If organizational change seems difficult for your team to manage, you’re not alone. A systematic literature review of studies on organizational change over the last two decades was published in the journal Current Psychology, and it sheds some light on why change is so hard and, more importantly, what to do about it.

While it may seem impossible to identify and address each employee’s mental state during a change, these studies translate individual change resistance into four identifiable outward behaviors to watch out for: voice, exit, neglect, and loyalty.

Voice behavior

According to the research, one reason change is difficult for teams to accept is a sense of feeling unheard by leadership. This dissatisfaction is amplified if team members have been speaking up and sharing feedback only to have it disregarded.



This experience can lead to what’s called voice behavior. Voice behavior is defined as speaking with leadership about issues and suggesting solutions to problems, but it also includes spreading negative ideas within the team. It can be positive if leadership is willing to incorporate some of the proposed solutions, but the risk level is high for negative outcomes if ignored.

If you are seeing increased voice behavior at your organization in reaction to a recent or upcoming change, it’s time to create structured opportunities for employees to be heard. The key is choosing to act on what they say, even if it’s only in a small way.

Exit behavior

An outcome more disruptive than voice behavior is exit behavior. Exit behavior increases during times of organizational change and is defined as quitting, job hunting both inside and outside the company, and outright sabotage.

Change is one of the top reasons employees leave an organization. Psychologically, if someone is facing immense change in their current job, they will no longer see the change of an entirely new job as quite so intimidating.

While some exit behavior is inevitable in the face of organizational change, it is crucial to be prepared for the shift in team dynamics it will bring. Providing opportunities for healthy voice behavior is a step in the right direction, but you won’t be able to incorporate every suggestion put forth by your team. In those cases, make sure you are clear about why you cannot move forward in the direction your team wishes to go. This honesty should help prevent sabotage and excessive quitting.

Neglect behavior

The most insidious reaction, neglect behavior, is defined as an increase in errors, poor morale, chronic tardiness, and the use of company time for personal matters. These behaviors often appear slowly over time when there have been too many changes at the organizational level.

Per the Current Psychology literature review, “A frequent exposure to organizational change causes change fatigue and cynicism.” If you are seeing any neglect behavior among your team, it’s time to take a look at how many changes have been implemented in the past few years. If possible, hold off on some organizational change until you can get back to a healthy baseline and are seeing less neglect behavior.

Loyalty behavior

There is good news, however: the literature supports the fact that if you put in the work to listen to and address employee concerns, you will reap the benefit of increased loyalty behavior. Loyalty behavior is exhibited when there is low turnover, vocal support for an organization, and a willingness to be a team player even during times of turbulence for the company.

Leading by example is key. Combined research from the last twenty years estimates that leadership is responsible for 71% of success among employees when it comes to change.

It can be difficult, however, to meet the change needs of each individual member of your team. In addition, years of colleague dynamics can sometimes get in the way of efforts to lead with clarity. This is when it may be beneficial to call in the expertise of a neutral third party. Team coaching, strategic planning, and leadership development can all act as antidotes against negative change behaviors.

No matter where you are in the change cycle, stay ahead of the game by collecting and analyzing team beliefs, strengths, and constraints and then acting on what you find to build a rock solid team foundation. Download our free guide, “Know What It Feels Like to Work with You: The Elusive Key to Effective Leadership and Team Assessment” to explore your team’s potential and set up your next organizational change for success today.