Explain TWO management strategies for overcoming resistance that have the advantage of speed but could raise ethical and possibly legal concerns

 The implementation of a new information system may sometimes meet with staff resistance. Explain TWO management strategies for overcoming resistance that have the advantage of speed but could raise ethical and possibly legal concerns.

Answer:
Kotter and Schlesinger identified six main strategies to overcome resistance in the workplace:

i. education and communication, 

ii. participation and involvement, 

iii. facilitation and support,

 iv negotiation and agreement,
v. manipulation and co-optation,
vi. explicit and/or implicit coercion.

The first four are all likely to take time, whereas the final two methods (whilst raising ethical and legal problems) have the advantage of speed.
Manipulation and co-optation. Manipulation relies on presenting partial or misleading information to those resisting the implementation of a new information system. Although this represents a quick and inexpensive approach, future problems will arise if the people involved realise they have been manipulated. Co-optation involves identifying key individuals or by giving them positions of authority to help implement the new information system. This may be considered by many to be unethical.

Explicit and implicit coercion involves the use of force, or the threat of it, to bring about compliance. Management may consider this strategy to be necessary as a very last resort if the parties involved are operating from fixed positions and there are fundamental disagreements over objectives and/or methods. Again many may consider such practices to be unethical, in some countries such practices could also be challenged in law.