TABLE OF CONTENTS Have you ever had the experience of being summoned into your manager's office to be told that there are going to be some changes perhaps in the way the company is structured, or in the IT systems it uses, or even in the location of its offices? If so, what was your reaction? Did your heart sink at the prospect of more change and the upheaval involved? You wouldn't be unusual if you thought Oh no! We all know that we live in a changing world, but this doesn't necessarily make it easier to cope with change when it comes particularly when it's imposed by others.
So far we have focused on the role that you and your staff can play in initiating change. But change at work is often imposed on us by other parts of the organization or by senior management. Your opinions and ideas may be taken into account in the planning process, but your freedom to choose what course of action to take will probably be limited.
For a classic account of the ability of organizations to change, and how people respond to change, try reading extension 1, The Change Masters by Rosabeth Moss Kanter.
In such situations you may feel resistance to change and you will almost certainly encounter it in others. So how do you overcome this resistance, both within yourself and in others, and get people to focus on the positive aspects of change wherever...
