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Yahoo! Finance UK: Why Employees Get Anxious About Change – And How To Help People Embrace It

28 Apr 2023
Talking to people is crucial when making changes to working practices.

Originally found at Yahoo! Finance UK

Whether we like it or not – and most of us don’t – change is something we can’t avoid, especially in the workplace. From new managers and colleagues to different technologies and plans, how we do our jobs is constantly evolving. Despite this, many of us struggle to adjust to changes at work. So why do we dislike change – and how can employers help people be more adaptable?

Humans are creatures of habit. One reason for this is a type of cognitive bias called the status quo bias, which goes some way to explain why we are so resistant to change. It means that when we are faced with a challenging decision, people tend to prefer things to stay as they are – and show a preference for choices that maintain the status quo. There are many factors involved in this bias, from not wanting to lose what we own, to wanting to avoid regret.

...How to get employees on board with change

Getting a team to accept a new plan can be difficult. However, the way changes are communicated to employees can make a big difference. According to a recent report in the Academy of Management, the best way to announce change is to emphasise the things that are staying the same...

 

Continue reading the original article at Yahoo! Finance UK.

Read the original research in Academy of Management Journal.

Read the Academy of Management Insights summary.

Learn more about the AOM Scholar and explore their work: