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Overcoming internal resistance to change:
in many ways, the hallmark of a great leader is how well he
or she manages change
by Robert A. Sevier
People, and the organizations they create and inhabit, seldom
welcome change. For the most part, they are resistant and
reluctant, believing that there is great comfort in the familiar and
greater security in the status qua. As a result, they tend to resist
new ideas and new ways to think about old ideas. They suffer, as
one wag reminded me, from hardening of the categories.
Unfortunately, our present, and certainly our future, is all about
change. In fact, there is a wonderful adage that describes the
issue succinctly: The only constant is change. Ultimately, both
individual and organizational success may well depend not on
how well we resist change, but how well we embrace it. After all,
at its most basic, leadership is all about managing change. It is
about anticipating it; framing it in ways the organization
understands; finding a path through it In many ways, the
hallmark of a great leader is how well he or she manages change.
But why are people on campus so darn change-averse?
CHANGE AND FEAR
What is it about change that people in general--and faculty and
staff in particular--most fear? Based on the work I have done
with strategic planning and organizational change, it appears
that members of the campus community are often concerned
about:
* Loss of power and prestige
* Reallocation or loss of resources
* Loss of autonomy
* Intrusion into personal and professional domains
* Changing definitions of success
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