Factors and Barriers to Change Implementation in Micro, Small, and Medium-Sized Enterprises

Abstract

The current dynamic times force companies to observe their surroundings and accept changes constantly. Several circumstances and barriers affect the successful implementation of changes. In addition to eliminating these barriers and positively influencing other related factors, businesses need to address several other change-related issues. This paper discusses change management and the factors preventing successful implementation of change. The main aim is to evaluate the interdependence between the selected barriers, defined based on a questionnaire survey. The survey involved 141 micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises in the Czech Republic. Five main barriers and problems businesses face in implementing the change have been identified. These include "poor communication, ineffective strategic management and planning, financial constraints, dysfunctional teamwork, and inadequate leadership." The secondary objective of the paper is to identify other related areas and concepts associated with change management barriers at a general level. The PRISMA 2020 process and the VOSviewer program were used for this analysis. It was found that the most frequently discussed issues in connection with the implementation of changes are the organization's performance, the impact of the change, its management, and knowledge related to the change.