STRATEGIES FOR OVERCOMING RESISTANCE OF PERSONNEL TO CHANGES IN THE ENTERPRISE

Abstract

In the context of digitalization, integration of innovative ideas into the business practices of modern economic entities, uncertainty and significant volatility of business conditions in general, it becomes necessary to implement changes in enterprises allowing them to adapt to external realities, achieve strategic goals and ensure sustainable development, etc. However, the lack of understanding and acceptance of changes by personnel may be a significant obstacle to this, which will lead to resistance and, under certain conditions, to serious conflicts, usually causing negative consequences for the company. The types of employees’ reaction to changes are determined and the causes of resistance are analyzed. It is established that strategic approaches to overcoming it include full awareness mass involvement of employees and active participation, incentives, coercion, making agreements, negotiations, personnel reshuffles and appointments, manipulation, etc. It is proposed to base the formulation of strategies to overcome resistance on the type of employees’ reaction to changes and the reasons for its occurrence. This allows to make the best management decision on the type of strategy and tools for its implementation in the enterprise to achieve the expected results. The main strategies for overcoming personnel resistance to change are as follows: development of professional competence of the personnel based on the involvement of key competencies; involvement of personnel in the change process; motivation to apply acquired skills, abilities; informing about the goals, objectives, content of the draft changes. It is concluded that a combined strategy will have the greatest positive effect in solving the problem of overcoming resistance; in its process, a synergy effect will be achieved. At the same time, it is necessary to consider the possibility of emerging contradictions and confrontations among different strategies within its limits due to their inconsistencies and incompliances, which will lead to increased employees’ resistance to change in the enterprise. The implementation of strategies involves the simultaneous use of a set of modern tools that should act in advance, be informative, explanatory, propagandistic, stimulating, etc.