Your company, Johnson Farm Products, has decided to expand its traditional business serving farm owners in order to include home gardeners in its customer base. This change is not met with enthusiasm by the sales personnel who have had good long-term relationships with area farmers. You know that the change will be difficult if you cannot overcome the resistance of the sales personnel and obtain their cooperation. You have decided to involve the sales personnel in planning for the change and in stocking appropriate new items to sell to gardeners. The method for overcoming resistance that you have chosen is ________.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The method chosen is participation, which involves involving the sales personnel in the planning process and obtaining their cooperation. This method allows for the sales personnel to have a sense of ownership and control over the change, which can lead to more accepting attitudes towards the expansion into serving home gardeners. Education and communication may also be necessary in this process, but involving the sales personnel in the planning is the most effective method for overcoming resistance in this scenario. Negotiation, manipulation and cooptation, and coercion may not be appropriate or effective methods in this particular situation.

Your Company, Johnson Farm Products, Has Decided to Expand Its