When leaders seek to bring change in a business organisation, this can often bring resistance. Good leaders will anticipate, plan for and respond to this resistance in a way that is well thought out, sensitive but also strategic.
Introduction
a) What is meant by the term 'stakeholder'?
b) Which stakeholders in your view might typically resist change in a business organisation and why?
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This week you are going to think about the reasons why stakeholders may resist change and the ways that Leaders may seek to overcome this resistance.
To help with both of these questions we are going to engage with a business model put forward by Kotter & Schlesinger
1. Take a few minutes to research into these two individuals e.g.. nationality, time period, why they are respected.
2. According to Kotter & Schlesinger there are four main reasons why stakeholders may resist change.
a) Read about these reasons here: https://www.tutor2u.net/business/reference/change-management-why-change-is-resisted
b) A recent example of resistance to change from a trade union (representing workers) is at South Western Railway. What change is the leadership seeking to bring in this organisation and why is the union resisting? How well do you think leaders are handling the situation?
3. Kotter & Schlesinger suggested that there are six strategic options available to leaders when they are considering how to overcome resistance to change.
a) Read about these options here: https://www.tutor2u.net/business/reference/change-management-how-to-overcome-resistance-to-change
b) How do leaders know which of these options to choose in any given situation?
4. Video case study: Watch this historical video about an infamous strategic decision taken by Coca Cola in 1985 which lead to significant resistance from consumers!
Analyse this event using Kotter & Schlesinger's theory. In other words why did customers resist the change that Coca Cola's leadership sought to bring? (select one or more of the four options given in Kotter & Schlesinger's model) and secondly which of the six options did Coca Cola's leadership draw upon to solve the crisis?
5. Check your understanding. At this point, complete the following worksheet and then self-mark using the following answer sheet.
6. Imagine that you have joined the leadership team of Warminster School. Create a PowerPoint presentation (or equivalent) in which you propose a significant change within the school. Explain where you think there might be some 'resistance' in reaction to your planned change, using Kotter & Schlesinger vocabulary in your explanation. Then outline your strategy for how you would positively seek to overcome this potential resistance so that your proposal would ultimately be successful.
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7. Read and answer the two essay style questions on the following case study
8. Have a read of the following BBC article which reports on a recent remark made by Barclays boss Jes Staley that big offices 'may be a thing of the past'. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-52467965
a) To what extent do you think that the current experience of people working from home, making use of various technologies such as video conferencing platforms will actually become a permanent way that businesses operate?
b) Assuming that more and more businesses - such as Barclays - do indeed decide to maintain greater use of home working/flexible working patterns into the long-term in order to permanently reduce costs, to what extent that this will have the support of staff, or do you think there will be elements of 'resistance' to such a move?