number of employees disagree with the statement We could identify a mix of response from the employees which further create a question who will lead a change process in pharmacy sector

5 Change improves productivity

Change Improves Productivity % Strongly

Neutral 5 10

Disagree 7 14

Strongly

Disagree 0 0

50

Figure 8 Source Primary Data Interpretation

From the above graph it is evident that any type of change introduces in pharma companies improves productivity of employees as accepted by the respondents This shows that employees in pharma sector are ready to welcome change

7 CONCLUSION

Finally it is concluded that we should further recognize that we are living in the globalization era, or the Global Age According to this statement it must be clear that the new economy sets new standards of success and opportunities for pharma companies which are related to forming strategic alliance, new technology use, experiences and knowledge exchange among businesses and similar Leadership and management skills, such as visioning, prioritizing, planning, providing feedback and

24%

20%

20%

20%

16%

Direction by managers better

Strongly Agree Agree Neutral

56%

20%

10%

14% 0%

Change improves Productivity

Strongly Agree Agree Neutral

rewarding success, are key factors in any successful change initiative This is something that pharma companies must not ignore in the future and the supervisors / managers should play vital role in change phenomenon as change agents

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