A communication model of employee cynicism toward organizational change

Abstract

QIAN, YUXIA, Ph.D., November 2007. Communication Studies A COMMUNICATION MODEL OF EMPLOYEE CYNICISM TOWARD ORGANIZATIONAL CHANGE (161 pp.) Director of Dissertation: Tom D. DanielsThe purpose of this study is to develop a communication model of employee cynicism toward organizational change. The few studies on employee cynicism were mainly conducted in the fields of management and psychology. The role of communication in shaping employee cynicism was rarely highlighted. Using the theoretical framework of social information processing (SIP), this study explored the communication variables in the social context which contribute to employee cynicism toward organizational change in a higher education institution. In the model, the three variables reflecting the social context, specifically, perceived quality of information, cynicism of colleagues, trust in the administration, are hypothesized to predict change-specific cynicism, which in turn, leads to intention to resist change.

Employees' attitudes toward organizational change: A literature review

“…Specifically, researchers revealed that effective leadership practices (Bommer et al, 2005;Cindy, Neubert, & Xiang, 2007;Wanous et al, 2000), trust in leaders (Qian & Daniels, 2008), and positive experience with previous change projects (Wanous et al, 2000) are negatively A force (mind-set) that binds an individual to a course of action deemed necessary for the successful implementation of a change initiative Willingness to support the change and positive affect about the potential consequences of change (Miller et al, 1994) A pessimistic viewpoint about change efforts being successful because those responsible for making changes are blamed for being unmotivated, incompetent, or both (Wanous et al, 2000) Common citations…”

“…In addition, evidence has shown that involvement and participation can also lower cynicism about organizational change. For example, researchers showed that a decisionmaking climate characterized by employees' involvement (Brown & Cregan, 2008), employees' participation in the decision-making process about change (Wanous et al, 2000), and information sharing during change implementation (Qian & Daniels, 2008;Stanley et al, 2005) are negatively associated with cynicism about organizational change. Variables related to peer groups, such as perceived group cohesion (Cindy et al, 2007) and cynicism of colleagues (Qian & Daniels, 2008), are also reported to influence cynicism about organizational change.…”

“…Specifically, the research findings show that when employees feel they are involved in decision (Jones et al, 2005); Perceived participation at work (Eby et al, 2000); Social relationships in the workplace (Hanpachern, Morgan, & Griego, 1998;Madsen et al, 2005); Trust in peers (Rafferty & Simons, 2006) Human relation (Clan) culture (Shum et al, 2008) Information environment (Ertürk, 2008;Miller et al, 1994) Decision-making climate characterized by employee involvement in decision making (Brown & Cregan, 2008); Information sharing climate (Brown & Cregan, 2008); Perceived group cohesion (Cindy et al, 2007); Cynicism of colleagues (Qian & Daniels, 2008) Organizational capabilities to change Organization's ability to accommodate changing situations (Eby et al, 2000;Jones et al, 2005); Flexible policies and procedures (Eby et al, 2000;McNabb & Sepic, 1995;Rafferty & Simons, 2006) Cross-functional integration (Shum et al, 2008);…”

The Effect of Leadership Behaviours on the Change Process in Healthcare Organisations in Saudi Arabia

“…Employee participation and quality change communication are the primary features in the change process, and the former gives employees a sense that they are involved in the change and can control it, while the latter underscores the reasons why organisational change is necessary and articulates the vision underlying that change effectively (Oreg, 2006;Holt, Armenakis, Feild, & Harris, 2007;Qian & Daniels, 2008;Ertürk, 2008).…”

Diversity Challenges and Organizational Cynicism: A study on Egyptian Physicians

“…Diversity Challenges and Organizational Cynicism: A study on Egyptian Physicians Daniels, 2008), employee-organization relationship has found a place in business literature over the last thirty years (Aydin & Akdag, 2016). Accordingly, many studies have focused on organizational behavior aspects such as organizational cynicism, organizational citizenship behavior, employees' inclusion, involvement and so on (Johnson & O'Leary-Kelly, 2003;Naus, Ad Van Iterson & Roe, 2007;.…”