Abstract
The overall objective of this study was to explore perceived organisational injustice through the lens of learnt helplessness in a Norwegian post-merger case study focusing on an ageing knowledge-based workforce. The case describes a lucrative large-scale early retirement organisational downsizing deployed only in the headquarters, located in Norway, but not offered across country subsidiaries. This qualitative research collected data from 28 semi-structured face-to-face interviews and other observations. This study was based on the assumption that organisational injustice would prevail with observed counter-productive workplace behaviours (CWBs). Three research questions were formulated: 1) Does perceived organisational injustice always lead to the expected CWB? 2) To what degree does learnt helplessness function as a buffer against the expected CWB resulting from perceived organisational injustice? 3) What are the antecedents and consequences of learnt helplessness? A key contribution of this study is to provide a unique case where injustice does not always lead to the predicted negative organisational outcomes of CWBs under the conditions of learnt helplessness. The case illustrates that organisational culture is the antecedent of learnt helplessness, which in turn, has buffering effects against the predicted CWBs.
Highlights
In the current turbulent business environment, utilising downsizing to improve firm performance and competitiveness is a common strategy
This paper explores three research questions: 1) Does perceived organisational injustice always lead to the expected counterproductive workplace behaviours (CWBs)? 2) To what degree does learnt helplessness function as a buffer against expected CWB resulting from perceived organisational injustice? 3) What are the antecedents and consequences of learnt helplessness? We conclude with a discussion of implications and a brief reflection on the limitations of this study and directions for future research
The results indicate that perceived organisational injustice does not always lead to expected CWBs
Summary
In the current turbulent business environment, utilising downsizing to improve firm performance and competitiveness is a common strategy. Organisational downsizing is broadly defined as a set of management activities aimed at improving organisational efficiency, productivity and competitiveness (Freeman & Cameron, 1993) It is often perceived as a defensive rather than a proactive organisational strategy (Rehman & Naeem, 2012) to realign organisational challenges. Research reveals that organisations often enjoy an initial increase in productivity immediately following downsizing because the remaining employees work harder and more competitively in an attempt to keep their jobs (Appelbaum, Delage, Labib, & Gault, 1997). This increase in productivity is often short-lived. Some authors coined the word ‘dumbsizing’ to describe these activities (Wilkinson, 2005)
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