ROLE OF MANAGERS AS CHANGE AGENTS IN MANAGING RESISTANCE TO CHANGE

The ability of organizations to adapt and change has become a central research issue focusing on the complexities of regulatory, political, technological and social changes. So central, in fact, is change to the study of organizations. Today, it is common place to note that the volatility of changes confronting organizations has dramatically increased. In light of competitive uncertainties the notion of planning for the future is constantly changing. Organizational change and the environmental turbulence of the modern market economy have brought about a need to re-define the meaning of change agent’s role in change management. For employees in today’s market economy the importance of a “change” is becoming less significant. More important is their employability and the marketability of skills. Employers are both subject to changing demands of external environments, as well as the resulting changing organizational structures implemented as reactions to changing environments. This generates the need for existence and survival of change agents in organizations to help employees overcome resistance to change. Hence this research is conducted with a view to identify the sources of resistance to change and manager’s role in managing this resistance to change.