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What Is the Best Way to Manage Team Anxiety During Organizational Change?
When a team resists change due to uncertainty or discomfort, effective leadership requires communication, reassurance, and alignment on shared objectives. Addressing team members’ concerns directly strengthens trust and increases commitment to the project’s success.
Question
You lead a team that is looking into reorganizing news-gathering activities at large TV news operation. Some of the team members seem inflexible and anxious about making the changes. What is your best course of action to manage this situation?
A. Have team members set up social gatherings after work.
B. Clarify team expectations and address concerns or fears.
C. Break up groups that are too tight-knit.
D. Focus on the project goals, not personal feelings.
Answer
B. Clarify team expectations and address concerns or fears.
Explanation
If people are inflexible, you should clarify team goals and expectations at the outset. It can also help to address team members’ concerns and fears.
Resistance and anxiety often stem from unclear expectations and fear of the unknown. As the team leader, your priority is to reestablish clarity—define the purpose of the reorganization, explain expected roles and outcomes, and create an open space for dialogue. Encouraging direct discussion about concerns allows employees to feel heard and valued, reducing resistance and building ownership of the change.
This approach demonstrates emotional intelligence and fosters psychological safety, both critical factors for successful organizational change. Once the team’s fears are addressed, focus can shift productively to performance improvement and process optimization.
Incorrect options:
A. Have team members set up social gatherings after work: While team bonding can be beneficial, social activities alone do not resolve underlying anxiety about structural changes.
C. Break up groups that are too tight-knit: This undermines team cohesion and may create additional resistance.
D. Focus on the project goals, not personal feelings: Ignoring emotions is counterproductive during change management. Effective leadership balances people and task orientation to maintain morale and productivity.
In summary, addressing employee concerns through honest communication and clear expectations is the most effective method to manage resistance and guide the team through organizational change.
Optimize Projects and Processes certification exam assessment practice question and answer (Q&A) dump including multiple choice questions (MCQ) and objective type questions, with detail explanation and reference available free, helpful to pass the Optimize Projects and Processes exam and earn Optimize Projects and Processes certificate.