Mike Schraeder

Organizational Change Content, Process, and Context: A Simultaneous Analysis of Employee Reactions

Abstract This study examines the relationship between three attributes of organizational change (that is, content, process, and context) in a Fortune 500 telecommunications firm. While researchers acknowledge the importance of the three attributions of organizational change, there is sparse empirical evidence of the systematic and simultaneous assessment of these attributes in organizational change efforts. The investigation undertaken in this study follows a design encompassing content, process, context and outcome variables. Results, utilizing quantitative and qualitative data, reveal that organizational change (an employee outcome variable) is strongly related to the impact of the change on employees (a content variable) and organizational communication media (a process variable). Furthermore, the results of this study indicate that the extent to which employees perceive an organizational change as justified is influenced by their perceived organizational support (an organizational context variable). Implications for practitioners and future research are offered.

Enhancing the success of organizational change

Purpose – This paper seeks to provide guidance on specific ways by which organizations can overcome resistance by matching readiness strategies with forms of resistance.Design/methodological approach – The paper summarizes literature on resistance to change and readiness to change, leading to the development of specific recommendations for reducing resistance through specific readiness strategies.Findings – Resistance, though common, may be more effectively managed if specific readiness strategies are matched with requisite sources of resistance.Practical implications – The paper provides guidance on addressing primary sources of resistance by matching them with specific elements proposed by Armenakis et al. that lead to readiness for change.Originality/value – The synthesis of literature related to creating readiness for change and resistance to change leads to a resistance to change typology, including three domains. While these domains have been addressed in change literature, the paper further expands...

Expatriate compensation: An exploratory review of salient contextual factors and common practices

Purpose – This study aims to examine important situational factors impacting expatriate compensation and common practices utilized in compensating expatriates. Design/methodology/approach – A synthesis of literature was reviewed, leading to the identification of numerous situational or contextual factors impacting expatriate compensation. A review of extant literature also identified several customary approaches to expatriate compensation. Findings – A variety of factors can directly affect expatriate compensation, with three primary approaches an organization should consider. These factors include host‐country cost of living, housing, dependent education, tax implications and health care – factors most often incorporated as a component of one of the primary approaches to compensation discussions: destination‐based approach, the balance‐sheet approach, and the international headquarters approach. Practical implications – This article was intended to enhance understanding of expatriate compensation by collectively examining not only the “how” (primary approaches) but also the “why” (salient contextual or situation factors) firms should consider when determining how to assemble an appropriate package. Originality/value – Presenting the factors and practices together makes an important contribution to the literature on expatriate compensation by addressing not only the “how” (customary approaches) of expatriate compensation, but also the “why” (salient contextual factors).

Potential benefits of engaging primary stakeholders in developing a vision

Purpose – The purpose of this article was to outline some of the potential benefits of engaging primary stakeholders in the process of developing or revising an organizations vision.Design/methodology/approach – Plausible benefits associated with involving primary stakeholders in the visioning process were discussed within the framework of the current global economic crises.Findings – Involving key primary stakeholders such as employees, customers, and owners/investors in the visioning process can elicit benefits including an accelerated rate of change, enhanced organizational recovery, and renewed stakeholder loyalty.Originality/value – This article emphasizes the importance of engaging primary stakeholders, comprised of employees, customers, and owners/investors in the process of visioning. Potential benefits of involving these primary stakeholders in the process are also summarized within the context of our current, global, economic crises.

Participant Input into Rater Selection: Potential Effects on the Quality and Acceptance of Ratings in the Context of 360-Degree Feedback

This article explores implications and potential benefits of giving individuals an opportunity to have input into the selection of raters involved in giving them 360-degree feedback. First, allowing participants some degree of input, but not total input into the selection of raters, may result in better perceptions of fairness, rater credibility and usefulness of the feedback. In addition, increased participation in the selection of raters could translate into the development of more challenging goals and higher levels of job performance. From a quantitative perspective, this could also produce more variance in the ratings.

Performance appraisals as a selection criterion in downsizing

Purpose – The primary purpose of this article is to examine two alternative approaches for the use of performance appraisals in selecting individuals out of the organization (i.e. to be laid off). A rank‐order approach and a banding approach are compared to provide insight regarding issues associated with each approach.Design/methodology/approach – Literature examining the status of downsizing as an organizational strategy, as well as some of the legal and practical considerations associated with the use of performance appraisals in downsizing decisions is reviewed as a precursor to an illustrated comparison of a rank‐order approach and banding approach to select individuals to be downsized. Actual performance appraisal scores for 106 individuals working in an organization were analyzed for the purposed of the comparative illustration.Findings – The illustrative comparison highlights specific issues associated with using two different approaches for selecting individuals for an organizational downsizing.R...

Organizational assessment in the midst of tumultuous change

This article provides a pragmatic example of how a model‐based approach was utilized to conduct an organizational assessment in a company that had undergone a tremendous number of changes during the 12 months prior to the assessment. The assessment was designed to identify relationships between staff perceptions of communication within the organization, staff perceptions of change implementation, staff attitudes, and individual outcomes such as intent to turnover, absenteeism, job stress, and individual performance.

An integrative approach to identifying factors related to long-term career commitments

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine an initial set of characteristics and traits that may reduce officer recruitment turnover by increasing a cadet’s decision to contract vs those that do not contract (contracting represents a written commitment to commission into an US Armed Services Organization after graduation). This paper is the first of a larger, long-term project. The factors of particular interest in this initial study are generalized self-efficacy, grit, and perceived organizational support (POS). Design/methodology/approach – Computer-based surveys containing variables of interest were administered to a random sample of freshmen, sophomore, junior, and senior cadets over a period of three years. Data for 517 cadets responding to the survey were analyzed using logistical regression to test hypotheses examining whether or not self-efficacy, grit, and POS were positively related to cadets’ decisions to contract. Findings – Logistical regression results indicated that self-efficacy and...

Leveraging potential benefits of augmentation in employee training

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine potential strategies for improving employee training through utilization of principles associated with augmentation.Design/methodology/approach – The paper builds on a brief summary of literature related to training and augmentation, to identify possible strategies for improving employee training by not only meeting, but also exceeding their expectations relative to the training. The paper is not based on any types of empirical assessments, but is purely conceptual in nature.Findings – This paper shows that flexibility, active participation, an environment conducive to learning, networking and interaction can be effective strategies.Practical implications – The strategies offered in this paper should be insightful in guiding organizations in their efforts to improve employee training.Originality/value – By viewing employees as internal customers and applying principles of augmentation to employee training, the paper offers novel insight into possible strat...

Affirming entrepreneurship: the best hope for organizations

Purpose – The business world has long heralded the value of entrepreneurial talent. Not surprisingly, there has been tremendous growth in entrepreneurship over the past 25 years. Sustaining this momentum will depend, in part, on elevating entrepreneurship education to the next level, through the adoption of entrepreneurship into both graduate and undergraduate core curricula. This paper aims to examine this issue.Design/methodology/approach – This paper presents and investigates major points illustrating why it is necessary to more fully integrate entrepreneurship into business education.Findings – The paper finds that the catalysts for change include: the lack of entrepreneurial talent at executive levels in most organizations; the dominance of analysis‐driven “managers” at all levels of business organizations; the fact that entrepreneurship skills and processes can be learned; and the current state of entrepreneurship education.Originality/value – The paper provides useful information on the development...