Participation in change, job characteristics, and hedonic well‐being of senior public managers: The moderation effect of change information

Stephen T T Teo,David Pick,Azadeh Shafaei,Diep Nguyen

doi:10.1111/1467-8500.12425

Stephen T T Teo, David Pick + Show 2 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-8500.12425

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Abstract

AbstractThis study contributes to Hobfoll's Conservation of Resources theory by testing a moderated mediation model of the relationship between participation in change and senior managers’ hedonic well‐being. Using data collected from 266 Australian senior managers employed in the Commonwealth and State public sector, we tested the interaction of participation in change and change information with job satisfaction, an example of hedonic well‐being at work. Findings from the path analysis produced two new insights. First, both participation in change and information about change are key resources that senior managers can deploy to protect and enhance their job satisfaction. Second, information about change has a buffering effect on the indirect relationship between participation in change and job satisfaction through job control. These two findings have practical implications indicating that it is important to train and equip senior managers in the adoption of effective strategies to acquire job resources in assisting them deal with change induced job demands.

Highlights

There is an emerging stream of research that seeks to identify the factors affecting the experiences of change recipients in private and public sector organisations (Oreg & Berson, 2019; Stouten, Rousseau, & De Cremer, 2018)
The main theoretical contribution of this study is that we provide new insights into the COR theory by illuminating the idea that during change events participation in change and information about change are key resources that can be deployed by managers to protect and enhance job satisfaction which in turn helps maintain perceptions of overall well-being
The evidence in this study suggests that participation in change is a job resources (JR) variable that helps reduce workload demands, whereas job control is a JR variable that mediates the effects of workload demands on job satisfaction

Summary

Introduction

There is an emerging stream of research that seeks to identify the factors affecting the experiences of change recipients in private and public sector organisations (Oreg & Berson, 2019; Stouten, Rousseau, & De Cremer, 2018). Most of the empirical evidence in the public management literature tends to focus on lower level employees and those occupying middle management roles (Lindorff, Worrall, & Cooper, 2011; Pick & Teo, 2017). This has left a relative dearth of knowledge about how senior managers react and respond to organisational change. Achieving a better understanding of this group of managers is important because, unlike those occupying less senior roles, they are responsible for initiating and managing the processes of change-facilitation, as well as implementing change and providing support to subordinates using their strategic and superior knowledge (Conway & Monks, 2011). Senior managers are accountable for the success of change programs as they are in positions of authority and have access to organisational and personal leadership and strategic resources that should enable them to lead, direct, and execute change (Balogun, Bartunek, & Do, 2015; Hambrick & Lovelace, 2018)

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