Resistance to Change: Why Your TQM Efforts May Fail

Abstract

Change, including the implementation of total quality management (TQM) principles, will be met with resistance at the individual, group, and organizational levels. The manager should be aware of potential barriers or obstacles to the acceptance of a new way of doing things to be better able to develop an effective approach to program implementation. This paper identifies sources of resistance to change, ranging from the residual effects of previous failed attempts at organizational change to the presence of “crisis junkies” in the organization. The paper concludes with a discussion of corporate culture and leadership, two ingredients of organizational life critical to the success of any TQM implementation effort.