Resistance to change: an empirical investigation of its antecedents

2018 ◽  
Vol 31 (2) ◽  
pp. 426-450 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vasiliki Amarantou ◽  
Stergiani Kazakopoulou ◽  
Dimitrios Chatzoudes ◽  
Prodromos Chatzoglou

Purpose Resistance to change (RtC) is widely recognized as the main reason of failure, when it comes to change initiatives. Despite its importance, there is still a rather limited knowledge concerning the factors that trigger this behavior at the workplace. The purpose of this paper is to identify the factors affecting RtC in healthcare organizations (namely, hospitals) and specifically, in emergency departments (EDs). Design/methodology/approach An original conceptual framework (research model) has been developed and empirically tested using primary data collected from EDs of six Greek hospitals. In total, the actual sample incorporates the responses of 158 ED health professionals who completed a structured questionnaire. Findings The findings verified the initial assumption that “disposition towards change (DtC),” “anticipated impact of change (AIC)” and “attitude towards change (AtC)” mediate the impact of various personal and behavioral characteristics on “RtC.” The results suggested that “RtC” is (indirectly) influenced by four main factors (“employee-management relationship,” “personality traits,” “employee participation in the decision-making process” and “job security”). Originality/value This study investigates how several factors affect, both directly or indirectly, employee reactions toward “RtC.” It also examines the mediating effect of three factors (“DtC,” “AtC,” “AIC”) that capture three different dimensions of individual evaluation toward change, something that goes beyond previous work. In addition, the present study examines a wide range of antecedents of RtC, including both personality-related and job-related factors.

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 350-368
Author(s):  
Tirivavi Moyo ◽  
Gerrit Crafford ◽  
Fidelis Emuze

PurposeWhile operational factors reduce construction workers' productivity in Zimbabwe, the impact of the people-centred management aspects has not been empirically interrogated as a remedy. This article reports on a study that sought to determine significant people-centred management aspects that lead to improved labour productivity and assesses the existence of statistically significant differences due to the demographic variables of respondents. Demographic-specific strategies that enhance construction “workers” productivity were revealed.Design/methodology/approachThe survey research design using a self-administered questionnaire was deployed to collect the primary data. The design followed a positivist paradigm to evaluate objectively how people-centred management affects construction workers' productivity. The statistical data were descriptively and inferentially analysed.FindingsPeople-centred management was determined to be significant in improving construction workers' productivity, with the most significant aspect being the building of employee confidence in related approaches. Designations and educational levels mostly indicated a statistically significant difference in several aspects that included the adoption of a functional reward culture for workers and training on people-centred principles. Training on-site management and construction workers in people-centred management and its application are crucial to improving construction workers' productivity.Research limitations/implicationsConstruction companies should drastically improve their concern for people while they sustain a high concern for production within their construction sites. Although several factors affect construction workers' productivity, this study determined that management-related factors and people-centred management were significant towards influencing low productivity in Zimbabwe.Originality/valueThe study determined people-centred management and demographic-specific interventions as being able to improve construction workers' productivity in Zimbabwe.


2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (6) ◽  
pp. 633-648
Author(s):  
Niina Herttuala ◽  
Lauri Kokkinen ◽  
Anne Konu

PurposeThe purpose of this study was to describe factors that support and prevent managers' work wellbeing by reviewing international studies and interviewing Finnish social- and healthcare managers.Design/methodology/approachTwenty-two studies were identified in the systematic literature search. Seven social care and healthcare managers were recruited to participate in thematic interviews. Data were analyzed by using content analysis.FindingsSupportive and preventive factors for managers' work wellbeing were identified in the literature review, including managerial position, decision latitude, job control, social support and ethical culture at the workplace. The interviews further suggested that the supportive and preventive factors affecting social and healthcare managers' work wellbeing could be divided into five broad categories: (1) Individual factors, (2) Social factors, (3) Professional support from one's own manager, (4) Work-related factors and (5) Organizational factors.Originality/valueWe conducted a systematic literature search together with expert interviews to find the factors most crucial to managers' work wellbeing. These findings can assist social and healthcare organizations and policymakers to pay attention to these factors as well as in policies guiding them.


2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 545-559 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nidhi Phutela ◽  
Sunita Dwivedi

PurposeThis paper will try to uncover how e-learning is giving a new shape to the education industry. Also, it will encompass the students' perspective and experience of e-learning.Design/methodology/approachThe present study employed interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) to intensely scrutinize the lived-in experiences of the participants. In the present study, the respondents were selected from Delhi NCR of India. Semi-structured interviews were conducted to collect the primary data to understand the student's perspectives on the impact of information and communications technology (ICT) in education industry.FindingsThe findings have been grouped under two sections referred to as “themes,” which include “drivers for e-learning adoption” and “inhibitors which restrict the adoption of e-learning.”Practical implicationsAt present, India does not have a big market for e-learning, but there is huge potential in the country. The present study may be helpful for the educational institutions in India and in similar developing countries in understanding the students' perspectives on e-learning adoption. The educational institutions may improve their systems accordingly so that they can not only retain the students of their own countries but also attract students from other countries for further education.Social implicationsE-learning can be employed to give users quick access to ideas and experiences from a wide range of people, communities, and the cultures to increase the tangibility.Originality/valueThe study will be useful to the policymakers in the higher education sector of developing nations like India, in understanding the students' mindsets. This study makes a contribution to the growing literature on e-learning, where the researchers have determined the relative importance of various motivating and inhibiting factors which influence the adoption of e-learning. Additionally, the study has used IPA as the methodology to determine the factors, which is a novel contribution.


2014 ◽  
Vol 25 (3) ◽  
pp. 553-580 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arshad Alam ◽  
Prabir K. Bagchi ◽  
Bumsoo Kim ◽  
Subrata Mitra ◽  
Fernando Seabra

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to analyze the impact of individual logistics-related factors, namely, supplier involvement (SI), length of supplier relationship (LSR), use of information technology (IT), and logistics integration (LI) on a firm's supply chain performance (SCP) and test for the mediating effect of LI in a multi-country survey conducted in Brazil, Korea and India. The paper also develops a composite variable, supply chain competency (SCC), as an overall measure of the quality of a firm's supply chain and demonstrate its effect on a firm's SCP. Design/methodology/approach – The research methodology was based on designing and administering a survey instrument. Data collected from 187 organizations in Brazil, Korea and India were analyzed using the partial least squares structural equation modeling methodology. Findings – Results show that for the combined data, the direct effects of SI, LSR and IT on SCP are insignificant while LI has a very significant direct effect on SCP. On the other hand, except for SI, LSR and IT have significant effects on SCP through LI establishing the mediating role of LI. The paper also finds that SCC has a significant effect on SCP. Further, when countries are considered individually the paper finds that IT has a significant indirect effect on SCP in the case of all the countries while LSR has a significant indirect effect on SCP, both in the case of Brazil and Korea. Additionally, in the case of Korea SI has a significant indirect effect on SCP. Research limitations/implications – Like other survey-based research, the findings of this paper are also limited by the sample size. Especially, the observations specific to individual countries are as good as the respective sample sizes. Also, since all the respondents belonged to manufacturing firms, the findings of this paper are relevant for the manufacturing sector. Practical implications – This paper establishes the mediating effect of LI in assessing the impact of logistics-related factors on a firm's SCP. It confirms that although logistics-related factors are necessary for a firm's superior SCP, they are not sufficient unless their interactions are taken into consideration, as evidenced by the significant positive relationship between SCC and SCP. Originality/value – To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this paper is the first paper to study the effect of logistics-related factors on a firm's SCP and establish the mediating role of LI in a multi-country setting. This paper also develops a composite variable SCC and examines its effect on SCP.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yulan Qi ◽  
Anna Che Azmi

Purpose The purpose of this study is to examine the factors that affect the adoption of electronic invoices and in turn the impact of these factors on the tax compliance process efficiency of companies. Design/methodology/approach A questionnaire survey was distributed to 276 users who adopted electronic invoicing. Partial least squares regression was used to analyze the collected data. Findings This study found that perceived benefits and trust in e-government had a positive influence on the adoption of electronic invoices. At the same time, the adoption of electronic invoice was found to have a positive impact on the overall efficiency of the tax compliance process. Moreover, the factors affecting adoption of electronic invoices can have a mediating effect on that adoption and tax compliance process efficiency. Research limitations/implications This study only explored these influencing factors on companies that have adopted electronic invoicing. Future research should distinguish between adopters and non-adopters. Practical implications The results of this study can guide tax authorities and other electronic invoice suppliers when promoting the adoption of electronic invoicing. Social implications This research can provide guidance to tax authorities to improve their own electronic invoice system by creating a workforce that have the skills to strengthen citizen’s trust in the electronic invoice system. Originality/value This study contributes to the electronic adoption literature by examining those factors that impact tax compliance processes efficiency.


2017 ◽  
Vol 6 (3) ◽  
pp. 195-213
Author(s):  
Jose Varghese ◽  
Manoj Edward ◽  
Sunil Sahadev

Purpose The study looks at how salesperson’s customer orientation (SCO) mediates the impact of a host of organisational, job-related and personality-related factors on salesperson performance. Previous studies that have considered the impact of customer orientation on performance have often considered a limited number of antecedent variables which has led to inconsistent results. The purpose of this paper is to address this concern by considering the multiple effects of several independent variables. Design/methodology/approach The conceptual model was tested through a large-scale survey of financial services salespersons in India. A total of 1,106 respondents participated in the survey. The data were analysed through structural equations modelling. Sobel’s test was employed to test the mediating effects. Findings The study found that customer orientation has a significant mediating effect in the case of several antecedent variables. The impact of variables like perceived supportive work environment, experienced meaningfulness, organisational identification, salesperson agreeableness and salesperson instability on salesperson performance is seen to be partially or fully mediated by SCO. Research limitations/implications The cross-sectional design and the convenience sampling methodology are the main limitations of the study. Practical implications The study develops a more holistic, multipath model which can help managers as a guideline in recruiting and selecting salespersons. The importance of customer orientation points towards the need for better attitudinal training. Originality/value Theoretically, the paper highlights the need for developing more comprehensive models for considering the consequences of customer orientation and related issues. The multipath model addresses several calls for research on testing different antecedents of customer orientation as well as how customer orientation enhances salesperson performance.


2011 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 35-64 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sanjay K. Jain ◽  
Manika Jain

The paper aims at examining the impact of various consumer and product characteristics on adoption of e-commerce among consumers in India. The study is based on primary data collected through survey of consumers residing in and around Delhi. A structured non- disguised questionnaire has been employed for collecting the information from the respondents about their demographics, shopping orientations, security and privacy concerns, technological familiarity, past online shopping experiences and intentions to buy various types of products through internet in future. Past online shopping satisfaction, recreational shopping orientation, education and income emerge as significant factors affecting consumer past online purchases. In respect of future online shopping intentions, only three consumer-related factors viz., past online shopping satisfaction, past online shopping frequency and education, are found as significant predictors. Amongst product characteristics, product expensiveness is found to be negatively related to consumer future online purchase intentions. While consumers appear quite willing to buy services online that are high in their intangible value proposition, they appear somewhat ambivalent in their intentions to buy online the 'frequently purchased products'. Some of the consumer and product characteristics do influence consumer adoption of e-commerce. Study findings entail interesting implications for the marketers. They need to give adequate attention to consumer and product characteristics while designing their e-marketing strategies. As compared to goods, the surveyed respondents have expressed greater willingness to buy services online in future. Services thus appear to be more promising product category for sale through internet channel in future.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Olona Mtintsilana ◽  
Babatope Ebenezer Akinyemi ◽  
Leocadia Zhou

Purpose This paper aims to determine factors affecting adaptation to climate variability on crop production among farming households in Tyhume Valley. Design/methodology/approach This study conducted an empirical analysis of the impact of adaptation on crop yield of farming households and estimated the factors affecting adaptation to climate variability on farming households. The analysis used primary data from 205 farming households practicing crop production in Tyhume Valley communities. Findings Based on binary logit results, factors affecting rural farming households’ adaptation to climate variability are gender, age, heatwave, employment status, strong high wind occasional experience and cell phone. The adaptation measures adopted by the farming households in the study area include irrigation (94.8%), crop rotation (66%), changing crop variety (7.4%) and other methods of adaptation were found to be (1.3%). The other methods of adaptation used included the use of ash to kill (intuku) mole and using dirty water from washing dishes and clothes when irrigating to kill parasites on crops. Originality/value This research paper will be an addition to the body of knowledge on adaptation strategies to climate variability in South Africa, especially at the rural farming household level. This study may assist the rural communities in decision-making when dealing with the challenges of climate variability on their crop production, thereby increasing their crop production. The information gathered in this study might assist policymakers in revising the existing policies. This study will also help rural farming households to practice appropriate adaptation strategies.


2019 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 1044-1085 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lin Yang ◽  
Chenwu Xu ◽  
Guoguang Wan

Purpose Drawing on the related insights from the upper echelon perspective, modern cognitive theory and path dependence theory, this paper aims to first integrate top management teams (TMTs) overseas experiences, research and development (R&D) strategic decision-making and innovation performance into a uniform theoretical framework and try to understand TMTs’ overseas experiences accounting for both the direct and indirect mechanisms of the variables involved within the transition economy of China. Design/methodology/approach The paper adopts research sample from the listed companies on the Growth Enterprises Market Board (GEMB) of Shenzhen Stock Exchange of China due to their stronger innovation consciousness. The research data are mainly from the WIND database of China, as the data issued in this database must be checked and approved by China’s legal institutions including China Securities Regulatory Commission and its authorized agencies. The samples cover different types of ownership and the vast majority of industries of China, which makes the objects a wide range of coverage and representativeness. In addition, according to suggestions of Podsakoff et al. (2003), the authors design the controlling measures from two aspects of data collection and statistical analysis to reduce the homologous error as much as possible. Findings Empirical results show that innovation performance is positively affected by the centrality overseas functional experience and industrial experience but negatively affected by the heterogeneity of overseas functional experience of TMT. Meanwhile, R&D intensity and modes play partially mediating effect in the relationship between TMTs’ overseas functional experience centrality and industrial experience heterogeneity and innovation performance, but for the relationship between overseas functional experience heterogeneity and innovation performance, R&D intensity leads to fully mediating effect. Originality/value This study contributes toward filling the gaps by elucidating the effect of TMTs’ overseas experiences on the innovation performance, identifying the mediating role of R&D strategic decision-makings in this relationship and empirically examining the acting mechanisms and paths of the variables involved in the Chinese context. In addition, practitioners could use these findings to improve their selection and training processes regarding both the top management members and the designing of the R&D strategies.


2017 ◽  
Vol 28 (2) ◽  
pp. 265-283 ◽  
Author(s):  
Magnus Soderlund

Purpose The purpose of this study is to examine categorization leakage from employees in service encounters in terms of indications that the customer has been categorized as either poor or rich. Given that customers perceive themselves as belonging to one of these two categories, leakage can result in perceptions of the categorization as either correct or incorrect, and the specific purpose is to assess the impact of such outcomes on customer satisfaction. Design/methodology/approach Two between-subjects experiments were used to manipulate service employees’ leakage of categorization clues; the participants were subject to leakage comprising clues that they had been categorized as either poor or rich. The participants’ self-perceived membership in the poor and rich categories was used as a measured factor. Findings The results indicate that customers are indeed sensitive to how they are categorized in service encounters. More specifically, when categorization in terms of the categories poor and rich was leaked to the customer, being correctly categorized (either as poor or rich) was more satisfying than being incorrectly categorized. In addition, given the valenced charge of these two categories, the results indicate that the category charge per se also influences satisfaction. Originality/value The present study adds employee categorization leakage to the existing literature dealing with employee-related factors affecting customer satisfaction in service encounters.


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