Strategies for Dealing with End-User Resistance

User resistance is a common occurrence when new information systems are implemented and can contribute to implementation failure. This research reviewed the literature on the reasons for end-user resistance and identified a number of strategies that could be used for dealing with end-user resistance, such as end-user support, participation, communication, training and consultant involvement on a project. The research investigated the effectiveness of these strategies for dealing with end-user resistance based on the opinions of IT project managers in New Zealand. The results of this research showed that IT project managers use all identified strategies on their IT projects. Among identified strategies various forms of communication, end-user participation and support have been rated as the most frequently used strategies. The results also showed that IT project managers rated end-user participation and communication strategies as the most effective for dealing with end-user resistance. The research also revealed some unexpected results, for example participants who use one-off and stage-wise training techniques experience more end-user resistance on their projects; and participants whose companies have external IT support in place to support users, also experience more resistance.

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