When are reactions to change more negative?

• A. When workers view expectations as unreasonable
• B. When workers view expectations as reasonable
• C. When communication is frequent
• D. When change impact is negligible

Answer: (C)

Frequent communication during change can backfire because it risks overwhelming people with updates, especially if the messages are dense, inconsistent, or not clearly linked to concrete actions. This kind information overload fuels confusion, mistrust, and fatigue, making staff feel they can’t keep up or that the change is out of control. The aim of communicating about change is to reduce uncertainty with clear, consistent, and actionable information, not to flood people with messages. If expectations about the change are unreasonable, that drives resistance too, but that’s about what’s being asked of people, not how often you’re communicating. When the change impact is negligible, reactions tend to be minimal, not highly negative. So the scenario where reactions become more negative aligns with the idea that too much, poorly managed communication creates overload and skepticism, increasing resistance.