Change Management Communication: The Role of Meaningfulness, Leadership Brand Authenticity, and Gender

Abstract

As hospitality firms face increasing demands that require continuous change, it is imperative to design change management processes that allow for effective communication of change initiatives. This study of 235 employees examined the effects of organizational change communication 1 month after the change message was delivered at the annual leadership conference of a well-known U.S.-based limited-service hotel chain. In hospitality organizations, successful change management is impossible without employee engagement. However, employees’ sensemaking of the organizational change message may encourage or hinder their receptivity to change. Findings showed that while positive appraisal of conference message meaningfulness positively influenced employee work engagement, perceptions of leadership brand authenticity had a stronger impact. Moreover, employees bundled message meaningfulness and leadership brand authenticity perceptions for greater work engagement, which is linked with job satisfaction and service climate evaluation. Female attendees were highly influenced by leadership brand authenticity perceptions, driving stronger job satisfaction and stronger service climate. However, for male attendees, meaningfulness of the conference message had a significant impact on engagement. Thus, hospitality managers’ ability to adjust organizational change communication through message meaningfulness and authentic leadership branding may assist in securing the desired outcomes of change.