Barriers to Communication and Resistance to Change in a Law Firm

This case study discusses the reasons for employee resistance to change to an open-plan office plan and barriers to communication in a law firm. It also suggests strategies to overcome these barriers.

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CASE STUDY 7
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Discussion Questions
1a. Reasons for Employees Resisting the Change to an Open-Plan Office Plan
The change to have a new open-plan office was proposed by the new blood in the
organization. One of the reasons that employees resisted started from the two senior partners,
Jack and Owen. They did not want to move in with other employees in the open office layout.
They suggested that they were entitled to privacy and maintain the corner office. The employees
had the negative response to the show of power by the senior partners. They wrote a memo
explaining that equality was not being observed as some people were allowed to have private
offices. The older workforce was also opposed to balances to racial, gender and religious
balance. Some other employees were not happy with being in a system where they shared the
office space with others. It became difficult to have private conversations and interactions in the
open-plan office plan.
1b. What Partners might have Done Better to Minimize the Resistance
One of the most important aspects in minimizing resistance to change was for the senior
partners to participate in the initiative. They left the management aspects to junior partners and
new employees. They could have taken time to analyze the effects the new members could have
on the organization and consult with the younger partners on how to bring them to the firm. The
partners could also have given both the new and older workers the chance to express their views
on how to come up and enforce the changes Skesley (2009). The overall direction came from the
partners without taking into consideration the views of other staff members. The partners could
also have put in place measures to respond to responses to the changes in the organization. They
could have ensured that all employees could give their complaints and possible improvements to
the management using properly-established channels.

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2a. Barriers to Communication in the Law Firm
One of the main barriers in communication in the law firm is the gap between the senior
partners and other employees. The management personnel chose to maintain corner offices while
others had an open-office layout. They could not air their grievances or possible changes to other
members easily. The changes in leadership were drastic. Both the new workers were confused of
who to approach when faced with various problems in the firm. Another barrier was that the
organization had a dysfunctional human resource department. One person was responsible for
managing both the lawyers and other staff members. The person was not equipped with the
necessary skills to handle the two differing types of people in the firm. The firm also lacked a
formal channel to address issues affecting the workers. People were forced to approach the two
senior partners in an informal setting, which was difficult especially when addressing formal
affairs.
2b. Overcoming the Barriers to Communication
One of the strategies that the law firm could have used to overcome the barriers to
communication was to eliminate the differences in perception. The senior partners could have
ensured that they communicated their desire to bring in new managers and change the previous
organizational structure to accommodate the changes in the firm. According to Olynk and
Widmar, (2016), Proper introduction programs ensure that each person understands the
organizational policies and every employee is aware of his or her roles as well as expectations.
The firm should also have set up proper structures to address employee grievances. They could
have ensured that at each level of the organization, people could freely air their complaints
anonymously and receive proper interventions. The law firm should also have employed a
human resource department to address people’s grievances. It could have created professionalism

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among the individuals and ensured that they could maintain professional relationships with fair
and enforceable contracts between the employers and employees.

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Bibliography
Olynk, N. and Widmar, D. (2016). Identifying and Addressing Barriers to Communication.
Information Gateway. Retrieved from
http://porkgateway.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/identifying-and-addressing-barriers-to-
communication1.pdf on September 9, 2018
Skelsey, D. (29 July 2013). "Why Do People In Business Resist Change?". Project Laneway.
Retrived from http://www.project-laneways.com.au/blog/articles/_thread_/why-do-people-in-
business-resist-change on September 9, 2018