Effects of organisational crisis on employees' work attitudes: evidence from a private organisation in Thailand

Abstract

The objective of this research was to investigate the effects of organisational crisis on employees' perceived uncertainty and clarity about organisational goals, interdepartmental integration, and organisational commitment. The study also explored whether employee involvement might buffer the adverse situations that employees experienced because of the crisis. The study focused on a crisis faced by a private organisation in Thailand. Survey data were collected from 100 full-time employees in three major departments that were affected directly by the crisis. The results of partial least squares regression analysis showed that perceived uncertainty explained why those respondents with strong perceptions of crisis severity tended to develop higher levels of perceived uncertainty, demonstrated less interdepartmental integration, and exhibited lower organisational commitment. However, the analysis of moderating effects showed that the negative effect of perceived crisis severity on perceived uncertainty was significantly lower among those respondents who exhibited a higher degree of employee involvement.