Organizational change involves moving from the known to the unknown. Because the
future is uncertain and may adversely affect people’s competencies, worth, and coping
abilities, organization members generally do not support change unless compelling
reasons convince them to do so. Similarly, organizations tend to be heavily invested
in the status quo, and they resist changing it in the face of uncertain future benefits.
Consequently, a key issue in planning for action is how to motivate commitment to
organizational change. As shown in Figure 10.1, this requires attention to two related
tasks: creating readiness for change and overcoming resistance to change