Period Of Organizational Change Research Articles

Restoring trust in employers: Diagnosing and treating the perception that an organization has “multiple personalities”

Maintaining employee trust is essential for the success of an organization. Employees who trust their employers perform better and are more likely to stay in their jobs. We have identified a phenomenon that we call organizational dissociative identity disorder that tends to erode employee trust. The phenomenon is somewhat analogous to the psychiatric diagnosis of dissociative identity disorder, in which a person appears to have multiple personalities. In the case of organizations, it is the perception of employees that dealing with their organization is like dealing with a person who has multiple personalities. Employees tend to experience this perception when they receive directives that seem inconsistent with one another or with previous directives, leading the employees to doubt the ability, the benevolence, the integrity, and often the fairness of their employer. This perception is most likely to occur after a period of organizational change. We propose ways to identify this situation and ameliorate its effects through carefully crafted communications of various types involving stakeholders at all levels of the organization.

The ripple effect of strain in times of change: how manager emotional exhaustion affects team psychological safety and readiness to change.

Managers assume a pivotal role during periods of organizational change, yet there exists a notable gap in our understanding of how their emotional exhaustion may impact their capacity to generate readiness to change within their teams. Grounded in the conservation of resources theory (COR), this study explores the crossover effect of managers' emotional exhaustion on team readiness to change. We expect this to occur through higher levels of laissez-faire leadership, which impacts the teams' psychological safety. Data was gathered within a Canadian governmental organization undergoing two significant changes-cultural change and digitalization-with a specific focus on leadership as a pivotal factor in preparing teams for change. Employing surveys from 372 team members and 62 managers affected by this change, we conducted path analysis to empirically test the proposed model across 74 teams and their respective managers. Managers' emotional exhaustion has a negative indirect effect on team readiness to change. The double mediation pathway implies a positive relationship on laissez-faire leadership, which hinders psychological safety. In turn, psychological safety hampers team readiness to change. Managers must invest significant resources to fulfill their roles and responsibilities during strategic change. Those who feel exhausted during change may look for ways to protect some of their resources by reducing the time and energy they invest leading their team. This self-preserving resource strategy has detrimental consequences on teams' effectiveness during change due to an indirect crossover effect that affects the levels of psychological safety on the team.

Navigating Psychological Crises in Leadership Transitions

Abstract This paper delves into the psychological crisis that leaders and managers in private higher education institutions (HEIs) encounter when transitioning into new job roles. The study employs Bridges’ Transition Model to examine the internal obstacles and adaptive measures that emerge during the transitional phase, with a specific emphasis on the psychological dimensions of the transitions. The study utilised a qualitative research methodology and grounded theory approach that involved conducting in-depth interviews and analysing relevant documents to investigate the experiences of leaders and managers in the context of organisational transitions. The results of the study offer significant contributions to the field of organisational management, particularly in the area of leadership succession planning. The findings shed light on effective strategies for managing leadership transitions, promoting smoother transitions, and providing adequate support to individuals in leadership positions during periods of organisational change.

Mediating Role of Work Engagement and Trust in Leadership: The Influence of Transformational Leadership on Championing Behavior

This article aims to explain the effect of transformational leadership on championing behavior with work engagement and trust in leadership as mediators. A literature review is conducted to determine the variables that build the conceptual model. The expected findings are a positive relationship between transformational leadership and championing behavior, as well as the mediating role of work engagement and trust in leadership. This study explains whether the presence of championing behavior will make employees want to be invited to change during the period of organizational change. This study provides an alternative conceptual model in the field of human resources, especially employee behavior. Researchers hope that this research can provide an understanding of the importance of championing behavior to employees and organizations when organizational change occurs. This paper is also expected to contribute theoretically, practically, and may be used for future studies.

How empathetic leadership communication mitigates employees' turnover intention during COVID-19-related organizational change

PurposeThe novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak thrust a spotlight on organizational leaders and the challenges that employees face during periods of organizational change. The purpose of the current study is to examine the influence of empathetic supervisor communication on employee turnover intention and the mediating role of affective trust toward supervisors and employee–organization relationship (EOR) quality. Informed by the social exchange theory and EOR literature, the authors develop a model in which affective trust toward supervisors and EOR quality mediates the relationship between empathetic supervisor communication and employee turnover intention.Design/methodology/approachThis study recruited 417 employees based in the USA through an online panel operated by a professional survey company. Data collection that followed a quota sampling procedure lasted for about three weeks in October 2020. The authors used structural equation modeling to test the study hypotheses.FindingsThe findings of this study indicated that the extent to which supervisors adopted empathetic communication during organizational change had considerable repercussions on their supervisees' affective trust toward supervisors, relationship perception toward their organizations, and ultimately, their turnover intention.Originality/valueThis study is among the first that identifies empathetic communication as a pivotal force in driving employees' positive relational and behavioral reactions, reinforcing the growing expectation of supervisors in fulfilling communication functions during organizational change. Moreover, the authors contribute to understanding change management as an activity rooted in and enacted through communication between supervisors and subordinates. In addition, this study contributes to the organizational research of empathy during change.

Implementing organisational change in a digitalising facilities management organisation through stewardship interventions

Purpose While digitalisation requires facilities management (FM) organisations to change at an increasing rate, little is known about the mechanisms that create ownership and enable individuals to implement changes in everyday FM practice. In this study, these mechanisms are explored from a stewardship perspective. The purpose of this paper is to provide insights into the dynamics of organisational change in FM by analysing how stewardship behaviour leads to change. Design/methodology/approach A process model for implementing organisational change is constructed, based on existing theoretical insights from stewardship and intrapreneurship literature. The model is evaluated in a case study through analysis of critical events. Interviewing was the key data collection method. Findings The process model gives an event-driven explanation of change through psychological ownership. Analysis of multiple critical events suggests that the model explains intra-organisational as well as inter-organisational change. The case data further suggests that, compared with intra-organisational change, tailored relational and motivational support is more important for inter-organisational change because of the higher risks involved. Job crafting emerged as an unanticipated finding that offers interesting prospects for future FM research. Practical implications The process model offers guidance for leaders in FM organisations on providing tailored support to internal and external employees during periods of organisational change. Originality/value Stewardship and intrapreneurship are combined to provide insights on organisational change in FM. The study demonstrates how intrapreneurial behaviour and stewardship behaviour can be linked to create innovation within and between organisations.

Juxta-(re)position: challenging U.S. military and women subject positions through Instagram posts

Exploration of how U.S. military minority service members, including active-duty women, communicate personal and social identity remains an underexplored area of organizational communication research. Recent policy changes integrating women into all facets of military service has created an opportunity to observe how U.S. military women visually communicate their personal and social identity as members of the military. This study aims to better understand how personal and social identity is communicated on Instagram during a period of organizational change. Using juxtaposition on Instagram to challenge existing notions of military and women, women were found to create a juxta-(re)positioning that violated expected norms of both military and women. This juxta-(re)positioning resulted in expanding normative assumptions of both military and women subject positions. This study serves as a starting point for understanding how minority individuals, through the use of juxtaposition, can capitalize on existing social media norms to (re)position themselves within an organization.

Employee engagement and organizational change initiatives: Does transformational leadership, valence, and trust make a difference?

AbstractThe research investigates the role of transformationalleadership in enhancing employee engagement during organizational change, and the individual and sequential mediating role of valence and trust in leadership. Based on cross‐sectional data from a survey of employees in Bangladesh's banking sector, the study uses structural equation modeling to test four hypotheses related to employee engagement and organizational change. The results showed that transformational leadership positively associated with employee engagement, and that both valence and trust in leadership individually and sequentially mediate the relationship between transformational leadership and employee engagement. The research contributes to the areas of organizational change management and human resource management by clarifying the impact of transformational leadership on employee engagement. It also provides practical guidance on improving employee engagement in Bangladesh's banking sector, and elsewhere, during periods of organizational change.

ORGANIZATIONAL CHANGES IN THE ENTERPRISE: THE INFLUENCE OF EMPLOYEE REACTION

The pace of organizational change faced by business organizations continues to grow every year. This is the result of progress in the field of information and communication technologies, which increases the democratization and liberalization of the world's economies. Our study of employee response to organizational change identified three main areas: The first perspective of the study identifies different personality traits of employees as determinants of resistance or support for change. The main approaches and models to the analysis of the influence of individual characteristics (tendencies) on the effectiveness of organizational change are analyzed. For example, it turned out that employees who are afraid of the unknown and tend to be more skeptical about it are more likely to resist. The first direction showed that people with a higher level of self-esteem and self-efficacy are more likely to support any change. The second direction focuses on the relationship between the employee and the organization. Here, scholars have focused on the role of trust in managerial or organizational settings. The last direction concerns the internal communication of change processes, which keeps the organization in the period of organizational change. The role of individual tendencies in the processes of organizational change, psychological factors of perception or resistance to these changes were considered. It was noted that the variables of organizational communication perform two main tasks: first, it serves to transmit information, and secondly, the use of commands as the main links and factors of organizational adaptation. We compared Cotter's model of urgent change with other models and determined that Luke's "Seven Steps" model offers a good way to diagnose and understand the current state of the business (before the change), as well as the goal (which is pursued by the change). Therefore, it can significantly help to start the process of change and provide the necessary guidance for success. The effective use of this model depends on whether these steps are implemented.

Understanding ‘Vulnerability’ and ‘Political Skill’ in Academy Middle Management During Organisational Change in Professional Youth Football

ABSTRACT The use of political skill to further employees’ self-interests and their ability to cope with ambiguity and employment vulnerability during periods of organizational change is an important yet under researched phenomenon. Taking a middle management perspective, the purpose of this paper is to investigate the experiences of Richard, a newly appointed professional youth football Academy Manager during the process of organizational change. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews, formal academy team meetings, co-worker interviews, and informal observations and conversations, which were analyzed through the process of narrative analysis. Findings highlighted the hierarchical sensemaking challenges of vertically ‘managing up’ (e.g. Chairman, Board of Directors, 1st Team Manager) and ‘managing down’ (e.g. academy employees), and horizontally ‘managing across’ (e.g. Head of Coaching) during the process of organizational change. Importantly, managing expectations and influencing significant others, through skilled micro-political activity, was central to successfully negotiating the ambiguity and vulnerabilities of organizational life during change. MAD statement This study is the first to examine the micro-political actions and behaviours of middle managers as both recipients and deliverers of organizational change. The self-interests of middle-managers tend to influence strategic change; however, we do not understand how middle-managers make sense of the micro-political nature of such interests during change. This study highlights the complexity of coping with employment vulnerability when negotiating and influencing the actions of senior management whilst also supporting subordinate staff with resistance and uncertainty during change. Furthermore, the micro-political actions and strategies of a middle-manager to develop ‘trust’ amongst colleagues, both vertically ‘above’ and ‘below’ them, and horizontally ‘across’ from them in the organizational hierarchy, are evidenced.

Omniscience at the Edge of Chaos: complexity, defences and change in a Children and Families Social Work department

ABSTRACTThis paper will explore a period of organisational change in a Children and Families Social Work team, applying ideas from complexity theory and psychoanalysis to explore the changes that occurred. In doing so it will critique the Newtonian concept of cause-and-effect linear causality, instead positing a nonlinear model of an organisation as a complex adaptive system in flux as it interacts with its environment. The paper will go on to posit that Bion’s psychoanalytic concepts of Omniscience and K Activity are self-organising forces in social care organisations, and when anxiety is not managed effectively, reductionist technical-rationale approaches to Children and Families Social Work dominate practice. It will conclude by outlining how the organisation’s effective management of anxiety through the creation of containment, created a series of organisational changes. These changes better supported the management of the complexity and uncertainty inherent in the social work task, raising possibilities of improvements in social work practice beyond the organisation.

A Discursive Sensemaking Perspective on Project-Based Work in Public Healthcare

This study investigates project participants’ sensemaking of lived work experiences during periods of organizational change within Finnish public healthcare. It introduces a discursive sensemaking perspective to investigate lived experiences, that is, reflexive practitioners’ situational thinking. Drawing upon 17 interviews, the study identifies diverse repertoires through which the lived experiences are considered meaningful. These are repertoires of: (1) transformation, (2) realism, (3) politics, (4) individuality, (5) reflexivity, and (6) senselessness. The results show that project-based work in public healthcare differs from project participants’ expectations because projects are perceived to increase rather than decrease bureaucracy and include unsustainable working conditions that have to be endured.

The micro-politics of organisational change in professional youth football: Towards an understanding of “actions, strategies and professional interests”

Employment within professional football is characterised by high levels of staff turnover, uncertainty, vulnerability and insecurity. This paper aims to investigate the experiences of James, Head of Foundation Phase within an English professional youth academy, during a period of organisational change. Data were collected through field notes, informal observations and meetings, formal academy team meetings, co-worker interviews and four semi-structured in-depth participant interviews, which were subjected to an iterative process of inductive and deductive analysis. Theorising regarding the influence of professional self-interests upon the actions and strategies of the social actors was utilised to make sense of James' narrative. The findings highlighted how James strategically managed his relationships with others to further his own professional self-interests. Finally, following the findings of this study, we propose that the ability to develop micro-political literacy and a repertoire of micro-political actions and strategies would benefit coaches working within professional football during such periods of instability and change.

The message and the messenger

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to develop understanding of the “HRM process” as defined by Bowen and Ostroff (2004). The authors clarify the construct of “HRM philosophy” and suggest it is communicated to employees through “HRM messages”. Interrelationships between these concepts and other elements of the HRM-performance relationship are explored. The study identifies commonalities in the HRM philosophy and messages underscoring high-performing HRM systems, and highlights the function of a “messenger” in delivering messages to staff. Design/methodology/approach Case study of eight Australian hospitals with top performing HRM systems. Combines primary interview data with independent healthcare accreditor reports. Findings All cases share an HRM philosophy of achieving high-performance outcomes through the HRM system and employees are provided with messages about continuous improvement, best practice and innovation. The philosophy was instilled primarily by executive-level managers, whereby distinctiveness, consensus and consistency of communications were important characteristics. Research limitations/implications The research is limited by: omission of low or average performers; a single industry and country design; and exclusion of employee perspectives. Practical implications The findings reinforce the importance of identifying the HRM philosophy and its key communicators within the organisation, and ensuring it is aligned with strategy, climate and the HRM system, particularly during periods of organisational change. Originality/value The authors expand Bowen and Ostroff’s seminal work and develop the concepts of HRM philosophy and messages, offering the model to clarify key relationships. The findings underscore problems associated with a best practice approach that disregards HRM process elements essential for optimising performance.

‘Personalisation’

When the Coalition government’s ‘rehabilitation revolution’ was first articulated, innovation was an important theme, encompassing innovation by frontline staff, by organisations working within a mixed economy and even social entrepreneurs. Under Transforming Rehabilitation, innovation remained a stated aim of criminal justice reform, but the scope of innovation envisaged seemed to narrow. This paper describes the early stages of a socially innovative project to develop and implement a personalised approach to offender rehabilitation in the context of Transforming Rehabilitation. It draws on the concept of ‘desistance’. This in turn leads to consideration of community capacity-building and market development that draws on experience from the social care sector. A number of early challenges and plans to overcome them are discussed. Challenges include the inherent uncertainty of the innovation process; the importance of collaborating with a wide range of stakeholders, including service users and local community organisations; innovating during a period of organisational change and wider public sector cuts; and the public presentation of personalised working with offenders. Plans to address these challenges include moving gradually from small-scale prototyping to larger pilots and close collaboration between service providers and evaluators.

The Personal Costs of Organizational Change: A Qualitative Study

ABSTRACTEmployee stress rises and falls during periods of organizational change, but research has tended to overlook the consequences of stress that predated the change. Interviews with 31 employees of a New Zealand public sector health authority revealed that while stress was present to some degree before the change, for some of them the transition triggered negative reactions on physiological, behavioral, affective, and cognitive levels, largely due to perceptions of inadequate processes and considerable uncertainty. For others, the aftermath was more damaging, mostly because of the extra workload, deteriorating relationships, and fear of further change. Public sector managers need to be aware of the personal costs of organizational change for employees and aim to minimize them where possible.

Intellectual capital, calculability and qualculation

The literature on accounting for intellectual capital (IC) and, in particular, IC reporting suggests a preoccupation with measurement. While foundational for a calculative practice, this may eclipse the socially embedded facets of this accounting technology. The consequences include bringing into question the usefulness of IC reporting. Accordingly, we argue for a reflexive analysis of IC as a material, social phenomenon facilitating organisational change. In this paper we examine and reflect on how IC practices influence individual understanding of organisational change, developing insights into how social relations are identified, communicated and transformed. The overall contribution of the paper is to highlight how calculative practices, such as accounting for IC, are balanced with judgment in understanding and managing IC during periods of organisational change.

Beyond being present: learning-oriented leadership in the daily work of middle managers

Purpose– This paper aims to contribute to the understanding of learning-oriented leadership as being integrated in managers’ daily work. The particular focus is on managers’ efforts to change how work is carried out through indirect acts of influence. In their daily work, managers influence the organisation’s learning conditions in ways that go beyond face-to-face interaction. Neither the influencer nor those influenced are necessarily aware that they are engaged in learning processes.Design/methodology/approach– The research was part of a larger case study. The data set comprised interviews with nine middle managers about ways of working during a period of organisational change. A learning-theoretical analysis model was used to categorise managerial acts of influence. The key concept concerned pedagogic interventions.Findings– Two qualitatively different routes for indirect influence were identified concerning social and organisational structures: one aligning, that narrows organisational members’ discretion, and one freeing, that widens discretion. Alignment is built on fixed views of objectives and on control of their interpretation. The freeing of structures is built on confidence in emerging competence and involvement of others.Research limitations/implications– The study was limited to managers’ descriptions in a specific context. An issue for future research is to see whether the identified categories of learning-oriented leadership are found in other organisations.Practical implications– The learning-oriented leadership categories cover a repertoire of acts of influence that create different learning conditions. These may be significant for the creation of a learning-conducive environment.Originality/value– Managerial work that creates conducive conditions for learning does not need to be a specific task. Learning-oriented elements are inherent in aspects of managerial work, and managers’ daily tasks can be understood as expressions of different kinds of pedagogic intervention.

The Efficacy of Executive Coaching in Times of Organisational Change

Executive coaching is often used in times of organisational change to help executives develop the psychological and behavioural skills needed to focus on reaching their work-related goals whilst simultaneously dealing with the turbulence associated with organisational change. Despite its widespread use, little research has explored the impact of executive coaching during periods of organisational change. This within-subject study used both quantitative and qualitative measures to explore the impact of executive coaching during a period of organisational change on 31 executives and managers from a global engineering consulting organisation. Participation in the coaching was associated with increased goal attainment, enhanced solution-focused thinking, a greater ability to deal with change, increased leadership self-efficacy and resilience, and decrease in depression. The positive impact of coaching generalised to non-work areas such as family life. Recommendations are made for the measurement and design of executive coaching programmes.

Could health service reforms make general practitioners ill?

PurposeThis is an unprecedented period of organisational change in English primary care. The aim of this paper is to draw on findings from the most recent period of rapid change for primary care, with lessons that may have profound implications for the implementation of forthcoming Health Service reforms.Design/methodology/approachFront line practitioners from two primary care Trusts were surveyed in terms of their reaction to change and those questionnaire findings were used to design interviews for a cross‐section of staff with varied responsibilities.FindingsGeneral practitioners (GPs) differed from all other staff groups. Most GPs found change unwelcome and stressful, especially if individually they felt they had little influence on an externally imposed re‐organisation. They also felt accumulated changes had distanced them from patient care which had been a major motivating factor.Originality/valueThe reforms currently proposed in the NHS and Social Care Bill compel GPs to take on unfamiliar commissioning roles, in new organisational structures. Implementation of the Bill needs to take into consideration the health impact on key medical colleagues, if it ignores the work satisfaction GPs derive from clinical care and the mental health consequences of loss of control over working practice.