12Treat Employees as Resources, Not Resisters

Scott Sonenshein

Like most leaders, you have likely participated in and probably helped shape some type of organizational change, whether a reorganization, new information technology system, or compliance with different regulations. Organizations routinely undergo change, but the disappointing reality is they routinely fail to implement change effectively.1 Leaders often blame employees for change unraveling, claiming employees resist change—or even outright sabotage it.2 Such a viewpoint is not grounded in fact. It is also practically dangerous. By treating employees as resisters to change, leaders can create a self-fulfilling prophecy that turns them into resisters. Instead of thinking of employees ...

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