Organizational Change and its Impacts Through Counterproductive Work Behaviors

Abstract

The United States Armed Forces is similar to and different from other complex business organizations in the United States. The difference is that the Armed Forces have a unique traditional culture. When this is interfered with through counterproductive work behaviors, both the organization and national security are threatened. This work focused on the relationship between counterproductive work behaviors, selected negative personality characteristics, employee voice, and organizational change in the United States Armed Forces. The three personality traits were psychopathy, narcissism and Machiavellianism. Although the effects of these traits on organizations have been studied, no study has been conducted with participants from the United States Armed Forces. Three theories were used for the theoretical foundation: social identity theory, social exchange theory, and organizational support theory. Seven research questions and seven hypotheses were formulated. A total of 241 volunteer veterans or retired military personnel in the Armed Forces participated with a 77-item researcher-designed survey based on published questionnaires. The data were analyzed with quantitative methods, specifically descriptive statistics, confirmatory factor analysis, multiple regression analysis, and structural equation modeling. All hypotheses were supported. The results showed that psychopathy, narcissism and Machiavellianism related positively to counterproductive work behaviors (H1, H2, H3). Organizational changed moderated the relationships between psychopathy, narcissism, and Machiavellianism (H4, H5, H6). Employee voice related negatively to counterproductive work behaviors (H7). Implications include further quantitative research with other samples and the variables studied, as well as qualitative research. Recommendations for leaders at all levels of organizations to gain a greater understanding of the variables in this study can help leaders take steps to mitigate counterproductive work behaviors in relation to negative personality traits and organizational change for greater organizational effectiveness.