Overcoming Resistance to Change
Time to Change
I can recall resisting change on my first attempt to go vegan. Since I changed my diet due to health reasons, it was imperative that I stick to the plan. I had gone vegan once before but was not able to maintain the discipline required to carry it through. I also viewed it as a diet instead of a lifestyle change which is what helped me preserve the second time around.
Overcoming Resistance to Change
Several things were holding me back from making a change including comfort, fear of commitment, and lack of discipline. After being a carnivore for all of my life, I found comfort in my usual foods and beverages. Fear of commitment also held me back from making a change. By consistently considering if I failed and thinking that I needed to be perfect. Finally, I struggled with discipline. I lacked the self-authority and consistency to follow through with such a dramatic lifestyle change.
To overcome my resistance to changing my eating habits I had to focus on the benefits, take it one day at a time and allow myself the space to make mistakes. I also increased my education around veganism and what it looks like to incorporate it into every aspect of life. Focusing on benefits like better health and increased energy helped me develop discipline and consistency. I had to realize these lifestyle changes would not be instant. Transitioning into veganism is not an overnight task, it is a process that takes time. I also learned to give myself grace in the process. I would feel guilty when I would mistakenly “cheat” on the diet. It had a negative impact on my progress and would discourage me from future attempts. I later learned to view a “cheat” as a “treat”. It empowered me by giving me more control over my cravings and a reward for my consistency. Research shows that rewards foster the acceptance of the change (Lumen Learning, n.d.).
Applying Lessons Learned In Team Setting
If I were leading a team, I would apply the lessons learned in the same way. Most people are resistant to change because they are comfortable with the way things are currently done. It’s important to explain the benefits or results of the change and how that ties to it the company’s mission and/or vision. Managers need to understand that change will not happen instantly and all at once. Transformation should be spread out over time allowing employees to understand, adopt and integrate the changes into their new work processes. Change should be supported with adequate training and support. According to Altadonna, training will help boost productivity and overcome the barriers associated with change (2020).
Citations
Altadonna, N. (2020, July 28). Resistance to change: How to overcome employee pushback. Apty. https://www.apty.io/blog/how-to-overcome-employee-pushback
Lumen Learning. (n.d.). Resistance to change. In Organizational behavior and human relations. https://courses.lumenlearning.com/wm-organizationalbehavior/chapter/resistance-to-change/
Respond to your colleagues’ posts in one or more of the following ways:
- 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?
