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Why Do People Resist Change?
Disrupted Habits
People often resist change for the simple reason that change disrupts our habits.
When you hop into your car for your morning commute, do you think about how you

are driving? Most of the time probably not, because driving generally becomes an
automated activity after a while. You may sometimes even realize that you have
reached your destination without noticing the roads you used or having consciously
thought about any of your body movements. Now imagine you drive for a living and
even though you are used to driving an automatic car, you are forced to use a stick
shift. You can most likely figure out how to drive a stick, but it will take time, and
until you figure it out, you cannot drive on auto pilot. You will have to reconfigure
your body movements and practice shifting until you become good at it. This loss of
a familiar habit can make you feel clumsy; you may even feel that your competence
as a driver is threatened. For this simple reason, people are sometimes surprisingly
outspoken when confronted with simple changes such as updating to a newer version
of a particular software or a change in their voice mail system.
Personality
Some people are more resistant to change than others. Recall that one of the
Big Five personality traits is Openness to Experience; obviously, people who rank
high on this trait will tend to accept change readily. Research also shows that people
who have a positive self-concept are better at coping with change, probably because
those who have high self-esteem may feel that whatever the changes are, they are
likely to adjust to it well and be successful in the new system. People with a more
positive self-concept and those who are more optimistic may also view change as an
opportunity to shine as opposed to a threat that is overwhelming. Finally, risk
tolerance is another predictor of how resistant someone will be to stress. For people
who are risk avoidant, the possibility of a change in technology or structure may be
[9]
more threatening.
Feelings of Uncertainty
Change inevitably brings feelings of uncertainty. You have just heard that your
company is merging with another. What would be your reaction? Such change is
often turbulent, and it is often unclear what is going to happen to each individual.
Some positions may be eliminated. Some people may see a change in their job duties.
Things may get better—or they may get worse. The feeling that the future is unclear
is enough to create stress for people because it leads to a sense of lost control. [10]
Fear of Failure
People also resist change when they feel that their performance may be
affected under the new system. People who are experts in their jobs may be less than
welcoming of the changes because they may be unsure whether their success would
last under the new system. Studies show that people who feel that they can perform
well under the new system are more likely to be committed to the proposed change,
while those who have lower confidence in their ability to perform after changes are
less committed. [11]

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