Understanding change resistance through the lens of the psychological contract : implications for change agents

Abstract

The change agent, if attentive to the implication of the employee’s psychological contract, can take action to help the employee transform the psychological contract by perceiving resistance to change as a form of positive feedback. Approaching change with help from the lens provided by a psychological contract will enable change agents to consider the desired change from the perspective of the employee, and also to understand better a wide spectrum of reasons for resistance. The psychological contract is an important tool for the change agent, and the key to everyone’s benefiting from the positive, and sometimes more practical, elements in resistance to change. This research will explore the change agent’s role in activating the change recipient’s psychological contract transformation by determining why change agents perceive resistance and how they can use resistance confidently. It will present a model of the factors that influence individual perception. It is beneficial to everyone, the employer as well as the employees, for the change agent to understand the implications of psychological contract breach and violation, to regard resistance as a normal reaction to change, and to know how the actions of the change agent will have an impact on the outcome.