200 words or more Discussion responses in 24 hours

200 words or more Discussion responses in 24 hours. See attachment

Respond to 
two or more of your colleagues’ posts in one or more of the following ways:
(Respond to each Colleague 100 words or more)

· Ask a question about or relate your experience to the time your colleague needed to make a change but resisted it.

· Offer an insight you gained from your colleague’s analysis of what held them back and what helped them overcome their resistance to change.

· Provide your perspective on how receptive you might be to your colleague’s suggestion for helping a team overcome resistance to change. How do you think you would respond to their approach?

Return to this Discussion in a few days to read the responses to your initial posting. Note what you have learned or any insights you have gained as a result of the comments your colleagues made.

1st Colleague to respond to:

In my life, I have encountered multiple scenarios where I felt change was necessary. Whether or not I made the change was always the true dilemma. One example of resistance to change that stands out to me the most was the decision to send my child to a babysitter. When my son was born, I was 22 and had just entered my career as I had only finished my bachelors degree a few months prior.

I started my career at my uncle’s accounting firm which allowed me great flexibility. Once my now wife returned to work, I often brought my son to work with me or worked from home to take care of him. We did have help from my mother in law, but she could only help but so much on certain days. I knew that sending him to a daycare was a necessary change that needed to be made, but financially, I thought it was a poor decision. This made me very resistant to this change, despite my wife wanting him to go. What I eventually realized was that I was holding myself back from my professional development. I was also holding my son back from having the freedom of playing with other kids and moving around more freely.

As a manager now, there have been times where I was requested to lead a change within our department. There are a few members of our team who are a bit older and can become more resistant out of fear. Sometimes this is a fear of their role becoming obsolete with the interjection of technology and some lacking confidence in their ability to utilize technology. When I encounter these moments, my first step is always to ask and give the platform for them to communicate why they may be hesitant. “The key to the problem is to understand the true nature of resistance. Actually, what employees resist is usually not technical change but social change—the change in their human relationships that generally accompanies technical change.” (Lawrence, 2023).

By taking the time to understand their resistance, I am better able to give them the explanation, comfort, or reassurance that they may need. As a leader, you also have to accept that it is impossible to make everyone happy. Realistically, you just have to help them understand and show them that change is beneficial and at times inevitable. If they see flaws as the change is being implemented, they can provide feedback to help fuel success.

Reference

s:

Lawrence, P. (2023, February 6). 
How to deal with resistance to change. Harvard Business Review. Retrieved February 8, 2023, from https://hbr.org/1969/01/how-to-deal-with-resistance-to-change

2nd Colleague to Respond to:

Resisting Change

I work for a large organization; there are twenty hospitals and many clinics intertwined in the system. While the organization uses Epic for patients’ health files, our department recently transitioned from paper to electronic files for associates. I was pleased to eliminate paper and fully embrace an electronic medical record (EMR). 

Associates can use the EMR program to access and review their records, and department leaders have limited access and restricted use of this system. The EMR system has a calendar that was briefly reviewed during the implementation process. Leadership mentioned a plan to use this tool in the future; it would allow individuals to schedule their appointments rather than call our office. The calendar is one aspect of the EMR system I am resistant to using. 

Overcoming Resistance to Change

I don’t want to participate in this process; I passively resist it. In passive resistance, the individual does not agree with the change but appears to follow it despite a rooted opposition (Altadonna, 2023). In my resistance to this change, I entered my general meeting times for each day and repeat them every day, Monday through Friday. In this way, it appears that I am using the system, but I am still sidestepping it.

The primary reason is that the entire organization uses an Outlook calendar; only my department would review or enter information in the EMR calendar. Further, we use another software system for additional onboarding practices; this makes three data entry areas adding to inefficiency and risk for errors. For example, if someone schedules their appointment, it could conflict with another meeting already booked in Outlook. We would need to frequently review the calendars to ensure we were not double booked. In the future, we could work on a process and adapt to this practice, but there are too many inconsistencies, and it is an unnecessary added task. 

In the example I provided, I could overcome the resistance if I encouraged my teammates to use the system by discussing the long-term benefits. If we all use the process as it’s intended and implement the plan, it could create a more straightforward process for self-scheduling and justify triple documenting. This strategy would require developing a plan, attaining leadership’s backing, and implementing the process.

Applying Lessons Learned

Lessons learned from experience tell me to assess the reasons for resistance. This information can provide more insight into why there is resistance and help determine the best tactic to motivate change. Team participation would also create a sense of urgency and confirm that people’s opinions are respected (Lawrence, 2023). When individuals are told what to do, they may feel threatened. Inviting them to participate creates a more balanced relationship demonstrating support, validation, and communication. 

Now back to resisting the third calendar. In my last meeting, I recall management telling us, “we paid for this product (the calendar) and we need you to use it .” In the coming weeks, I will embrace this new system and encourage my co-workers to do the same. Time will tell if peer pressure, encouragement, and active participation will change their minds.  

Reference

Altadonna, N. (2023, January 7). Resistance to Change: How to Overcome Employee Pushback. Apty. https://www.apty.io/blog/how-to-overcome-employee-pushback/

Lawrence, P. (2023, February 6). 
How to Deal With Resistance to Change. Harvard Business Review. https://hbr.org/1969/01/how-to-deal-with-resistance-to-change