Navigating employment transformations: Insights into changes within service organizations

Ana Nešić Tomašević; Leposava Grubić-Nešić; Aleksandra Perić

doi:10.5937/menhottur2400008N

Authors

Ana Nešić Tomašević University of Novi Sad, Faculty of Technical Sciences, Novi Sad, Serbia https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8386-4669
Leposava Grubić-Nešić University of Novi Sad, Faculty of Technical Sciences, Novi Sad, Serbia https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7112-0948
Aleksandra Perić University of Novi Sad, Faculty of Technical Sciences, Novi Sad, Serbia https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3854-1908

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5937/menhottur2400008N

Keywords:

changes, organizations, service industry, employees

Abstract

Purpose – In today’s dynamic business landscape, service organizations are compelled to navigate constant transformations to adapt to market needs, anticipate shifts, and innovate to meet evolving customer demands. This study delves into the relationship between employees in service organizations and changes, aiming to ascertain organizational readiness for change, focusing on dimensions such as commitment to change implementation and the efficiency of implemented changes. Methodology – Employing the standardized Organizational Readiness for Implementing Change (ORIC) questionnaire, the research surveyed 319 employees in service organizations. Findings – Results highlight challenges in the subjective perception of potential organizational changes, affirming individual differences in attitudes toward change and a notably modest and inconsistent approach in fostering a positive attitude toward change. Variances in attitudes toward change are recognized not only in general demographic characteristics but also in organizational traits. Significantly, organizations often delegate the responsibility for managing change attitudes to individuals, consequently slowing down the change processes. Implications – This research endeavors to offer practical suggestions to organizations, directing them on algorithmic initiatives aimed at fostering favorable employee attitudes towards change.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

Adelson, P., Yates, R., Fleet, J., & McKellar, L. (2021). Measuring organizational readiness for implementing change (ORIC) in a new midwifery model of care in rural South Australia. BMC Health Services Research, 21(1), 321–368. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12913-021-06373-9

Albrecht, S. L., Connaughton, S., Foster, K., Furlong, S., & Yeow, C. J. L. (2020). Change engagement, change resources, and change demands: A model for positive employee orientations to organizational change. Frontiers in Psychology, 11, 531944. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.531944

Bacharach, S., Bamberger, P., & Sonnenstuhl, W. (1996). The organizational transformation process: The micropolitics of dissonance reduction and the alignment of logics of action. Administrative Science Quarterly, 41(3), 477–506. https://doi.org/10.2307/2393939

Bove, W., & Heede, A. (2001). Resistance to organisational change: The role of defence mechanisms. Journal of Managerial Psychology, 16(7), 534–548. https://doi.org/10.1108/EUM0000000006166

By, R. T. (2005). Organisational change management: A critical review. Journal of Change Management, 5, 369–380. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/14697010500359250

Chaudhry, S. (2020). Understanding change enablers in service organizations: A contingency theory perspective. South Asian Journal of Marketing & Management Research, 27(2), 5–83.

Errida, A., & Lotfi, B. (2020). Measuring change readiness for implementing a project management methodology: An action research study. Academy of Strategic Management Journal, 19(1), 1–17.

Ford, J., Ford, L., & Polin, B. (2021). Leadership in the implementation of change: Functions, sources, and requisite variety. Journal of Change Management, 21(1), 87–]119. https://doi.org/10.1080/14697017.2021.1861697

Gavrilov-Jerković, V. (2004). Profil spremnosti klijenta za promenu i preferencija tipičnih procesa promena [The profile of client readiness for change and preferences for typical change processes]. Psihologija, 37(1), 89–108. http://dx.doi.org/10.2298/PSI0401089G

Grubić-Nešic, L. (2014). Razvoj ljudskih resursa [Human resources development]. Novi Sad: Fakultet tehničkih nauka.

Grubić-Nešić, L. (2004). Humani aspekti strategijske kontrole – spremnost zaposlenih za promene [Human aspects of strategic control – The readiness of employees for a change]. Strategijski menadžment, 9(4), 13–16.

Gupta, A., & Govindarajan, V. (1984). Business unit strategy, managerial characteristics and business unit effectiveness at strategy implementation. Academy of Management Journal, 27, 25–41. https://doi.org/10.2307/255955

Helfat, C. E., & Martin, J. A. (2015). Dynamic managerial capability: Review and assesment of managerial impact on strategic change. Journal of Management, 41(5), 1281–1312. https://doi.org/10.1177/0149206314561301

Hersey, P., & Blanchard, P. (1977). Management of organizational behaviour: Utilizing human resources (3rd ed.). Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice-Hall.

Iverson, R. D. (2006). Employee acceptance of organizational change: The role of organizational commitment. The International Journal of Human Resource Management, 7(1), 122–149. https://doi.org/10.1080/09585199600000121

Jones, S. L., & Van de Ven, A. H. (2016). The changing nature of change resistance: An examination of the moderating impact of time. Journal of Applied Behavioral Science, 52(4), 482–506. https://doi.org/10.1177/0021886316671409

Judge W., & Douglas T. (2009). Organizational change capacity: The systematic development of a scale. Journal of Organizational Change Management, 22(6), 635–649. https://doi.org/10.1108/09534810910997041

Kirrane, M., Lennon, M., O’Connor, C., & Fu, N. (2016). Linking perceived management support with employees’ readiness for change: The mediating role of psychological capital. Journal of Change Management, 17(1), 1–20. https://doi.org/10.1080/14697017.2016.1214615

Marinova, S. V., Peng, C., Lorinkova, N., Van Dyne, L., & Chiaburu, D. (2015). Change-oriented behavior: A meta-analysis of individual, and job design predictors. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 88, 104–120. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvb.2015.02.006

McLarty, B. D., Muldoon, J., Quade, M., & King, R. A. (2021). Your boss is the problem and solution: How supervisor-induced hindrance stressors and LMX influence employee job neglect and subsequent performance. Journal of Business Research, 130, 308–317. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2021.03.032

Oreg, S., Vakola, M., & Armenakis, A. (2011). Change recipients’ reactions to organizational change: A 60-year review of quantitative studies. Journal of Applied Behavior Science, 47, 461–524. https://doi.org/10.1177/0021886310396550

Rafferty, A. E., & Minbashian, A. (2019). Cognitive beliefs and positive emotions about change: Relationships with employee change readiness and change-supportive behaviors. Human Relations, 72, 1623–1650. https://doi.org/10.1177/0018726718809154

Rafferty, A. E., Jimmieson, N. L., & Armenakis, A. A. (2012). Change readiness: A multilevel review. Journal of Management, 39(1), 110–135. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0149206312457417

Schumacker, R. E., & Lomax, R. G. (2004). A beginner’s guide to structural equation modeling (2nd ed.). Lawrence Erlbaum Associates Publishers. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781410610904

Shea, C., Jacobs, S., Esserman, D., Bruce, K., & Weiner, B. (2014). Organizational readiness for implementing change: A psychometric assessment of a new measure. Implementation Science, 9(7). https://doi.org/10.1186/1748-5908-9-7

Sitkin, S., See, K., Miller, C., Lawless, M., & Carton, A. (2010). The paradox of stretch goals: Organizations in pursuit of the seemingly impossible. Academy of Management Review, 36. https://doi.org/10.5465/AMR.2011.61031811

Stouten, J., Rousseau, D., & Cremer, D. (2018). Successful organizational change: Integrating the management practice and scholarly literatures. Academy of Management Annals, 12(2), 752–788. https://doi.org/10.5465/annals.2016.0095

Walk, M., & Handy, F. (2018). Job crafting as reaction to organizational change. The Journal of Applied Behavioral Science, 54(3), 349–370. https://doi.org/10.1177/0021886318777227

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. https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.85.1.132

Weiner, B. J., Amick, H., & Lee, S. Y. (2008). Review: Conceptualization and measurement of organizational readiness for change: A review of the literature in health services research and other fields. Medical Care Research and Review, 65(4), 379–436. https://doi.org/10.1177/1077558708317802

Weiner, B. J. (2009). A theory of organizational readiness for change. Implementation Science, 4(67). https://doi.org/10.1186/1748-5908-4-67

Zhang, Z., & Guo, M. (2022). Change of tourism organizations: Implications from a review of cultural tourism research. Frontiers in Psychology, 13, 1000117. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.1000117