Attributes of the Organizational Change and Its Influence on Attitudes Toward Organizational Change and Well-Being at Work: A Longitudinal Study

Abstract

This study investigates the role of attributes of organizational change, the attitudes toward change as an antecedent of well-being at work, and how these antecedents vary over the course of an organizational change. Organization change planning, perceived risk level, and attitudes toward organizational change are examined as antecedents. Attitudes toward change were tested as mediators in the relationship between change attributes and well-being. Hypotheses were tested in a three-wave study ( N = 505, N = 390, and N = 348 respondents, respectively) of employees from a public organization in Brazil undergoing a strategic reorientation. Attitudes toward change had stable positive effects in each wave, conducted 12, 24, and 48 months after the change was initiated. This study corroborates findings that uncertainty and risk contribute to the formation of negative cognitions and feelings throughout the process of organizational change but do not necessarily result in discomfort in relation to the work. The effects of planning the change and the perceived risk level of the change were not moderated by time. This study’s results do not support the ideas of gradual shifts and discontinuous information processing in cognitive models of employees. In contrast, it is possible to conclude that perceptions are confirmed over time. Implications for managing employee reactions and well-being in different phases of change are discussed.