Why is change always resisted in organizations?

Answer 1

All systems, from the simple cell to the biggest organizations, have resistance against a change. This is part of the inbuilt survival mechanism; otherwise the system would easily fall apart or is vulnerable against influences coming from the outside. The once established structure, grown over long time, gives stability and so security, from which individuals within this system, gain their own profit by being part and identified with it. Personality is a system, which functions in the same way: The individual is identified with the once established structure; build by mental concepts and all intellectual knowledge. The same with the emotional structure, which is mostly unconscious and contains all traumas and received influences during lifetime. From this background reactions are triggered, reforcing the established structure. Part of the system is the material form, with which the individual also is identified and the same with all material belongings. The tendency is to add more and more, getting richer or widening ones power by adding more knowledge or emotional excitement. Anything is welcome which serves to make the system more stable and secure. The individual does anything to get confirmation for its existence on all levels, mostly all doing is directed to gain.

A change that will not enrich or confirm the system in its existence will be rejected. Even though a change would be an evolutional step and bring the system to a more advanced level, what might be called a transformational change. By doing this step, resistance and other obstacles might vanish, but to do such a step, the system must grow by itself beyond ones limitation through a growing process, which includes all levels of ones being. Manipulation or force, which is usual used, will not work on the long run... How to make a transformational change happen, is another question. There are ways to support and help, but the system must be ready for it.

BeiYin