The Social Identity Theory and the Dynamics that Create Resistance to Change

Bus503 Discussion 2
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Bus503 Discussion 2
Despite change being an inevitable aspect of life, personal and organizational dynamics create resistance, making it increasingly challenging to implement. Several characteristics create resistance to change in individuals, including (a) lack of the necessary knowledge and skills related to the implementation of the new approaches, (b) negative perspectives concerning the previous encounters or future projections linked to the change initiative execution, (c) a shift in the status quo or way of doing things could cause discomfort, and (d) fear of unknown (Iverson, 2010). In organizations, resistance to change can be caused by a lack of adequate formal communication concerning the need for the change initiative and a workplace culture that does not embrace new ways of doing things (Appelbaum et al., 2017). When change is not officially communicated to all staff members, some employees might be cynical about the change and thus resist it. In addition, a lack of shared values and practices at the workplace can create organizational resistance to change.
Social identity theory might inform our understanding of resistance to change by recognizing that a change is a behavioral and cognitive response based on understanding ho...