Reactions to Organizational Change and the Role of Social Context

For several decades, the vast majority of studies of organizational change has undertaken a macro perspective and has typically overlooked recipients’ perspective of the change. Only over the past decade, has there been a substantial increase in the systematic investigation of change recipients’ reactions to change (see Oreg, Michel, & By, 2013 and Rafferty, Jimmieson, & Armenakis, 2013 for recent reviews). Nevertheless, there remain numerous unanswered questions concerning the nature of these reactions and their antecedents. In particular, only a restricted set of reactions has been considered, maintaining a somewhat simplistic and dichotomous view of reactions to change as involving either support or resistance. In addition, whereas a large variety of reaction antecedents have been considered, the social processes that shape these attitudes have received only little attention. Social influence may be central in shaping both the process through which change is interpreted and the content of the interpretation and as such deserves greater research attention. In this symposium we bring together studies from a variety of perspectives, all of which promote our understanding of the complexity involved in employees’ reactions to organizational change. Specifically, this symposium highlights the role of employees' social system in shaping their response to change. Furthermore, it includes research on a range of understudied reactions such as ambivalence, gratitude and proactive behavior. The symposium includes five papers: (1) An empirical study of the impact individuals’ social network has on their resistance to change social environment; (2) A longitudinal empirical study of the relationship between charismatic leadership, trust in colleagues and employees’ reactions to change; (3) An empirical study of ambivalent reactions to change, and their prediction through employees’ values and characteristics of the change (4) A conceptual model introducing the concept of gratitude during organizational change; and (5) An integrative theoretical framework using cognitive appraisals of change to link leadership, management, and Human Resource Management to employees’ subsequent reactions to change. With the help of a renowned organizational scholar as discussant, we expect to integrate these works in a stimulating discussion. Gratitude in Organizational Change Presenter: Boram Do; Boston College Presenter: Gayoung Lee; Boston College Presenter: Jean M. Bartunek; Boston College Charismatic Leaders as Facilitators of Individual and Organizational Change Outcomes Presenter: Yair Berson; Bar-Ilan U.