Resistance to change: an empirical investigation of its antecedents
Abstract
Purpose
Resistance to change (RtC) is widely recognized as the main reason of failure, when it comes to change initiatives. Despite its importance, there is still a rather limited knowledge concerning the factors that trigger this behavior at the workplace. The purpose of this paper is to identify the factors affecting RtC in healthcare organizations (namely, hospitals) and specifically, in emergency departments (EDs).
Design/methodology/approach
An original conceptual framework (research model) has been developed and empirically tested using primary data collected from EDs of six Greek hospitals. In total, the actual sample incorporates the responses of 158 ED health professionals who completed a structured questionnaire.
Findings
The findings verified the initial assumption that “disposition towards change (DtC),” “anticipated impact of change (AIC)” and “attitude towards change (AtC)” mediate the impact of various personal and behavioral characteristics on “RtC.” The results suggested that “RtC” is (indirectly) influenced by four main factors (“employee-management relationship,” “personality traits,” “employee participation in the decision-making process” and “job security”).
Originality/value
This study investigates how several factors affect, both directly or indirectly, employee reactions toward “RtC.” It also examines the mediating effect of three factors (“DtC,” “AtC,” “AIC”) that capture three different dimensions of individual evaluation toward change, something that goes beyond previous work. In addition, the present study examines a wide range of antecedents of RtC, including both personality-related and job-related factors.
Keywords
Citation
Amarantou, V., Kazakopoulou, S., Chatzoudes, D. and Chatzoglou, P. (2018), "Resistance to change: an empirical investigation of its antecedents", Journal of Organizational Change Management, Vol. 31 No. 2, pp. 426-450. https://doi.org/10.1108/JOCM-05-2017-0196
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
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