Longitudinal associations between employees’ beliefs about the quality of the change management process,affective commitment to change and psychological empowerment
Restricted accessResearch articleFirst published online March, 2016
Longitudinal associations between employees’ beliefs about the quality of the change management process,affective commitment to change and psychological empowerment
Organizational changes are costly ventures that too often fail to deliver the expected outcomes. Psychological empowerment and affective commitment to change are proposed as especially important in turbulent contexts characterized by multiple and ongoing changes requiring employees’ continuing contributions. In such a context, employees’ beliefs that the changes are necessary, legitimate and will be supported, are presumed to increase psychological empowerment and affective commitment to change. In a three-wave longitudinal panel study of 819 employees, we examined autoregressive and cross-lagged relations among latent constructs reflecting change-related beliefs (necessity, legitimacy, support) and psychological reactions (psychological empowerment, affective commitment to change). Our findings suggest that psychological empowerment and affective commitment to change represent largely orthogonal reactions, that psychological empowerment is influenced more by beliefs regarding support, whereas affective commitment to change is shaped more by beliefs concerning necessity and legitimacy.
AmiotCETerryDJJimmiesonNLCallanVJ (2006) A longitudinal investigation of coping processes during a merger: Implications for job satisfaction and organizational identification. Journal of Management32(4): 552–574.
2.
AndersCCassidyA (2014) Effective organizational change in healthcare: Exploring the contribution of empowered users and workers. International Journal of Healthcare Management7(2): 132–151.
3.
ArgyrisC (1999) On Organizational Learning. Cambridge, MA: Blackwell.
4.
ArmenakisAABedeianAG (1999) Organizational change: A review of theory and research in the 1990s. Journal of Management25(3): 293–315.
5.
ArmenakisAAHarrisSG (2009) Reflections: Our journey in organizational change research and practice. Journal of Change Management9(2): 127–142.
6.
ArmenakisAAHarrisSGMossholderKW (1993) Creating readiness for organizational change. Human Relations46(6): 681–701.
7.
AxtellCWallTStrideCPepperKCleggCGardnerPBoldenR (2002) Familiarity breeds content: The impact of exposure to change on employee openness and well-being. Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology75(2): 217–231.
8.
BazzoliGJDynanLBurnsLRYapC (2004) Two decades of organizational change in health care: What have we learned?Medical Care Research and Review61(3): 247–331.
9.
BernerthJBArmenakisAAFieldHSWalkerHJ (2007) Justice, cynicism, and commitment: A study of important change variables. The Journal of Applied Behavioral Science43(3): 303–326.
10.
BollenKA (1989) Structural Equation Modelling with Latent Variables. New York: Wiley.
11.
BommerWHRichGARubinRS (2005) Changing attitudes about change: Longitudinal effects of transformational leader behaviour on employee cynicism about organizational change. Journal of Organizational Behavior26(7): 733–753.
12.
BoudriasJSGaudreauPSavoieAMorinAJS (2009) Employee empowerment: From managerial practices to employees’ behavioral empowerment. Leadership and Organization Development Journal30(7): 625–638.
13.
BoudriasJSMorinAJSBrodeurM (2012) The role of psychological empowerment in reduction of burnout in Canadian health workers. Nursing & Health Sciences14(1): 8–17.
14.
BoudriasJSMorinAJSLajoieD (2014) Directionality of the associations between psychological empowerment and behavioral involvement: A longitudinal autoregressive crosslagged analysis. Journal of Occupational & Organizational Psychology87(3): 437–463.
15.
BoudriasJSRousseauVMigneaultP (2010) Habilitation psychologique: Validation d’une mesure en langue Française [Psychological enabling: Validation of a measure in French language]. Swiss Journal of Psychology69(3): 147–159.
16.
BrownSLEisenhardtKM (2002) The art of continuous change: Linking complexity theory and time-based evolution in shifting organizations. In: KamocheKCunhaMCunhaJ (eds) Organizational Improvisation. New York: Routledge, 225–256.
17.
CaldwellSDHeroldDMFedorDB (2004) Toward an understanding of the relationships among organizational change, individual differences, and changes in person-environment fit: A cross-level study. Journal of Applied Psychology89(5): 868–882.
18.
ChenFF (2007) Sensitivity of goodness of fit indexes to lack of measurement invariance. Structural Equation Modeling14(3): 464–504.
19.
CheungGWRensvoldRB (2002) Evaluating goodness-of fit indexes for testing measurement invariance. Structural Equation Modeling9(2): 233–255.
20.
ChoiJN (2007) Change-oriented organizational citizenship behavior: Effect of work environment characteristics and psychological processes. Journal of Organizational Behavior28(4): 467–484.
21.
ColeDAMaxwellS (2003) Testing mediational models with longitudinal data: Questions and tips in structural equation modeling. Journal of Abnormal Psychology112(4): 558–577.
22.
ConwayEMonksK (2008) HR practices and commitment to change: An employee-level analysis. Human Resource Management Journal18(1): 72–89.
23.
CookALHornerMTPayneSC (2008) In search of the antecedents of commitment to organizational change. Paper presented at the 23rd annual meeting of the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology, April, San Francisco, CA.
24.
Coyle-ShapiroJAMMorrowPCRichardsonRDunnSR (2002) Using profit sharing to enhance employee attitudes: A longitudinal examination of the effects on trust and commitment. Human Resource Management41(4): 423–439.
25.
CunninghamCEWoodwardCAShannonHS (2002) Readiness for organizational change: A longitudinal study of workplace, psychological and behavioural correlates. Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology75(4): 377–392.
26.
DeciELRyanRM (1985) Intrinsic Motivation and Self-determination in Human Behavior. New York: Plenum.
27.
DesjardinsV (2005) Factors related to the adoption of an Enterprise’s Resource Planning software. Unpublished Master thesis. HEC-Montreal, Canada.
28.
EndersCK (2010) Applied Missing Data Analysis. New York: Guilford.
29.
FedorDBCaldwellSHeroldDM (2006) The effects of organizational changes on employee Commitment: A multilevel investigation. Personnel Psychology59(1): 1–29.
30.
FinneySJDiStefanoC (2013) Non-normal and categorical data in structural equation modeling. In: HancockGRMuellerRO (eds) Structural Equation Modeling: A Second Course, 2nd edn.Greenwich, CO: IAP, 439–492.
31.
FosterRD (2010) Resistance, justice, and commitment to change, Human Resource Development Quarterly21(1): 3–39.
32.
FugateMKinickiAJScheckCL (2002) Coping with an organizational merger over four stages. Personnel Psychology55(4): 905–928.
33.
GagnéM (2014, in press) Oxford Handbook of Work Engagement, Motivation, and Self-Determination Theory. New York: Oxford University Press.
34.
GagnéMDeciEL (2005) Self-determination theory and work motivation. Journal of Organizational Behavior26(4): 331–362.
35.
GagnéMChemolliEForestJKoestnerR (2008) A temporal analysis of the relation between commitment and work motivation. Psychologica Belgica48(2–3): 219–241.
36.
GagnéMForestJGilbertMH (2010) The motivation at work scale: Validation evidence in two languages. Educational and Psychological Measurement70(4): 628–646.
37.
GagnéMKoestnerRZuckermanM (2000) Facilitating acceptance of organizational change. Journal of Applied Social Psychology30(9): 183–185.
38.
GagnéMSenécalCBKoestnerR (1997) Proximal job characteristics, feelings of empowerment, and intrinsic motivation: A multidimensional model. Journal of Applied Social Psychology27(14): 1222–1240.
39.
GrahamJW (2009) Missing data analysis: Making it work in the real world. Annual Review of Psychology60: 549–576.
40.
HeroldDMFedorDBCaldwellS (2007) Beyond change management: A multilevel investigation of contextual and personal influence on employee’s commitment to change. Journal of Applied Psychology92(4): 942–951.
41.
HerscovitchLMeyerJP (2002) Commitment to organizational change: Extension of a three-component model. Journal of Applied Psychology87(3): 474–487.
42.
HobfollS (2002) Social and psychological resources and adaptations. Review of General Psychology6(4): 302–324.
43.
HuLTBentlerPM (1999) Cutoff criteria for fit indexes in covariance structure analysis: Conventional criteria versus new alternatives. Structural Equation Modeling6(1): 1–55.
44.
HultmanK (1998) Making Change Irresistible: Overcoming Resistance to Change in Your Organization. Palo Alto, CA: Davies-Black.
45.
KangS-CSnellSA (2009) Intellectual capital architectures and ambidextrous learning: A framework for human resource management. Journal of Management Studies46(1): 65–92.
46.
KimTGHornungSRousseauDM (2011) Change-supportive employee behavior: Antecedents and the moderating role of time. Journal of Management37(6): 1664–1693.
47.
KotterJP (1996) Leading Change. Boston, MA: Harvard Business Press.
48.
KotterJPCohenDS (2002) The Heart of Change: Real-life Stories of How People Change their Organizations. Boston, MA: Harvard Business School.
49.
LaschingerHKFineganJShamianJWilkP (2004) A longitudinal analysis of the impact of workplace empowerment on work satisfaction. Journal of Organizational Behavior25(4): 527–545.
50.
LaschingerHKWongCGrecoP (2006) The impact of nurse empowerment on person-job fit and work engagement/burnout. Nursing Administration Quarterly30(4): 358–367.
51.
LawlerE (1992) The Ultimate Advantage: Creating the High Involvement Organization. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
52.
McDonaldRP (1970) Theoretical foundations of principal factor analysis and alpha factor analysis. British Journal of Mathematical and Statistical Psychology23(1): 1–21.
53.
MarksML (2007) A framework for facilitating adaptation to organizational transition. Journal of Organizational Change Management20(5): 721–739.
54.
MarshHWHauKTGraysonD (2005) Goodness of fit evaluation in structural equation modeling. In: Maydeu-OlivaresAMcArdleJ (eds) Psychometrics. A Festschrift to Roderick P. McDonald. Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum, 275–340.
MeadeAWBehrendTSLanceCE (2009) Dr. StrangeLOVE, or: How I learned to stop worrying and love omitted variables. In: LanceCEVandenbergRJ (eds) Statistical and Methodological Myths and Urban Legends. New York: Routledge, 89–106.
57.
MeyerJP (2014) Employee commitment, motivation, and engagement: Exploring the links. In: GagnéM (ed.) Oxford Handbook of Work Engagement, Motivation, and Self-Determination Theory. New York: Oxford University Press.
58.
MeyerJPAllenNJ (1991) A three-component conceptualization of organizational commitment. Human Ressource Management Review1(1): 61–89.
59.
MeyerJPBeckerTEVandenbergheC (2004) Employee commitment and motivation: A conceptual analysis and integrative model. Journal of Applied Psychology89(6): 991–1007.
60.
MeyerJPGagnéM (2008) Employee engagement from a self-determination theory perspective. Industrial and Organizational Psychology1(1): 60–62.
61.
MeyerJPMaltinER (2010) Employee commitment and wellbeing: A critical review, theoretical framework, and research agenda. Journal of Vocational Behavior77(2): 323–337.
62.
MeyerJPSrinivasELalJTopolnytskyL (2007) Employee commitment and support for an organizational change: Test of the three-component model in two cultures. Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology80(2): 185–211.
63.
MeyerJPStanleyLJParfyonovaN (2012) Employee commitment in context: The nature and implication of commitment profiles. Journal of Vocational Behavior80(1): 1–16.
64.
MichaelisBStegmaierRSonntagK (2009) Affective commitment to change and innovation implementation behavior: The role of charismatic leadership and employees’ trust in top management. Journal of Change Management9(4): 399–417.
65.
MillsapRE (2011) Statistical Approaches to Measurement Invariance. New York: Taylor & Francis.
66.
MorinAJSMadoreIMorizotJ (2009) The Workplace Affective Commitment Multidimensional Questionnaire: Factor structure and measurement invariance. International Journal of Psychology Research4(3/4): 307–344.
67.
MorinAJSMaïanoCMarshHW. (2011) The longitudinal interplay of adolescents’ self-esteem and body image: A conditional autoregressive latent trajectory analysis. Multivariate Behavioral Research46(2): 157–201.
68.
MorinAJSVandenbergheCTurmelMJ (2013) Probing into commitment’s nonlinear relationships to work outcomes. Journal of Managerial Psychology28(2): 202–223.
NevesP (2009) Readiness for change: Contributions for employee’s level of individual change and turnover intentions. Journal of Change Management9(2): 215–231.
71.
NevesPCaetanoA (2006) Social exchange processes in organizational change: The roles of trust and control. Journal of Change Management6(4): 351–364.
72.
NewmanDA (2009) Missing data techniques and low response rates: The role of systematic nonresponse parameters. In: LanceCEVandenbergRJ (eds) Statistical and Methodological Myths and Urban Legends. New York: Routledge, 7–36.
73.
ParishJTCadwalladerSBushP (2008) Want to, need to, ought to: Employee commitment to change. Journal of Organizational Change Management21(1): 32–52.
74.
RaffertyAERestubogSLD (2010) The impact of change process and context on change reactions and turnover during a merger. Journal of Management36(5): 1309–1338.
75.
RaffertyAEJimmiesonNLArmenakisAA (2013) Change readiness: A multilevel review. Journal of Management39(1): 110–135.
76.
RensvoldRBCheungGW (1998) Testing measurement models for factorial invariance: A systematic approach. Educational and Psychological Measurement58(6): 1017–1034.
77.
RyanRMDeciEL (2000) Self-determination theory and the facilitation of intrinsic motivation, social development, and well-being. American Psychologist55(1): 68–78.
78.
SeibertSEWangGCourtrightSH (2011) Antecedent and consequences of psychological and team empowerment in organizations: A meta-analytic review. Journal of Applied Psychology96(5): 981–1003.
79.
SpreitzerGM (1995) Psychological empowerment in the workplace: Dimensions, measurement and validation. Academy of Management Journal38(5): 1442–1465.
80.
SpreitzerGM (2008) Tacking stock: A review of more than twenty years of research on empowerment at work. In: BarlingJCooperCL (eds) Handbook of Organizational Behavior. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE, 54–72.
81.
StevensGW (2013) Toward a process-based approach of conceptualizing change readiness. The Journal of Applied Behavioral Science49(3): 333–360.
82.
SverkeMHellgrenJNäswallKGöranssonSŐhrmingJ (2008) Employee participation in organizational change: Investigating the effects of proactive vs. reactive implementation of downsizing in Swedish hospitals. Zeitschrift für Personalforschung22: 111–129.
83.
Van LooyBMartensTDebackereK (2005) Organizing for continuous innovation. Creativity & Innovation Management14(3): 208–221.
84.
VoigtEHirstG (2015) High and low performers’ intention to leave: Examining the relationship with motivation and commitment. International Journal of Human Resource Management26(5): 574–588.
85.
YuCY (2002) Evaluating Cutoff Criteria of Model Fit Indices for Latent Variable Models with Binary and Continuous Outcomes. Los Angeles, CA: University of California Press.
Supplementary Material
Please find the following supplemental material available below.
For Open Access articles published under a Creative Commons License, all supplemental material carries the same license as the article it is associated with.
For non-Open Access articles published, all supplemental material carries a non-exclusive license, and permission requests for re-use of supplemental material or any part of supplemental material shall be sent directly to the copyright owner as specified in the copyright notice associated with the article.
