Challenging resistance to change from the top to the shop floor level: an exploratory study Online publication date: Tue, 07-Apr-2009
by Alain Vas
International Journal of Strategic Change Management (IJSCM), Vol. 1, No. 3, 2009
Abstract: Managerial discourse and related academic literature often portray resistance to change as an irrational phenomenon, something counterproductive, that is caused by a minority of workers affected, and which works to the detriment of a business. We suggest to re-examine the conventional wisdom with regard to the phenomenon of 'resistance to change' considered as emanating exclusively from the lower echelons of an organisation. We use an in-depth case study method, focusing on a large-scale telecommunications company in order to analyse the mechanisms through which resistance to change is manifested at all levels of the organisation. Two main types of resistance emerge from our research: tacit and explicit resistance. These phenomena appear in various forms, depending on the category of the organisational actor concerned. Our research strongly indicates the importance of middle-level managers in the implementation of strategic organisational change.
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