Organizational Change and the Imperatives of Managing Employee Resistance: A Conceptual Review

Authors

  • Dr. Miebaka Dagogo Tamunomiebi
  • Akpan, Enefiok Peter

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.47672/jsm.683

Keywords:

Organizational Change, Resistance to Change, Communication, Collaboration, Negotiating and Motivation

Abstract

Purpose: The purpose of this paper was to critically examine the factors that engender employee resistance to change and the various organizational strategies aimed at managing employee resistance to change.

Methodology: The paper is a conceptual review of literature and thus adopted a desk research methodology to review extant literature on the subject matter.

Findings: based on reviewed literature, managing and leading employees in a changing environment is critical to overall business success. A significant problem for many business leaders is that they fear employee resistance and do not use resistance as an opportunity to engage and learn.

Unique Contribution: This study provides meaningful insight to the strategies needed to manage change which is seen as a permanent business function to improve efficiency and keep organizations adaptable to the competitive marketplace.

Recommendation: Organizations must act in a proactive manner in managing incivility so that it does degenerate to serious and corrosive consequences that eat away the workplace culture by promoting well-being in the workplace and preventing certain unsafe dynamics from establishing themselves.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Author Biographies

Dr. Miebaka Dagogo Tamunomiebi

Department of Management, Faculty of Management Sciences, Rivers, State University, Nkpolu-Oroworukwo, PMB 5080, Port Harcourt, Nigeria.

Akpan, Enefiok Peter

Doctoral Candidate Department of Management, Faculty of Management Sciences, Rivers State Universityf, Nkpolu-Oroworukwo, PMB 5080, Port Harcourt, Nigeria.

References

Abraham, R. (2000). Organizational cynicism: Bases and consequences. Genetic, Social, and General Psychology Monographs, 126(3), 269-292.

Ahsan, M., Ozer, M., & Alakent, E. (2010). Incumbent's adaption to competence destroying change: Role of prior experience and knowledge sourcing. Journal of Management Issues, 22, 456-475.

Alexander, P. (2007). The impact of organizational culture in managing the change to the use of FOSS at a South African University. Journal of Organizational Change Management, 26(2), 370-422.

Ali, M., Zhou, L., Miller, L., & Ieromonachou, P. (2016). User resistance in IT: A literature review. International Journal of Information Management, 36(1), 35-43.

Balogun, J. & Hailey, H. V. (2004). Exploring strategic change, 2nd ed. London: Prentice-Hall.

Bernard, B. (2001). No such thing as "¦ a "one best way" to manage organizational change. Management Decision, 11 - 18.

Bryant, D. (2011). Managers as change agents during a public sector merger. Journal of Organizational Change Management, 6(1), 231-306.

Burke, R., &Ghada, E.-K. (2014). Human resource management practices in small- and medium-sized enterprises in Egypt. Journal of Transnational Management, 7(10), 211-226.

Burke, W. W., Lake, D. G., & Paine, J. W. (2009). Organization change: A comprehensive reader. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Burnes, B. (2004). Managing cChange: A strategic approach to organizational dynamics.(4th Ed.). Harlow: Prentice Hall.

Chawla, A., & Kelloway, E.K. (2004). Predicting openness and commitment to change. Leadership & Organization Development Journal, 56(6), 485-498.

Coetsee, L. (1999). From resistance to commitment. Public Administration Quarterly, 23, 204-222.

Cullen, K., Edwards, B. D., Casper, Wm. C., & Gue, K. R. (2014). Employees' adaptability and perceptions of change-related uncertainty: Implications for perceived organizational support, job satisfaction, and performance. Journal of Business and Psychology, 29, 269-280.

Darling, R.J., & Taylor, E.R. (2005). Feeling bad: antecedents and consequences of negative

emotions in ongoing change. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 26(8), 875-897.

Davis, J. P. (2012). Strategy and Leadership: A model for strategy implementation and conflict resolution in the franchise business. London, UK: Oxford Press

De Jager, P. (2001). Resistance to Change: A new view of an old problem. The Futurist, 24-27

Dent, E., & Goldberg, S. (1999). Challenging resistance to change. Journal of Applied Behavioural Science, 25-41.

Durbin, A. J., & Ireland, R. D. (1993). Management and Organization (2nd ed.). Cincinnati: South - West Publishing Co.

Eseroghene Franklin, U., & Balbuena Aguenza, B. (2016). Obstacles, resistance and impact of change in organizations: An examination of the Saudi telecommunication company (STC). International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Science, 6(4), 23-37.

Esther, C., & Mike, G. (2015). Making sense of change management: A complete guide to the models, tools and techniques of organizational change. London: Kogan Page.

Franck E., Roes L., De Schepper S., Timmermans O. (2018). Team Resource Management and Quality of Care. In: Van Bogaert P., Clarke S. (eds) The Organizational Context of Nursing Practice. Springer, Cham.

Fred, L. (2012). Focus for and resistance to organizational change. International Journal of Management and Strategy, 203.

Fugate. M., Prussia G. & Kinicki A.J. (2012). Managing employee withdrawal during organizational change: The role of threat appraisal. Journal of Management, 38(3) 890-914

Giangreco, A., & Peccei, R. (2005). The nature and antecedents of middle manager resistance to change: evidence from an Italian context. The International Journal of Human Resource Management, 16(10), 1812- 1829.

Goodstein, L. D. & Burke, W.W. (1991). Creating successful organization change. Organizational Dynamics, 19 (4).

Graetz, F. (2006). Strategic change leadership. Management Decision, 38(8), 550-562.

Greenberg, J. and Baron, R.A. (2002). Behavior in Organizations. New Jersey: Prentice Hall.

Hansen, H., Randolph, A., Chen, S., Robinson, R. E., Marin, A., & Lee, J. (2015). Institutional judo: How entrepreneurs use institutional forces to create change. Journal of Organizational Change Management, 28, 1076-1093.

Hayton, J. (2015). Leadership and Management Skills in SMEs: Measuring Associations with Management Practices and Performance. London: Enterprise Research Centre/Warwick Business School.

Hobman, E. V., & Walker, I. (2015). Stasis and change: social psychological insights into social-ecological resilience. Ecology and Society, 20(1). doi:10.5751/es-07260-200139

Hodgetts R. M., & Hegar K. W. (2008). Human Relations at Work. 10th Ed. Ohio: Edward Brothers MI.

Hon, A. H. Y., Bloom, M., & Crant, J. M. (2011). Overcoming resistance to change and enhancing creative performance. Journal of Management, 40(3), 919-941.

Huse, E. (2008). Impact of organizational change on organizational culture: Implications for introducing evidence-based practice. Journal of Evidence-Based Social Work, 5(1/2), 321-359.

Hutchings, M., & Quinney, A. (2015). The flipped classroom, disruptive pedagogies, enabling technologies and wicked problems: Responding to "˜the bomb in the basement'. The Electronic Journal of e-Learning, 13, 105-118.

Jansen, K.J. (2012). A case study in organizational change: Implications for theory. The Learning Organization, 10(1), 18-30.

Johnson G., & Scholes, K. (2002). Exploring corporate strategy, 6 th Edition. New Jersey: Prentice Hall. USA

Jones, S. L., & Ven, d. V. A. H. (2016). The changing nature of change resistance. The Journal of Applied Behavioral Science, 52(4), 482-506.

Jorgensen, H.H., Owen, L., & Neus, A. (2009). Stop improvising change management. Journal of Strategy and Leadership, 37(2), 38-44.

Jukka, K., Timo, S., & Markku, T. (2011). Efficient change strategies: Matching drivers and tracers in change projects. Business Process Management Journal, 6(4), 80- 92.

Julia, B. & Veronica, H. H. (2008). Exploring strategic change. New Jersey: Prentice Hall. Kenya. Constitution of Kenya, 2010.

Karaxha, H. (2019). Methods for dealing with resistance to change. Baltic Journal of Real Estate Economics and Construction Management, 7, 290-299.

Korir J, Mukolive E, Loice, K K. (2012). Change Management Effects on Hotel Performance. Journal of Social Science Tomorrow, 1(8) 123 - 131

Kotler, J.P. (2008). Principles of Marketing. New Jersey, N.J: Pearson Prentice Hall.

Kotter, J. P., & Cohen, D. S. (2002). The Heart of Change. Boston, MA: Harvard Business School.

Kotter, J. P., & Schlesinger, L. (2008). Choosing strategies for change. Harvard Business Review, 86-130.

Kotter, J.A. (2008). Choosing strategies for change. Harvard Business Review, 57(2), 106-114.

Kreitner, R. (1992). Management (5th ed.). Cincinnati: Houghton Mifflin Co.

Lawrence, G. (2013). Making strategy work: Leading effective execution and change. Hamilton, NJ: Pearson FT Press.

Leana, C.R., & Barry, B. (2000). Stability and change as simultaneous experiences in organizational life. Academy of Management Review, 25(4), 753-759.

Lewin, K. (1951). Field Theory in Social Science: Selected Theoretical Papers (ed. Cartwright D). New York: Harper & Row.

Lines, R. (2004). Influence of participation in strategic change: Resistance, organizational commitment and change goal achievement. Journal of Change Management, 4(3), 193-215.

Lippert, S. K., & Davis, M. (2006). A conceptual model integrating trust into planned change activities to enhance technology adoption behaviour. Journal of Information Science, 32(5), 434-448.

Lunenburg, F. (2010). Forces for and resistance to organizational change. National Forum of Educational Administration and Supervision Journal, 27(4), 1-10.

Mabin, V., Forgeson, S., & Green, L. (2001). Harnessing resistance: Using the theory of constraints to assist change management. Journal of European Industrial Training, 25(2-4), 168-191

Mathooko, S. R. (2013). Performance Measurement and Control Systems for Implementing Strategy. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.

McKnight, R. (2005). HR's Role in Strategy. Right Management Consultants.

Mejia-Morelos, J.H., Grima, F., & Trepo, G. (2013). Change and stability interaction processes in SMEs: a comparative case study. Journal of Organizational Change Management, 26(2), 370-422.

Moran, J.W. & Brightman, B.K. (2011). Leading organizational change. Career Development International, 6(2), 111-118.

Morrison, H. (2015). Commitment to organizational change: Extension of a three component model. Journal of Applied Psychology, 6(4), 8-20.

Mutihac, R. (2010). Managing resistance and the use of internal communication in organizations undergoing change. Aarhus School of Business, Department of Language and Business Communication process. In J. M. Jermier, D. Knights, & W. R. Nord (Eds.), Resistance and power in organizations, 1-24. New York: Routledge

Okenda, R., Thuo, A. &Kithinji, M. (2017). Effects of change on organizational performance: A case of the Ministry of Environment, Water and Natural Resources. International Academic Journal of Human Resource and Business Administration, 2(3), 501-520.

Oreg, S. (2006). Personality, context, and resistance to organizational change. European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology, 15(1), 73-101.

Paton, R.A., & McCalman, J. (2011). Change mManagement: A guide to effective implementation. California: SAGE Publications.

Piderit, S. K. (2000). Rethinking resistance and recognizing ambivalence: A multidimensional view of attitudes toward an organizational change. Academy of Management Review, 25(4), 783-794.

Price, D., & Chahal, K. (2007). The impact of change on performance. Journal of Change Management, 2(2), 160-172.

Prokesch, S. (2009). Organizational culture and leadership: A dynamic view. San Francisco: Jossey-Bas.

Raineri, A. B. (2011). Change management practices: Impact on perceive change result. Journal of Business Research, 64,266-272.

Samuel, K. (2013). The effects of change management in an organization: A case study of national university of Rwanda. Wyno Journal of Management and Business Studies, 1(1), 1-18.

Schermerhorn, J., Hunt, J., & Osborn, R. (2005). Organizational Behaviour. Manhattan, NY: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Senior, T., & Fleming, J. (2004). Employee commitment and motivation: A conceptual analysis and integrative model. Journal of Applied Psychology, 89.

Ude, S., & Diala, I. (2015). Support for creativity and innovation, resistance to change, organizational commitment and motivation. International Journal of Computer & organization Trends (IJCOT), V5 (4), 1-8.

Wanberg, C. R., & Banas, J. T. (2000). Predictors and outcomes of openness to changes in a reorganizing workplace. Journal of Applied Psychology, 85(1), 132-142.

Wenhe, Y. (2011). Resistance, the Echo of Change. International Journal of Business and Management, 13 (4), 84-89.

Downloads

Published

2021-03-24

How to Cite

Tamunomiebi , M., & Akpan, E. . (2021). Organizational Change and the Imperatives of Managing Employee Resistance: A Conceptual Review. Journal of Strategic Management, 6(1), 18–32. https://doi.org/10.47672/jsm.683

Issue

Section

Articles