Maria Vakola

Change Recipients’ Reactions to Organizational Change A 60-Year Review of Quantitative Studies

This study reviews quantitative empirical studies of change recipients’ reactions to organizational change. The authors reviewed studies published between 1948 and 2007, out of which 79 met the criteria of being quantitative studies of change recipients’ reactions to an organizational change. Through an inductive review, the authors unravel a model of (a) explicit reactions to change, in which these reactions are conceptualized as tridimensional attitudes; (b) reaction antecedents that comprise prechange antecedents (viz., change recipient characteristics and internal context) and change antecedents (viz., change process, perceived benefit/harm, and change content); and (c) change consequences, including work-related and personal consequences. On the basis of their review the authors conclude by proposing directions for future research and practical managerial implications.

Antecedents and consequences of organisational silence: an empirical investigation

– Although the phenomenon of organisational silence is widely seen in organisations, there is little empirical evidence regarding its nature and main components. This paper aims at investigating the dimensions of silence climate as they are perceived by individuals and exploring the effects of these dimensions on job attitudes., – In a sample of 677 employees, three dimensions of silence climate are constructed and measured in order to examine their effects on employee silence behaviour, organisational commitment and job satisfaction., – Results indicate that supervisors’ attitudes to silence, top management attitudes to silence and communication opportunities are associated and predict employees’ silence behaviour. These three dimensions are also associated with organisational commitment and job satisfaction., – Although the phenomenon of organisational silence is expected in organisations, there is little empirical evidence in the literature aimed at defining it, analysing it and coping with it. Silence climate has an impact on organizations’ ability to detect errors and learn and, therefore, organizational effectiveness is negatively affected. This exploratory study aims to measure organisational silence as a continuum between silence and voice explain silence behaviour through organisational climate dimensions. Based on the findings of this study, there are some important implications that are discussed.

Dispositional Resistance to Change: Measurement Equivalence and the Link to Personal Values Across 17 Nations

The concept of dispositional resistance to change has been introduced in a series of exploratory and confirmatory analyses through which the validity of the Resistance to Change (RTC) Scale has been established (S. Oreg, 2003). However, the vast majority of participants with whom the scale was validated were from the United States. The purpose of the present work was to examine the meaningfulness of the construct and the validity of the scale across nations. Measurement equivalence analyses of data from 17 countries, representing 13 languages and 4 continents, confirmed the cross-national validity of the scale. Equivalent patterns of relationships between personal values and RTC across samples extend the nomological net of the construct and provide further evidence that dispositional resistance to change holds equivalent meanings across nations.

E-HR Adoption and the Role of HRM: Evidence from Greece

Purpose - This paper attempts to investigate the transformation in the role of the HR function in Greek firms, as a result of the use of internet and technology. Design/methodology/approach - The paper is based on both quantitative and qualitative methodology. A survey and focus groups took place in order to meet research objectives. Findings - This paper examines and discusses the development of e-HR use in Greece and the reasons for adoption of e-HR practices focusing on strategy, process and HRM issues. Findings show that e-HR facilitates the transformation of HRM role into a more strategic one. Driving forces and critical success factors of e-HR adoption and implementation are identified and discussed. Research limitations/implications - Limits its usefulness to countries that experience a stage of HRM professionalisation and technological development similar to that of Greece. Practical implications - Identifies critical success factors in e-HR adoption as well as main problems associated with it. Originality/value - Qualitative results provided by the focus groups give an illustrative picture of the companies presented.

Critique of existing business process re‐engineering methodologies: The development and implementation of a new methodology

Explores the need for a business process re‐engineering methodology and presents a critique of the existing methodologies. The identified weaknesses served as a basis for the development of a new eight‐stage BPR methodology which was implemented and evaluated within three European construction companies. Summarises these stages, highlighting the need for a more integrated approach to organisational change where the human and organisational issues are incorporated in the implementation of the BPR initiative.

THE CHALLENGE OF VIRTUAL ORGANIZATION: CRITICAL SUCCESS FACTORS IN DEALING WITH CONSTANT CHANGE

The shift towards virtual organisation is related with a fundamental change in organising and managing daily operations. The success of collaborative work therefore relies not merely on the introduction of different technologies, but also on critically analysing the “human” aspects of organisation. Virtual teams bring people together across disciplines, departments, functions, and geographical locations. This paper draws on the literature with respect to organisational change, and particularly results from human and organisational research carried out in the OSMOS (IST‐1999‐10491) project. Within the context of the OSMOS project, interviews with senior managers of each of the participating industrial organisations were conducted. From the analysis of these interviews four major organisational issues emerged, which virtual teams or e‐businesses need to address before moving forward. These are: information sharing, organisational culture and teamworking, acceptance of change and training. The paper investigates the above issues and explores potential solutions in order to support virtual organisations and e‐businesses in dealing with continuous change. From this investigation the paper proposes critical success factors that the authors believe to be necessary in dealing with such change.

Organisational learning and innovation in the construction industry

The paper focuses on the contribution which adequate organisational learning and innovation can make to the enhancement, development and improvement of professional expertise in the construction domain. The paper, based on research undertaken within the European (fourth framework)‐funded CONDOR project, explores the role of evaluation in a business process re‐engineering initiative and its relationship with organisational learning and innovation. The paper presents the evaluation of the implementation of a business process re‐engineering project in three case studies in the construction industry. The implementation of the BPR project was based on an eight‐stage BPR methodology. The participating companies were asked to evaluate the implementation, describe the decisions made in order to adapt to the change process and analyse the potential benefits that they expect in terms of business performance improvement, organisational effectiveness and user acceptability. Finally, this paper discusses the evaluation results of the implementation of a business process re‐engineering model in three case studies in order to identify links with organisational learning and innovation.

Multilevel Readiness to Organizational Change: A Conceptual Approach

One area of emerging research focuses on readiness to change, which has a strong impact on many decisions in a change process such as planning, implementation, communication and institutionalization. However, the term ‘readiness’ still creates confusion as it is presented in a simplistic way. This conceptual article aims at increasing our understating of readiness impact on change success by examining various levels of this concept, namely, micro-individual readiness, meso-group readiness and macro-organizational readiness, and their dynamics. This article ends with a discussion of how to create multilevel readiness to change for both planning and implementing organizational change.

Selecting Change Agents: Exploring Traits and Skills in a Simulated Environment

Abstract In the new organizational environment, when business and even political leaders declare their dedication to change, it is a very important need for organizations to recruit and select people capable not only to bring or initiate but, also, handle change effectively. However, only a few attempts have been made to identify the personality profile of a person, able to fulfill the requirements of this position. The current study tries to shed light on this issue by examining if dispositional characteristics and competencies are related to attitudes to change, adopting an experimental business game scenario simulating a real business change context. Participants completed self-report questionnaires assessing their dispositional traits whereas their performance and change management skills were assessed by independent observers. Results displayed that resilient employees consider themselves as more ready to accept and apply change, as opposed to change-related skills which seemed to predict only task performance and not acceptance of change. The study concludes with a discussion of the findings, managerial implications and possible limitations.

Business email: the killer impact

Workplace email is quickly evolving to keep up with those who use it---and perhaps to make way for the next killer app.