Abstract
Purpose For change initiatives to succeed, change managers are required to address recipients’ needs. Although strategies to deal with change recipients and their resistance are widely explored, there is a dearth of studies that consider the different salience of change recipients. This paper aims to propose a framework on the effects of participation and coercion as strategies to deal with change recipients and their impact on change derailment. Design/methodology/approach Conceptual based upon that change recipients are classified into three levels according to their salience in relation to change. Based upon the recipients’ power and legitimacy in relation to change, stakeholder salience theory constitutes a theoretical provision used in this research to categorize the salience of change recipients. Findings The framework integrates change recipients’ salience levels (i.e. definitive, expectant and latent) and the effects of participation and coercion strategies on change derailment in times of organizational re-creation. The paper develops six hypotheses, which yield insights that advance the understanding of dealing with change recipients in the context of organizational re-creation. Research limitations/implications The paper is conceptual and not yet tested empirically. To empirically test the framework, research adopting survey methodology to gather data from organizations that experience a re-creation change as defined in this paper. The unit of analysis for future research is described in this paper and it is how organizational re-creation is defined in this paper. Originality/value Stakeholder salience theory is used to develop a framework that combines three classes of change recipients’ salience, as well as the effects of two strategies to deal with them and their resistance (i.e. lack of involvement and coercion) to examine their influence on change derailment. The potential contribution will expand the current literature discussed in this paper about dealing with change recipients’ resistance to change.
Highlights
IntroductionDue to the changing internal and external organizational environment, many forces of change such as technological, legal, growth and economic emerge (Auster and Ruebottom, 2013; Mills et al, 2009; Nadler and Shaw, 1995), and organizational change is unavoidable (Armenakis et al, 1993; Auster and Ruebottom, 2013; Nadler and Tushman, 1995; Oreg and Berson, 2011; Van de Ven and Sun, 2011)
The potential contribution will expand the current literature discussed in this paper about dealing with change recipients’ resistance to change
Less research considers the effects change recipients can have on a given change. This paper addresses this issue by providing a detailed explanation and classification of the effects change recipients gave on change initiatives
Summary
Due to the changing internal and external organizational environment, many forces of change such as technological, legal, growth and economic emerge (Auster and Ruebottom, 2013; Mills et al, 2009; Nadler and Shaw, 1995), and organizational change is unavoidable (Armenakis et al, 1993; Auster and Ruebottom, 2013; Nadler and Tushman, 1995; Oreg and Berson, 2011; Van de Ven and Sun, 2011). The main challenge of this is the resistance of those who receive the change (Shin et al, 2012; Van Dijk and Van Dick, 2009). Bringing about radical organizational change is far from simple (Lines, 2007; Nadler and Tushman, 1995). Change managers encounter difficulties because implementing change and radical change, is challenging and can be approached in a variety of different ways and because the resistance of those who receive the change (i.e. change recipients) is a primary obstacle of change success (Shin et al, 2012)
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