John Brown Limited manufactures leather Slippers for several prominent shoe stores in Jamaica. In the last year, the company has been experiencing significant absenteeism across several departments in the organization, in particular the cutting department. The cutting department is responsible for manually cutting all the leather required for production. The impact has been so far-reaching that there are days when no production is done as there are insufficient individuals to cut and operate all the machines in the process. The company has been in operation for Thirty (30) years and since then, there have been little to no technological advancements. The middle managers have made recommendations for improvements to the factory, however many of these have been overlooked because of cost implications.

1. What three restraining forces are more likely to block the implementation of the change program at JBL? Explain.

2. Based on the restraining forces identified in question nine (1), suggest two (2) strategies to lessen each force identified.