Understanding and coping with change

Understanding and Coping with Change

Change is everywhere, yet very few people seem to embrace the concept. We are, for the most part, creatures of habit and follow daily routines. When a change occurs, our activities and thought patterns are disrupted.

Write a four- to five-page APA formatted paper (excluding the title and reference pages), using a minimum of three scholarly sources in addition to the textbook, analyzing the internal and external factors contributing to an individual’s resistance to change.

Describe a situation where you or someone you know was resistant to change as identified in one of following areas:

1. Self-interest
2. Lack of understanding
3. Lack of trust in management
4. Differing assessments of the need for change
5. Low tolerance for change

Explain whether the resistance to change was caused by an internal or external factor. Using Kotter’s theory for change, provide a plan for overcoming that resistance. What will be done and how will you know that the plan has worked?

Here are the following things you should note about this assignment.

1. The assignment is 4-5 pages, please make sure you have the full page not a ½ page or ¼ page, it is not considered a full page.
2. You need a min. of 4 (3 plus text) references to meet proficient. You will need more than 4 to meet distinguish. Please make sure your reference are credible sources, no Wikipedia or anything ending in “pedia” and stay away from dictionaries as well.
3. The assignment itself: you need to describe a situation (real example and you only need 1, change names if necessary) where you or someone was resistant to change. Identify what the resistance was using one of the 5 area lists above. You do not need to describe all 5 areas. Choose 1 (note it says one in the description) but if you find that more than 1 fits your example, feel free to incorporate it into your paper.

Note: in the past students try to give an example for each of the 5 areas. The assignment does not ask you to give an example of all 5 areas. It says to choose 1 area so you give 1 example to be used throughout the entire paper. Please note your example is the base of your paper and should be used throughout and the elements of the assignment should be applied to the example.

1. Using your example, explain whether the resistance was caused by an internal or external factor. You need to explain the factor that causes the resistance. For example, an internal reason could be caused by a shift in leadership. The external factor could be economic change. Support your reasons but state whether it is internal or external. You may find that both factors contributed to the resistance, feel free to give both factors.
2. The last portion states using Kotter’s theory provide a plan to overcome the resistance that you noted in your example. That means you must take Kotter’s theory (no other change management theories should be used, use Kotter) and develop a step by step plan. To phrase it another way, you want to explain Kotter theory and apply each step to your example to develop a plan. What will be done and explain how you know the plan has worked. This last piece is the piece that many forget. Please make sure you address how you know the plan has worked. What can you do to ensure the plan you developed has worked or is working to overcome the resistance?

I understand some students may be going through an actual example now or recently went through a situation in their workplace, which is great, you can use it. What some forget to do is do what the assignment is asking you to do. Some student’s give what the organization did but what the organization did may not match the elements of the assignment. For example, your organization may not have used Kotter’s theory but something else. I do not want the something else, I want to see you use Kotter’s theory to develop a plan. I will be grading you on what you developed based on Kotter theory and not what your organization decided to use. You will lose points if you do not include the elements of the assignment so make sure you use the example but apply the assignment elements.