본 논문은 조직변화를 시행중인 병원의 166명의 종업원을 대상으로 종업원의 능동적인 조직변화 참여에 관해 실증적으로 연구하였다. 연구동기와 배경으로는 조직구성원들이 조직변화 시에 일면적인 부정 혹은 긍정적 태도를 갖는 것이 아니라, 부정적이고 긍정적인 태도 ...

본 논문은 조직변화를 시행중인 병원의 166명의 종업원을 대상으로 종업원의 능동적인 조직변화 참여에 관해 실증적으로 연구하였다. 연구동기와 배경으로는 조직구성원들이 조직변화 시에 일면적인 부정 혹은 긍정적 태도를 갖는 것이 아니라, 부정적이고 긍정적인 태도를 동시에 가질 수 있다는 기존 심리학연구에 근거하였다. 본 연구는 직무만족 (Job satisfaction)과 조직지원인식 (Perceived organizational support)으로 대표되는 긍정적 고용계약관계 (Positive employment relationship)가 조직변화 참여에 이르는 심리적 경로를 중심으로 고찰하였다. 우선, 조직변화에 대한 몰입과 조직변화의 필요성에 대한 개인적 인식이 모두 조직변화 참여에 긍정적이고 유의적인 관계를 나타냈다. 추가적으로, 긍정적 고용관계는 조직변화에 대한 몰입과 정의 유의적인 관계를 보였지만, 이와 상반되게 조직변화의 필요성과는 부의 유의적인 관계를 보였다. 결론적으로, 긍정적 고용관계를 가진 종업원들은 조직변화에 대한 능동적인 참여라는 행동에 대해서 그간의 고용주와 상호보완적인 (Reciprocal)관계에 근거하여 조직변화에 대한 몰입의 태도를 보이지만, 한편으로는 현재의 만족스러운 상태를 변화시켜야겠다는 동기부여의 부족 때문에 조직변화의 필요성을 상대적으로 약하게 인지하고 있음이 밝혀졌다.

Previous studies in the organizational change literature imply that positive work attitude plays an important role in explaining employee support for change (e.g., Herscovitch and Meyer, 2000). The current study challenges such untested but convention ...

Previous studies in the organizational change literature imply that positive work attitude plays an important role in explaining employee support for change (e.g., Herscovitch and Meyer, 2000). The current study challenges such untested but conventional wisdom by identifying two distinctive predictors of behavioral support for change and their respective relationships with positive work attitude (job satisfaction and perceived organizational support) using a field survey of 166 employees at a northeastern U.S. hospital under organizational change toward employee empowerment.
One critical predictor of behavioral support for change is commitment to change and involves employee reciprocation based on social exchange theory (Blau, 1964). Under this theoretical framework, employees may view change-supportive actions as an opportunity to reciprocate beneficial actions and treatment they have received from the organization and employer (Eisenberger, Armeli, Rexwinkel, Lynch, & Rhoades, 2001).
The other psychological process underlying behavioral support for change is presented in the form of perceived need for change meaning employee’s personal evaluation of general need for change. The current study argues that psychological process underlying perceived need for change is independent and distinctive process from that of commitment to change above.
In sum, the key hypotheses of the current study include 1) commitment to change and perceived need for change are distinctive and independent predictors of behavioral support for change, 2) job satisfaction and perceived organizational support will be positively associated with employees’ commitment to change and 3) job satisfaction and perceived organizational support will be negatively associated with employees’ perceived need for change.
The results from structural equation model analyses as well as regression analyses support all of the major hypotheses presented by the current study and confirm two competing motives underlying behavioral responses to change (i.e., commitment to change and perceived need for change). It also finds distinctive effects of positive worker experiences with opposite directions on two different attitudinal predictors of active change support. In actuality, such dual attitudes toward change (i.e., ambivalence) may explain non-significant zero-order correlations 1) between job satisfaction and behavioral support for change and 2) between perceived organizational support and behavioral support for change in the current study. Such results only suffice to directly challenge the conventional wisdom that positive work attitude may have positive relationship with change participation. This finding also calls attention to ambivalence in workers’ beliefs, attitudes, intentions and behaviors in the context of organizational change.

A field study based on 166 employees at a northeastern U.S. hospital found both employees’ assessment of the status quo (perceived need for change) and their attitudinal response to change (commitment to change) were significantly associated with thei ...

A field study based on 166 employees at a northeastern U.S. hospital found both employees’ assessment of the status quo (perceived need for change) and their attitudinal response to change (commitment to change) were significantly associated with their active behavioral support for change. The study further found that employees’ positive work experiences were positively associated with commitment to change while negatively associated with perceived need for change. Such distinctive psychological processes underlying critical predictors of active change support are discussed in relation to attitudinal ambivalence in the context of organizational change.

2009년 3월에 재단 등재지인 '인사조직연구' 17권 1호에 게재되었습니다

2009년 3월에 재단 등재지인 '인사조직연구' 17권 1호에 게재되었습니다