Effects Of Organizational Change Research Articles

The effects of profit sharing and worker participation on firm performance

This article summarizes recent studies concerning the effects of organizational change on fundamental economic variables. The framework applied to take account of possible selectivity effects is explained in detail. This methodology is applied to the effects of profits sharing and the legal provisions with respect to worker codetermination rights on the plant and firm level.

Effects of Organizational Change on Firm Productivity

An increasing use of IT facilitates firms to use more efficient organizational forms. Significant reorganizations of business processes around IT capital can thereby boost productivity growth. The aim of this study is to empirically examine how firm productivity growth is affected by organizational changes and investments in IT using a Difference-in-Difference approach on a panel of Swedish firms over the years 1997-2005. The empirical results show a positive and significant effect on total factor productivity growth for firms that invested above median in IT and at the same time undertook organizational changes.

Perceived organizational change in the hotel industry: An implication of change schema

A schema, first proposed by Fiske and Taylor (1984), is a cognitive structure that represents organized knowledge on a given concept or type of stimulus. Lau and Woodman (1995) further explained that when an organization experiences changes, its members have various interpretations of and expectations for those changes. The cognitive understanding of change is guided by a mental map that represents the knowledge structures of the attributes of change and relationships between different events of change. This mental map refers to the so-called change schema ( Lau and Woodman, 1995). The objectives of this study are to apply this change schema to organizational change in hotels, and to examine the antecedents and consequences of organizational change. Employees have been identified as a potential source of resistance to change ( Okumus and Hemmington, 1998), therefore with this study we assess the perceptions of organizational change of front-line employees in hotels. The sample group was drawn from 246 hotel employees in Taiwan. Results confirm that the five dimensions of the organizational change schema (Salience, Impact, Significance, Meaning, and Control) are applicable in a hotel setting. Furthermore, only communication (not participation and training) has a strong influence on organizational change. In turn, the nature of the organizational changes themselves contributes significantly to employees’ attitudes toward both organizational change and organizational commitment. This study also indicates that employees recognize and are concerned about changes within their hotels, suggesting that hotel managers need to be aware of the influences of such changes on hotels and go about the implementation changes very carefully.

Effects of Organizational Change on Work-related Empowerment, Employee Satisfaction, and Motivation

This article reports the results of a longitudinal quantitative study on nurses' views on factors promoting and impeding empowerment and examines the relationship between work-related empowerment and background variables in one hospital. Data were collected using a self-administered questionnaire and analyzed statistically. Nurses gave lowest assessments of promoting factors on the second measurement occasion, a time when the organization was going through major changes. Both job satisfaction and motivation showed a positive relationship with factors promoting empowerment. Organizational changes have a direct effect on the work environment in terms of empowerment and job satisfaction. To cope successfully with changes, special attention must be paid to personnel management. It seems that factors promoting and impeding empowerment can be used to measure effects of organizational changes as well.

Effects of organizational change in the ICU on high-risk surgical patients: a comparison of open and closed formats

In 2000 the ICU in a teaching hospital in the Netherlands changed from open to closed format. In this retrospective study, outcomes of high-risk surgical patients before and after the organizational change were compared.

Staff stress and challenging behaviour on a medium secure development disabilities ward for women: the outcomes of organisational change, and clinical interventions

The effects of organisational change on a medium secure ward for women with developmental disabilities are examined. Intervention followed the BAITS model (Milne et al, 2003) in focusing on behavioural analysis, intervention, training and support as a way of amalgamating psychological perspectives to address problems and promote positive attitude change. The positive benefits of this programme are described in terms of pre‐ and post‐changes in the perceived work environment, job satisfaction and burn‐out, and levels of disturbed behaviour. The implications of these findings are discussed in terms of promoting positive evidence‐based practices in secure developmental disability services.

Organizational Change to Transfer Knowledge and Improve Quality and Outcomes of Care for Patients with Severe Mental Illness: A Systematic Overview of Reviews

To provide a comprehensive overview of the research on organizational changes aimed at improving health care for patients with severe mental illness and to learn lessons for mental health practice from the results. We searched for systematic literature reviews published in English during 2000 to 2007 in PubMed, PsycINFO, CINAHL, EMBASE, and the Cochrane Central Register of Systematic Reviews. Three reviewers independently selected and assessed the studies' quality. Studies involving changes of who delivers health care, how care is organized, or where care is delivered were included. We categorized the studies using an existing taxonomy of 6 broad categories of strategies for organizational change. A total of 21 reviews were included. Among these, 17 had reasonably good methodological quality, Almost all reviews included or intended to include randomized controlled trials (RCTs), 6 reviews did not identify studies that met eligibility criteria. Multidisciplinary teams and integrated care models had been reviewed most frequently (a total of 15 reviews). In most studies, these types of changes showed better outcomes in terms of symptom severity, functioning, employment, and housing, compared with conventional services. Different results were found on cost savings. Other types of organizational changes, such as changing professional roles or introducing quality management or knowledge management, were much less frequently reviewed. Very few reviews looked at effects of organizational changes on professional performance. There is a fairly large body of evidence of the positive impact of multidisciplinary teams and integrated care changes on symptom severity, functioning, employment, and housing of people with severe mental illness, compared with conventional services. Other strategies, such as changes in professional roles, quality or knowledge management, have either not been the subject of systematic reviews or have not been evaluated in RCTs. There is still a lack of insight in the so-called black box of change processes and the impact of change on professional performance.

The same factors influence job turnover and long spells of sick leave--a 3-year follow-up of Swedish nurses

In many countries, a general shortage of nurses is a public health problem, and retention of nurses in active work is a challenge. The aim of this study was to ascertain whether the same individual factors, working conditions and health problems had led to increased probability of both leaving jobs and prolonged sickness absence in a cohort of Swedish nurses over a period of 3 years. A baseline questionnaire was answered by 2293 nurses, representing a response rate of 86%. Exposed and unexposed nurses were compared with regard to two outcomes. During the 3-year follow-up, exposed and unexposed nurses were compared with regard to two outcomes: resigning and having at least one sick leave spell that lasted 28 days or longer. We found that 18% of the nurses left their employment, and 16% had sick leave spells > or =28 days. Work in geriatric care, being socially excluded by superiors and/or workmates, negative effects of organizational changes and poor self-rated general health were factors that increased the likelihood of both leaving jobs and long-term sick leave. The present results underline the importance of improving working conditions and supporting sustainable health in order to prevent high turnover and prolonged sick leave among nurses. Resigning and moving to another institution can be interpreted as a way to actively cope with an unhealthy work environment.

All in the name of change: effects of organizational change on performance measures of customer service in the health care industry

This research examines the effects of organizational change (i.e., change of the hospital name, chief executive officer (CEO), and ownership) on objective performance measures of customer services (hospital beds, payroll, full-time employees, and patients served) in the health care industry. Archival data were collected from 155 Hospitals in the State of Tennessee for four consecutive years. During that time period, there were a lot of mergers and acquisitions (M&A) and organizational changes in the health care industry in Tennessee. Results suggested that there was a significant reduction of hospital beds and a significant increase of payroll during the four-year period. These changes were more significant in urban hospitals than in rural hospitals. In the four-year period, a change of the hospital name resulting from a merger had increased the efficiency of serving customers (patient/FTE ratio), while those without the change had decreased the efficiency. Our results reveal some evidences that acquisitions may be related to short-term financial benefits as expected

The dark tower

PurposeTo provide a descriptive case study showing how the construction of drawings as visual metaphors can help work groups “give voice” to their emotional reactions to organizational change events, and provide groups with a vehicle for interpreting and framing their experience of organizational change.Design/methodology/approachA seven‐person focus was asked to construct a drawing that would serve as a visual metaphor for conveying the group's reaction to ongoing organizational changes within their company. Following this construction, the group engaged in a self‐interpretation of their metaphor.FindingsThe work group's feelings regarding organizational change were encapsulated in visual metaphor of “dark tower”; a metaphor of which revealed that team members shared several strong, negative emotions regarding the organizational change event. A review of how the group's changes in metaphor construction evolved over three successive drawings showed how certain elements of the metaphor came to play a central role in the team's emotional expression of organizational change events.Research limitations/implicationsThis case study did not attempt to provide a comparative review of metaphor constructions across work groups, nor did it include the use of other research methods, such as structured interviews, to confirm these findings.Practical implicationsThis study illustrates how the construction of visual metaphors can be used to help researchers gain a more in‐depth understanding of the subjective, felt experience of groups during organizational change events.Originality/valueThe group's reflections on how their successive drawings changed over the course of the construction of their metaphor sheds light on how “visual narratives” take form over time.

Four-dimensional approach to quality and performance of intensive care: rapid routine overview of performance by derived indexes

The quality of intensive care (QIC) can be defined by several dimensions: structure, process and outcomes [1]. All Finnish ICUs contribute to the Finnish Intensive Care Quality Consortium (FICQC) with shared reports over the Internet. The FICQC chose to describe the quality of intensive care by four dimensions: patient outcome, patient selection, resource utilization and data completeness. The aim of this work was to develop a continuous, comprehensive and compact view of the quality of intensive care and to describe the effects of organizational changes on the performance.

Organizational change, health, and sick leave among health care employees: A longitudinal study measuring stress markers, individual, and work site factors

This controlled longitudinal study was conducted to investigate the effects of organizational change on employees’ self-reported health, work satisfaction, work-related exhaustion, stress, and sick leave. The population consisted of 226 employees at T1 and 198 at T2, divided into a study group affected by organizational changes, and a reference group not affected by them. Group differences for the outcome measures self-rated health (SRH), work satisfaction, work-related exhaustion, and hormones associated with stress were analysed using a two-factor ANOVA design for repeated measurements. Our findings showed no significant differences, either across time or between groups for SRH, work satisfaction, and work-related exhaustion. However, we did find significant change across time and between groups for the recovery hormone DHEA-S. Days of sick leave increased by 7% for employees in the study group and by 2% in the reference group. Serum cortisol showed significantly decreased levels across time but not between groups. The decreased recovery potential in the study group might have long-term health implications. The study points to the importance of looking at the impact of organizational change on employee well-being from a number of perspectives, such as self-reported health parameters, registered sick-leave data, and biological stress markers.

Community care: changing the role of hospital social work

Health and social services have been subjected to many changes over the past decade. Legislative reforms in the National Health Service (NHS), the implementation of policies for care in the community, and the transfer of funding for social care have given Local Authorities the lead role in the assessment of need and development of a mixed economy of care. The challenge for the organization and management of health social work is how to adjust to the change, whilst ensuring that increased choices are made available to users. It raises questions as to whether the reforms will provide a real opportunity for innovation or lead to a different form of rationing of services—a ‘top-down’, imposed, technocratic solution to reducing public spending. This paper presents the findings of an exploratory research study which considers the effect of organizational change on the provision of hospital-based social-work services to adults with health and social care needs in four Local Authorities in England. Local Authorities have responded differently; some have integrated care management within a social-work perspective; others have moved towards employing care managers who need not be qualified social workers. Change is proceeding slowly, not surprisingly, for none has been wholeheartedly enthusiastic. This paper examines the limited evidence on how social-work managers and practitioners are meeting the changes imposed upon them. Managers are more optimistic and see the changes as challenging, offering opportunities for acquiring new knowledge and different skills; workers are more pessimistic, fearing that preventive, professional practice will be eroded, disempowering users. Both are in agreement that the process has been stressful and that the practice of social work in hospitals has changed.

The need for organizational change in patient safety initiatives

Objectives This study describes a computer simulation model that has been developed to explore organizational changes required to improve patient safety based on a medication error reporting system. Methods Model parameters for the simulation model were estimated from data submitted to the MEDMARX medication error reporting system from 570 healthcare facilities in the U.S. The model's results were validated with data from the Pittsburgh Regional Healthcare Initiative consisting of 44 hospitals in Pennsylvania that have adopted the MEDMARX medication error reporting system. The model was used to examine the effects of organizational changes in response to the error reporting system. Four interventions were simulated involving the implementation of computerized physician order entry, decision support systems and a clinical pharmacist on hospital rounds. Conclusions Results of the analysis indicate that improved patient safety requires more than clinical initiatives and voluntary reporting of errors. Organizational change is essential for significant improvements in patient safety. In order to be successful, these initiatives must be designed and implemented through organizational support structures and institutionalized through enhanced education, training, and implementation of information technology that improves work flow capabilities.

Antecedents and Consequences of Organizational Change: ‘Institutionalizing’ the Behavioral Theory of the Firm

In this paper, we highlight the conditions under which organizations initiate changes in two distinct institutional contexts. While the focus within behavioral research has been on aspiration-driven organizational change, the effect of institutional dynamics on the probability of change has been given limited attention. Pooled cross-sectional data covering the period 1920-2001 in the baseball industry are regressed to examine a set of hypotheses that predict the drivers of organizational change in periods of institutional stability and instability, as well as the impact of these changes on performance. Our findings show that the role of aspiration-driven organizational change diminishes in environments characterized by institutional instability. Rather, mimetic and cognitive pressures pave the ground for responses to institutional dynamics. We also shed light on how the relative stability/instability of the institutional environment heterogeneously influences the implications of behavioral changes for organizational performance.

Organizational innovations, human resources and firm performance: The Emilia-Romagna food sector

This paper studies the relationship between organizational innovation, industrial relations and economic performance at the firm level. It adopts an applied perspective by means of a comprehensive survey on a specific industrial sector, the food industry, with the aim of investigating: (i) the degree of organizational innovation and the diffusion of HRM practices; (ii) the relevance of the interaction between unions and top management in the process of decision-making at an operative, organizational and strategic level; (iii) the relations between the intensity of organizational innovation and the quality of industrial relations; (iv) the effects of organizational changes on firm performance. The focus is on firms with bargaining activity at establishment level where worker committees exist. The dataset is derived from a structured questionnaire submitted to union members concerning structural data on firms and local productive units, production flexibility, organizational models, compensation systems, industrial relations and firm performance. The quantitative analysis highlights the following critical elements. First, the firm governance seems characterized by a strong relevance of industrial relations, in terms of “good quality atmosphere” and “involvement of worker representatives and employees”: their action proves to be a stimulus to organizational changes. The set of industrial relations variables does emerge as a significant factor explaining firm innovation intensity. Second, although we cannot ascertain the causal link given the cross-sectional nature of data, firm performance and organizational innovations arise as two elements which are strictly and positively related to each other. Third, the evidence points out that good industrial relations are important as far as the firm performance is concerned; nevertheless their role is mediated by their effects on organizational changes rather than having a direct impact on performance.

Context of change in community mental health occupational therapy: Part two

This is the second part of a report on a study that used focused ethnography to explore an occupational therapist's role in a community mental health team. Following collaborative data analysis, it was found that the context of change was an important influence on the occupational therapist. The practitioner was trying to develop her role as a mental health worker and an occupational therapist in a multiprofessional team. The team was working within a changing organization, with little opportunity to explore the impact of change. It is recommended that further development of professional roles is a collaborative endeavour, involving all professions and the service users. Institutional ethnography is identified for future research, so that the relationships and influences throughout the entire mental health-care system can be explored. The effect of organizational change on the working lives of health-care professionals needs to be acknowledged and actively managed.

Effects of reengineering on the employee satisfaction‐customer satisfaction relationship

PurposeThis paper seeks to examine the correlations between measures of employee satisfaction and customer satisfaction before and after a major process reengineering initiative.Design/methodology/approachData were collected in 130 branches of a large financial services organization using employee and customer surveys.FindingsScores on some employee satisfaction factors were predictive of customer satisfaction at both time periods. Other employee satisfaction factors were found to have a stronger relationship with customer satisfaction in one period but not both.Research limitations/implicationsThis study needs to be replicated to determine the generalizability of the findings.Practical implicationsWork demands which probably increased due to the reengineering initiative were predictive of customer satisfaction following the reengineering effort.Originality/valueOrganizations need to consider the effects of organizational changes in their efforts to provide high quality customer service.

The Gendered Nature of Mergers

This article ties together two research areas: the gendering of organizations and the effects of organizational change on workers. The article then suggests seven reasons why mergers are gendered. These are: possible differences in undermining or eliminating job security between men and women; contract changes; breaking internal contracts; the loss or undermining of gendered tacit knowledge; emotional reactions; risk perception and the discourse of mergers. The article argues for looking at mergers and organizational change through a gender lens.

Gender Equity Unmasked: Democracy, Gender, and Education in Central/Southeastern Europe and the Former Soviet Union

In the early 1990s, the countries of Central and Southeastern Europe (CEE and SEE) and the former Soviet Union (FSU) moved from authoritarianism to democracy, capitalism, and market economies, thus joining “democracy’s third-wave.” As in most cases of democratization, the transformation processes in the former socialist bloc have created opportunities to “rethink the bases of social consensus and revise the rules of the game,” signaling the possibility for new political culture and institutions. As such, periods of democratic transformation constitute “political openings” in the widest sense, generating extensive opportunities for sociopolitical activism and expanding the bases for political participation of previously marginalized actors. In particular, democratic transformation processes provide unique opportunities for women to address their secondary status, to insist on their inclusion in the democratization process, to engage in formal or informal politics, and to demand that their particular issues be incorporated in the political system. While acknowledging the ostensibly equal public status of women under socialist political and economic policies, this article makes a two-tiered argument regarding gender equity in the region. First, gender equity under the socialist regime was largely a myth, despite government’s public presentation of it. Second, gender equity may not necessarily be achieved through