Resistance to organisational change : a case study in Sri Lankan construction organisations

Organisations need to introduce frequently the changes in anticipation of future problems. Though a change process is vital as such, most of the time, there will be some resistance to change processes from the individuals and organisations. Even though, resistance to change is common, change initiators generally do not consider managing it effectively in order to make their effort a success. Poorly managed resistance can wreck an organisation. Accordingly, this study is aimed to explore the level of resistance when implementing a successful strategic level change in construction organisations of Sri Lanka. Case study approach was used to investigate the research question. The techniques used for data collection were semi-structured in-depth interviews and participant-observation. The primary data were analysed by using content analysis and cognitive mapping techniques. The case study findings revealed significant reasons for the resistance to change in construction organisations and how these were handled.