A multilevel study of social networks and collective reactions to organizational change

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to examine the micro-level dynamics underlying macrolevel associations between organizational change and its outcomes, focusing in particular on the role of networks in shaping individual reactions to change. Drawing upon multilevel research on situational and individual antecedents of change, we first argue that the magnitude of change at the unit level has a nonlinear effect on change recipients' tendency to resist change, which in turn influences their adaptive behaviors. We argue, further, that the attitudinal and structural composition of the professional networks in which change recipients are embedded account for differences in their adaptive behaviors. Finally, we argue that individual adaptivity coalesces at the collective, that is, unit level, and predicts the attainment of desired change goals. We find general support for our arguments in a longitudinal study using multi-source data on 170 physicians in 29 units of a large hospital that experienced a major restructuring intervention. Results confirm that multilevel mechanisms involving individuals and their social context fundamentally undergird macro-level outcomes of change.We discuss the theoretical and practical implications of bringing a network perspective to bear on issues of individual and collective reactions to organizational change.

The multiple faces of collective responses to organizational change: Taking stock and moving forward

“…Besides weakening initial change attitudes, heterogeneous networks can also strengthen these same attitudes, evoking a more polarized or dispersed response to change.In this context, the study byKanitz et al (2023) in this special issue showed that higher levels of diversity among team members, despite team-level championing behavior results in less effective change implementation, suggesting that heterogeneity does evoke more polarized or dispersed responses to change. Further, the study byPallotti et al (2023) in our special issue found empirical support for the fact that professional networks may in some cases strengthen, and in other cases dampen, and change recipients' adaptive behaviors, depending on the joint effect of structural and compositional features of professional networks. Specifically, when organizational members are embedded in attitudinally heterogeneous networks characterized by high range, the combined benefits afforded by access to different viewpoints and different knowledge pools residing in different organizational silos will increase change recipients' adaptive behaviors.…”

“…For example, Sverdlik and Oreg (2023) use an additive model as composition approach to justify aggregation of dispositional resistance at the collective level (see also Kanitz et al, 2023) conceptualization of group championing level). Several researchers also focus on the referent‐shift composition models that entail the need for shifting the referent of focal construct before making the aggregation of individual responses to change to represent collective responses to change (e.g., Harvey, 2023; Pallotti et al, 2023; Peng et al, 2023).…”

“…Harvey and Kudesia (2023) depends on social cognitive theory as a primary framework to explicate the emergence of collective emotions related to change. In terms of a sociological perspective, two special issue papers utilize social network theory as a comprehensive framework to illuminate the intricate macro and micro dynamics molding individual and collective responses to change (i.e., Pallotti et al, 2023; Vardaman et al, 2023). While distinct, these agentic (primarily psychological) and structural (primarily sociological) perspectives are crucial to understanding collective responses to change, emphasizing both static, homogeneity‐based reactions and spontaneous, dynamic social processes.…”

“…Given the pervasiveness of the psychological perspective in change response research, the number of papers with a sociological lens is less strongly represented in our special issue. Only two papers adopted a sociological lens (i.e., Pallotti et al, 2023; Vardaman et al, 2023). Both papers are inspired by mechanisms that Schwarz and Bouckenooghe (2018) use for explaining the relationships between individual and collective responses to change, specifically, network contagion, and its structural building blocks network type, and strength of ties/connections.…”

“…With this outlook, collective perceptions, attitudes, and behaviors form a cultural system of norms, expectations, knowledge, and behavioral support. In this way, although not tested directly, Pallotti et al (2023) allude to network contagion and suggest that collective response to change emerges as a function of social interactions between the members, rather than their attributes.…”