(4). If the people influenced by the change have pressure put on them to make it instead of having a say in the nature or the direction of the change. (5). If the change is made on personal grounds" or in other words, if the change does not seem to be motivated by the common good but instead for political reasons and finally (6). "If the change ignores the already established institutions in the group" (Bolognese, 2002). Forms of resistance may take the path of active-resistance or passive-resistance. "Symptoms of active-resistance include finding fault, ridiculing, appealing to fear, and manipulating. Passive-resistance symptoms include agreeing verbally but not following through, feigning ignorance and withholding information" (Bolognese, 2002).
Of the two strategies, the most common is perhaps active-resistance through ridicule, otherwise known as plain, old-fashioned complaining. No matter how necessary the change, it is difficult to avoid this form of resistance, given that change causes some discomfort, no matter how necessary or positive the change is for the long-term good of the organization. For example, in the short-term, people used to using manual typewriters found them more easy to use than unfamiliar computers, even though computers are much faster when used...
But the most dangerous form of resistance may be classified as a passive-resistant approach to change, particularly when this takes the form not following through on new training, work-related duties, and other protocols. This can be the most dangerous, as it does not look like resistance at all -- the person can claim that he or she was 'too busy' to deal with the work, that he or she did not understand what needed to be done, or that others are to blame. In fact, even the passive resister may be unaware that these methods are resistance; he or she may actually think that the psychological strategies are real, physical obstacles to change when in fact they are only psychological barriers.
Works Cited
Bolognese, Albert F. (2002). Employee Resistance to Organizational Change. Re-edited
Jul 2007. Retrieved 21 Aug 2007 at http://www.newfoundations.com/OrgTheory/Bolognese721.html
Michelson, Barton J. "Leadership and Power Base Development: Using Power
Effectively to Manage Diversity and Job-Related Interdependence in Complex Organizations. Concepts for Air Force Leadership 193-199. Retrieved 21 Aug 2007 at http://www.au.af.mil/au/awc/awcgate/au-24/michelson.pdf
