Managerial Coping Strategies during Organizational Change

Abstract

The present study examined the socio‐demographic, personality and contextual predictors behind the use by managers of appraisal‐focused, problem‐focused and emotion‐focused coping strategies. Respondents were 78 male managers employed in a large public sector organization that was experiencing considerable organizational restructuring and change. Managers completed measures of their coping strategies, together with personality measures and theirperceptions of levels of uncertainty and disruption. Results revealed that managers most frequently used analysis of the situation and problem‐solving as strategies to cope with organizational change. More confident managers, and those with a more internal locus of control, were more likely to cope by examining the situation and alternative solutions. On the other hand, managers who were less satisfied with the nature of information about changes coped by using emotional outbursts. The greatest use of emotional discharge was also linked with having experienced more physical dislocation during the organizational change. Discussion considers the utility of these findings for managers and their organizations which are attempting to cope with transformational change. 1993 Australian Human Resources Institute (AHRI)