Employee Inclusion During Change: The Stories of Middle Managers in Non-Profit Home Care Organizations

Abstract

Although extensive studies have provided valuable information to establish a strong relationship between the success of change and variables like communication, employee commitment, and leadership, it is important to understand the experiences of workers during a change process. The research problem exists because there is a minimal exploration of the experiences of middle management in the process of corporate decision-making during organizational change adoption in the home care industry. The purpose of this study was to explore the experience of middle managers related to employee inclusion during an organizational restructuring in non-profit home care organizations. The researcher interviewed six middle managers from two non-profit home healthcare organizations in New York City using purposive sampling. The results reflected the experiences of middle managers in non-profit home care organizations and may be transferable to other organizations. The findings were categorized under the following themes: Stress and Fear, Task-Oriented Leadership Behavior, Employee Exclusion, and Job Dissatisfaction. Employers should recognize and engage middle managers in corporate decision-making that target middle managers. As change is inevitable, understanding the experience of middle managers is crucial for leaders in home care organizations undergoing organizational restructuring because of the top-down management structure in these organizations. The information may be relevant for leaders to incorporate attitudes and steps that promote a good relationship and engage middle managers in the processes of organizational change.

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“…Quality change communication contributes significantly to the affective commitment to change (Ouedraogo, and Ouakouak, 2018;Rogiest, Segers, and van Witteloostuijn, 2015), which in turn has a positive impact on the change success (Ouedraogo, and Ouakouak, 2018). Developing an employee interest in the change involves leaders communicating with staff to explain the change process and people's roles in it (Yahaya, 2020). "Reducing employees' inertia and mobilizing their support are principle tasks during an organizational change", while leaders' communication addressing the psychological needs of employees elicits their positive response to change (Endrejat et al, 2020, p. 8).…”

“…Quality change communication also fully mediates the relationship between an involvement-oriented climate and the affective commitment to change (Rogiest, Segers, and van Witteloostuijn, 2015). Leaders who embrace employee inclusion provide adequate information and listen to employees to make decisions effectively and gain organizational support (Yahaya, 2020). The growing emphasis on participatory and horizontal communication creates space in which people can give meaning to the change events, which allows people to be listened to and be heard.…”

Discipline in the higher education classroom: A study of its intrinsic influence on professional attributes, learning and safety

“…Wide and inclusive participation is a vital component of this study due to the principles of action research suggesting a possibility of change, which not only determines its success and sustainability through the participants included in the study, but also reduces resistance and preserves moral duty (Yahaya, 2020). The study population consisted of ODP students who were training as highly skilled allied health professionals who specialize in the perioperative field and have progressively widened practice in emergency and critical areas because of their unique skill set in highly stressful/fast-paced areas.…”

The Contribution of Healthcare Middle Managers as Change Agents in the Era of Covid-19: Critical Review

“…Yahaya ( 2020 ) according to few explorations about Middle Managers experiences in the decision-making process throughout the adoption of an organizational change in the home care industry. The study focused on non-profit Healthcare organizations (Homecare) using purposive sample.…”