‘Persistence and Silence: A Narrative Analysis of Employee Responses to Organisational Change’

2003 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 73-87 ◽  
Author(s):  
Melanie Bryant
Keyword(s):  
Narrative Analysis ◽  
Workplace Violence ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Resistance To Change ◽  
Organisational Change ◽  
Original Intent ◽  
Career Opportunities ◽  
Response To Change ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Employee Responses

This article is concerned with how employees talk about organisational change and focuses specifically on how employees discuss reactions and responses to change through the construction of narratives. Employees included in this study suggest that the use of voice as an attempt to inform managers of their discontent, or remaining silent and passive are the most common responses to organisational change. Within sociology and management literature, voice has been considered as a constructive response to change, providing invaluable feedback to managers about declining conditions or performance lapses. Alternatively, remaining silent or passive has been documented as a weak strategy in which the individual renounces control and forms a dependency relationship with powerful groups such as managers. The primary aim of this paper is to challenge the argument that voice is a constructive response to change and suggest that voice is likely to be perceived as destructive, thus leading to the removal of responsibilities and career opportunities. Furthermore, this paper argues that silence is the more constructive response to change, which is documented in this research as leading to the advancement of careers. Relationships between the way employees respond to organisational change and the type of narrative that they construct is also discussed. Those who report remaining silent construct ‘conversion stories’ suggesting that organisational change provided a turning point in which employees could embrace management practices and gain career advancement. Alternatively, those who reported using voice construct ‘atrocity tales’ in which change is associated with stories of workplace bullying, removal of career opportunities and workplace violence. These narratives suggest that the use of voice as a response to change is more complex than its original intent and explanation in the literature, providing challenges for researchers in understanding where voice as a constructive response ends and where resistance to change begins.

scholarly journals An exploration of individual experiences of constant organisational change

2003 ◽  
Vol 29 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
K. Williams ◽  
A. Crafford ◽  
L. Fourie
Keyword(s):  
Change Management ◽  
South African ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Resistance To Change ◽  
Data Gathering ◽  
Organisational Change ◽  
Long Term Effects ◽  
The Face ◽  
The Individual

Ongoing change is an inevitable part of the current organisational context. Change management practices are oftencited as a reason for resistance to change, and as a cause of stress for individuals during change interventions. A qualitative study was undertaken in a technical division of a large South African organisation to explore the individual experiences of employees in the face of constant organisational change. Grounded theory analysis confirmed that constant organisational change and the related change management practices were indeed a source of unpleasant individual experience for employees at the time. Yet, no serious long-term effects of stress were evident. It is suggested that Strümpfer’s (1983–2000) work on salutogenesis and fortigenesis may be useful in explaining the outcome. Further research incorporating larger sample sizes and multiple triangulation methods in the data gathering process is recommended.Opsomming Kontinue verandering is ’n onvermydelike deel van die huidige organisasiekonteks. Veranderingsbestuurspraktyke word gereeld geopper as ’n rede vir die weerstand teen verandering asook die oorsaak van spanning by individue tydens veranderingsintervensies. ‘n Kwalitatiewe studie in die tegniese divisie van ’n groot Suid-Afrikaanse maatskappy is onderneem om die individuele ervaring van werknemers tydens konstante organisasieverandering te ondersoek. ’n Begronde teorie- ontleding het aangetoon dat konstante organisasieverandering en die gepaardgaande veranderingsbestuurspraktyke inderdaad ’n bron van onaangename ervaring vir werknemers is. Desnieteenstaande was ernstige langtermyn gevolge van spanning nie waarneembaar nie . Dit word aangevoer dat Strümpfer (1983–2000) se werk oor salutogenese en fortigenese nuttig mag wees in die verklaring van die bevindings. Verdere navorsing wat groter steekproefgroottes en intermetodiese kruisvalidering tydens die data-insamelingsproses insluit, word voorgestel.

Partisanship and organisational change in Mauritius

2018 ◽  
Vol 31 (3) ◽  
pp. 656-675
Author(s):  
Sanjiv Gungadeen ◽  
Megan Paull ◽  
David Holloway
Keyword(s):  
Change Process ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Resistance To Change ◽  
Evolutionary Process ◽  
Organisational Change ◽  
Small Island ◽  
Theory Approach ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Extant Literature ◽  
Key Dimensions

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to report on a study of change management practices in private sector organisations in the small island economy of Mauritius. Design/methodology/approach Interviews were conducted with key decision makers and individuals who had experienced the organisational change process in three private organisations from different sectors in Mauritius: a bank, a hotel and a privatised state-owned enterprise. A grounded theory approach was employed to establish the key dimensions of organisational change in this setting. Findings Organisational change is a multi-dimensional, multi-directional and evolutionary process strongly influenced by the contextual and historical aspects of the country. The emerging key elements of change identified in the data confirmed a range of dimensions evident in the extant literature, but also identified a largely unacknowledged factor, considered to be central to the change process in Mauritian organisations. This emerging factor was identified as partisanship. Originality/value This study served to confirm six dimensions evident in the extant literature on organisational change: organisational structure, organisational culture, leadership processes, individuals, knowledge management and resistance to change. A seventh dimension, and heretofore largely unacknowledged factor, considered to be central to the change process in Mauritian organisations was also identified: partisanship. The study identified this emerging key dimension as having a pervasive influence. History, culture and context have served to embed this dimension in Mauritian organisations. Evidence is presented to illustrate how the process of organisational change is undertaken in Mauritius, and identify the role of partisanship. This has the potential to be applied to other small island economies with similar historical, cultural or contextual features.

scholarly journals Leptospirosis in Ruminants in Yogyakarta, Indonesia: A Serological Survey with Mixed Methods to Identify Risk Factors

2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 84
Author(s):  
Dyah Ayu Widiasih ◽  
Johanna Frida Lindahl ◽  
Wayan T. Artama ◽  
Adi Heru Sutomo ◽  
Pande Made Kutanegara ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Risk Factor ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Small Ruminants ◽  
Case Fatality ◽  
Open Water ◽  
Serum Samples ◽  
Public Health Importance ◽  
Group Discussions ◽  
The Individual ◽  
And Behavior

Leptospirosis is a zoonotic disease occurring worldwide with reproductive symptoms and production losses in livestock, while humans can suffer fatal renal failure. In Yogyakarta Special Province, Indonesia, there have been several outbreaks with high case fatality, demonstrating the public health importance, but there is limited understanding of the epidemiology. This study used an EcoHealth approach to ensure transdisciplinarity and community participation. Seroprevalence of Leptospira in animals was studied between October 2011 and May 2013 in 15 villages. Serum samples from 1404 cattle and 60 small ruminants were screened by a Microscopic Agglutination Test (MAT), first in pools, and then the individual positive samples were identified. Focus group discussions including farmers, village officials, and official stakeholders were used to explore knowledge and behavior of zoonotic diseases, particularly leptospirosis. Two small ruminants were seropositive for Leptospira icterohemorrhagiae. From the cattle, 3.7% were seropositive, and the most common serovars were Leptospira hardjo, followed by L. icterohemorrhagiae. Out of all farms, 5.6% had at least one positive cattle. Risk factor analyses showed that the risk of the farm being seropositive increased if the farmer used water from an open source, or if farming was not the main occupation. This study showed the presence of Leptospira spp. in ruminants in Yogyakarta and identified use of open water as a risk factor for the livestock. We also observed that the knowledge related to leptospirosis was low, and risky farm management practices were commonly employed.

scholarly journals Research on the Relationship between Shared Leadership and Individual Creativity-Qualitative Comparative Analysis on the Basis of Clear Set

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (10) ◽  
pp. 5445
Author(s):  
Muyun Sun ◽  
Jigan Wang ◽  
Ting Wen
Keyword(s):  
Comparative Analysis ◽  
Environmental Factors ◽  
Shared Leadership ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Qualitative Comparative Analysis ◽  
Necessary Condition ◽  
The Individual ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Sufficient And Necessary Condition

Creativity is the key to obtaining and maintaining competitiveness of modern organizations, and it has attracted much attention from academic circles and management practices. Shared leadership is believed to effectively influence team output. However, research on the impact of individual creativity is still in its infancy. This study adopts the qualitative comparative analysis method, taking 1584 individuals as the research objects, underpinned by a questionnaire-based survey. It investigates the influence of the team’s shared leadership network elements and organizational environmental factors on the individual creativity. We have found that there are six combination of conditions of shared leadership and organizational environmental factors constituting sufficient combination of conditions to increase or decrease individual creativity. Moreover, we have noticed that the low network density of shared leadership is a sufficient and necessary condition of reducing individual creativity. Our results also provide management suggestions for practical activities during the team management.

Evaluation of the sensitivity of faecal sampling for detection of monophasic Salmonella Typhimurium and other Salmonella in cattle and pigs

2014 ◽  
Vol 143 (8) ◽  
pp. 1681-1691 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. E. ARNOLD ◽  
R. J. GOSLING ◽  
F. MARTELLI ◽  
D. MUELLER-DOBLIES ◽  
R. H. DAVIES
Keyword(s):  
Faecal Sample ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Farm Animals ◽  
Infection Prevalence ◽  
Sample Type ◽  
Sample Data ◽  
Using Data ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Positive Groups

SUMMARYThere has been a rapid rise in the prevalence of cases of monophasic Salmonella Typhimurium (mST) in both humans and farm animals, and it has been found in pigs, cattle and poultry. It is therefore vital to have a good understanding of how to efficiently detect infected farms. The objective of this project was to determine sample type sensitivity in the detection of Salmonella to detect infected groups of animals on both pig (breeder, grower and finisher sites) and cattle (beef and dairy) farms, using data collected from a study investigating farms that were positive for mST, and to explore any variation between different age groups and management practices. A Bayesian approach in the absence of a gold standard was adopted to analyse the individual and pooled faecal sample data collected from each epidemiological group on each of the farms. The sensitivity of pooled sampling depended on the prevalence of infection in the group being sampled, with a higher prevalence leading to higher sensitivity. Pooled sampling was found to be more efficient at detecting positive groups of animals than individual sampling, with the probability of a random sample from a group of animals with 5% prevalence testing positive being equal to 15·5% for immature pigs (3·6% for an individual faecal sample, taking into account the sensitivity and infection prevalence), 7·1% for adult pigs (1·2% for individual sampling), 30% for outdoor cattle (2% for individual sampling) and 34% for indoor cattle (1% for individual sampling). The mean prevalence of each epidemiological group was higher in outdoor farms than indoor for both pigs and cattle (mean within-farm prevalence of 29·4% and 38·7% for outdoor pigs and cattle, respectively, compared to 19·8% and 22·1% for indoor pigs and cattle)

Understanding the Effects of Mindfulness Meditation Combined With Aromatherapy, to Enhance the Wellbeing of MCAST ICS Lecturers: A Narrative Study

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 4-39
Author(s):  
Nadia Cauchi
Keyword(s):  
Narrative Analysis ◽  
Mindfulness Meditation ◽  
Work And Family ◽  
Self Awareness ◽  
Narrative Study ◽  
Individual Interviews ◽  
Inquiry Approach ◽  
The Common ◽  
Mindful Meditation ◽  
The Individual

This study looks at the effects of the combined practice of mindful meditation and aromatherapy on the wellbeing of MCAST ICS lecturers, potentially providing resources that can help them deal with various stressors. Each practice is supported with literature underlining its effects towards a holistic wellbeing. The researcher uses a qualitative narrative inquiry approach to draw meaning and understanding out of the participants’ experiences. Three MCAST ICS lecturers participated in this study. Their background in health care enables them to relate better with the benefits of mindful meditation and aromatherapy. The research design of this study consists of four stages; a pre-session held with the three participants, weekly mindful meditation sessions for six weeks, individual interviews with each participant, followed by a focus group. Three of the six sessions included aromatherapy and a mindful journal was kept throughout the sessions. The analysis format could either develop as an analysis of narrative or narrative of analysis. In this study both formats were used, however, due to the word count limit only the analysis of narrative is seen. The researcher elicited whole segments from the individual transcripts to develop various themes. To examine the data for the emergent themes the researcher chose to use thematic narrative analysis as it focuses on the ‘told’ (Riessman 2008). In this case the ‘told’ is what helped identify the common patterns found across the narratives. As themes started to emerge, whenever possible the researcher used the MAXQDA software to facilitate the process. Mindful meditation was found to lead to a series of events that enhance self-awareness, thus enhancing holistic wellbeing and positively effecting the individual’s approach towards work and family. This can be achieved because mindful meditation has the potential to enhance one’s social skills, soft skills, and emotional intelligence. Furthermore, combining aromatherapy with mindful meditation was found to positively enhance one’s experience. However, it was not the only decisive factor since the ambience was also an influencer.

Communicate belonging? Duoethnography of an organisational change study

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ivana Crestani ◽  
Jill Fenton Taylor
Keyword(s):  
Change Management ◽  
Sense Of Belonging ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Organisational Change ◽  
Change Initiatives ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Inclusive Language ◽  
Employee Resistance ◽  
Practical Implications

PurposeThis duoethnography explores feelings of belonging that emerged as being relevant to the participants of a doctoral organisational change study. It challenges the prolific change management models that inadvertently encourage anti-belonging.Design/methodology/approachA change management practitioner and her doctoral supervisor share their dialogic reflections and reflexivity on the case study to open new conversations and raise questions about how communicating belonging enhances practice. They draw on Ubuntu philosophy (Tutu, 1999) to enrich Pinar's currere (1975) for understandings of belonging, interconnectedness, humanity and transformation.FindingsThe authors show how dialogic practice in giving employees a voice, communicating honestly, using inclusive language and affirmation contribute to a stronger sense of belonging. Suppressing the need for belonging can deepen a communication shadow and create employee resistance and alienation. Sharing in each other's personal transformation, the authors assist others in better understanding the feelings of belonging in organisational change.Practical implicationsPractitioners will need to challenge change initiatives that ignore belonging. This requires thinking of people as relationships, rather than as numbers or costs, communicating dialogically, taking care with language in communicating changes and facilitating employees to be active participants where they feel supported.Originality/valueFor both practice and academy, this duoethnography highlights a need for greater humanity in change management practices. This requires increasing the awareness and understanding of an interconnectedness that lies at the essence of belonging or Ubuntu (Tutu, 1999).

Investigation of Teachers' Level of Life Satisfaction and Perceptions of Individual Innovation in the COVID-19 Pandemic Process

2021 ◽  
Vol 15 (11) ◽  
pp. 3196-3201
Author(s):  
Enver Döşyilmaz ◽  
Ayhan Kayabaşi
Keyword(s):  
Life Satisfaction ◽  
Marital Status ◽  
Resistance To Change ◽  
Demographic Variables ◽  
Satisfaction Scale ◽  
National Education ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Scale Scores ◽  
Individual Innovativeness ◽  
The Individual

Background and Aim: This study seeks to examine whether there is a difference between the level of relationship between teachers' individual innovativeness perceptions and their life satisfaction and whether there is a difference in terms of some demographic variables during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: The research is a quantitative study and was carried out in relational screening model. The sample of the study consists of 335 teachers working in schools affiliated to the Kahramanmaras Central District National Education Directorates. The data of the research was analysed using the Jamovi 1.6.12 statistical software program. Results and Conclusion:: As a result of the research, it was seen that the majority of the teachers were in the questioning and pioneering groups based on the scores of the individual innovativeness scale,. Significant differences were found in the scores of the participants' individual innovativeness scale sub-dimensions in terms of gender, marital status, branch, and sports status. On the other hand, there were no significant differences in life satisfaction scale scores in terms of gender, marital status, and branch variables (p>0.05); It was found that there was a significant difference in terms of the variable of doing sports (p>0.05); In addition, no significant relationship was found between the sub-dimensions of resistance to change, opinion leadership, openness to experience, and risk-taking and life satisfaction. Keywords: COVID-19, Teacher, Individual innovation, Life satisfaction.

scholarly journals Motivational Factors in Organisational Change

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Marcel Biewendt ◽  
Florian Blaschke ◽  
Arno Böhnert
Keyword(s):  
Organisational Change ◽  
Employee Motivation ◽  
Motivational Factors ◽  
Working Environment ◽  
The Other ◽  
Corporate Structure ◽  
Recommendations For Action ◽  
Individual Productivity ◽  
The Individual ◽  
The Right

The presented paper gives an overview of the most important and most common theories and concepts from the economic field of organisational change and is also enriched with quantitative publication data, which underlines the relevance of the topic. In particular, the topic presented is interwoven in an interdisciplinary way with economic psychological models, which are underpinned within the models with content from leading scholars in the field. The pace of change in companies is accelerating, as is technological change in our society. Adaptations of the corporate structure, but also of management techniques and tasks, are therefore indispensable. This includes not only the right approaches to employee motivation, but also the correct use of intrinsic and extrinsic motivational factors. Based on the hypothesis put forward by the scientist and researcher Rollinson in his book “Organisational behaviour and analysis” that managers believe motivational resources are available at all times, socio-economic and economic psychological theories are contrasted here in order to critically examine this statement. In addition, a fictitious company was created as a model for this work in order to illustrate the effects of motivational deficits in practice. In this context, the theories presented are applied to concrete problems within the model and conclusions are drawn about their influence and applicability. This led to the conclusion that motivation is a very individual challenge for each employee, which requires adapted and personalised approaches. On the other hand, the recommendations for action for supervisors in the case of motivation deficits also cannot be answered in a blanket manner, but can only be solved with the help of professional, expert-supported processing due to the economic-psychological realities of motivation. Identifying, analysing and remedying individual employee motivation deficits is, according to the authors, a problem and a challenge of great importance, especially in the context of rapidly changing ecosystems in modern companies, as motivation also influences other factors such as individual productivity. The authors therefore conclude that good motivation through the individual and customised promotion and further training of employees is an important point for achieving important corporate goals in order to remain competitive on the one hand and to create a productive and pleasant working environment on the other.

scholarly journals Violence Against Authority: Management, Policy, And Research Implications

2015 ◽  
Vol 19 (2) ◽  
pp. 69
Author(s):  
Randy R. Edwards ◽  
C. Kenneth Meyer ◽  
Stephen E. Clapham
Keyword(s):  
Violent Crime ◽  
Police Officers ◽  
Workplace Violence ◽  
Property Crime ◽  
Personal Characteristics ◽  
Workplace Safety ◽  
The United States ◽  
Management Policy ◽  
The Individual ◽  
The U.S

There has been a steady decline in violent crime in the United States in the past twenty years. Trends indicate that violent crime was down 13.4 percent below the 200l level and for property crime, society is experiencing the tenth straight year of declining rates. Yet, the Southern region of the U.S is disproportionately represented by percentage of overall violent crimes committed nationally. Also, the South is over-represented in the number of police officers who are feloniously killed or assaulted. This empirical research concentrates on violence directed against police in the U.S. and begins by examining the type and magnitude of workplace violence, then transitions to a review of the sociological, political, and psychological literature, focusing on the individual and social causes for violence generally. It ends with an examination of officers feloniously killed (their personal characteristics and that of their assailants), the level of violence against police by type of arrest or enforcement situation, and by region of the country. This paper provides a comparative analysis of street-level violence for general municipal assaults, robbery, and the most rapidly growing type of felonious assaultambush attacks. The paper concludes with an analysis of the societal and behavioral characteristics and considerations related to violence against police. The authors present a number of current trends, training recommendations, and suggestions for improving officer workplace safety.

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