What Aspects of the Workplace Might Motivate People's Acceptance of Change?

     Change is one of the hardest tasks in a workplace.  Most people learn to do something one way and stick with “that’s the way it has always been done,” or “if it isn’t broke don’t try to fix it.” Within the last twenty years technology has advanced, and continues to advance, at such an alarming rate that change has become a constant variable in any business.  To stay current and competitive businesses need to constantly keep changing the way they conduct business.

     Getting people to accept that constant flux of change in the workplace requires constant support and motivation.  To accomplish positive change acceptance, people need to be involved from the top-down and bottom-up.  Executives and managers are generally the older population of a workforce and are more susceptible to change resistance. While at the other end of the spectrum, the blue-collar workforce might be resistant to change based on complacency.

     Management will be more motivated to accept change if it is presented in a clear and concise method explaining the monetary value.  If the suggested change reduces costs and increases revenue, making the business more successful, the greater the chance of acceptance.  Unfortunate to say, but the bottom line in any business is to make money and stay in business.

     The blue-collar workforce requires a different approach.  Incentives or personal benefits provide more successful results when instituting change.  The lower level workforce, while still concerned with money, is more focused on a personal level than a company level.

     To universally incorporate change it must be presented in a gradual way, and not immediate or forced.  People need time to adjust /prepare for change. With any technology change, time will need to be allotted to train the workforce on the use of the new system.  Change needs to be presented in a positive and constructive way, to incorporate a general acceptance.  A happy employee is more susceptible to change than a disgruntled one.