The importance of enhancing internal communication and its content during organisational change appears to be neglected by many organisations. Although change management literature agrees generally about the role that communication plays in facilitating change, there is still a dearth of empirical studies that focus on improving internal communication during organisational change phases. The evolution of communication technology has provided some new tools that can enhance internal communication within an organisation. This study explores the role of using of one of these new communication technologies in communicating organisational change through the development of a novel conceptual model. The developed model covers the communication needs in each phase of a planned change, and combines the benefits of communicating organisational change with the benefits of using Enterprise Social Networks (ESN), as found in the literature. The aim is to investigate empirically how ESN as a new internal communication technology can be employed to communicate organisational change effectively in order to facilitate that change. To do so, the researcher in this study has applied a qualitative approach through a case study strategy in order to validate the conceptual model being proposed. The researcher conducted 32 interviews and analysed all of them qualitatively using Nvivo software. The findings of the conducted study revealed that using ESN had many positive impacts on employees, such as increasing their awareness, engagement and participation, which helped to facilitate the overall change projects. Moreover, the study proved the suitability of the validated novel model to contribute in facilitating organisational change through ESN, which can guide leaders, managers, change agents and academics on how ESN can be used to communicate planned change effectively in order to facilitate it.

The purpose of the study is to explore the relationship between employees¡¦ perceived organizational support, positive psychological capital, readiness for organizational change and resistance to organizational change. The total valid sample consisted of 188 employees from companies in manufacturing industry, which was undergoing change. The data from matched supervisor and subordinate (a 1:4 supervisor -subordinate ratio) responses was analyzed by factor analysis, reliability analysis, and measured by LISREL model to examine the relationship among the constructs. Results showed that employees¡¦ readiness for organizational change had direct effects on their resistance to organizational change, and indicated that readiness for organizational change fully mediated the relationships between perceived organizational support and resistance to organizational change. In addition, readiness for organizational change fully mediated the relationships between positive psychological capital and resistance to organizational change as well. However, neither perceived organizational support nor positive psychological capital had direct effect on employees¡¦ resistance to change. Finally the study provided three suggestions for companies. Firstly, good communication environment and change-supporting culture should be constructed. Secondly, companies could build the competency index including positive psychological capital and implement it into HRM practice, such as recruitment, selecting, and training. Thirdly, employees¡¦ perceived organizational support could be cultivated by providing employees the employee assistance program.

Background: To keep up with competitors and the ever-changing business environment, organizations constantly adapt and adjust their strategies. Strategic organizational change is the implementation of change to increase corporate performance and find new competitive advantages. Studies are showing how the majority of change processes fail. This high failure rate is dependent on several different factors. However, one factor which seems to be one of the most common is resistance to strategic organizational change. Resistance is often looked through a negative lens by the management, which can negatively affect the whole change process. Purpose: The primary purpose of this study is to increase the knowledge about resistance to strategic organizational change and explore the field of change management to yield valuable insights to managers' quest to implement change successfully. Research Question: How can understanding the source of resistance be used beneficially by management to improve the managerial decision-making and, therefore, increase the success rate of change implementation? Methodology: A qualitative research method with semi-structured interviews has been adopted. Conclusion: If resistance is not only seen as an obstacle but instead analysed thoroughly by the management it could contribute to an organizational discussion which potentially could improve the quality of the management decision-making and, thus, improve the success rate of strategic organizational change implementation.v

The aim of this study was to explore the role of feedback in managing resistance to organisational change. A general systems theoretical model of individual resistance to change was developed. It describes the origin, function and outcomes of individual resistance to planned organisational change. The role of feedback within this process was identified as a central one and feedback was therefore identified as an important point of leverage in managing resistance to change. The survey feedback approach was adopted in a retail organisation undergoing significant change. Staff were asked to respond to a survey on their experience of the change. Results were analysed and then fed back to them during group discussions. The process was repeated. It was concluded that the survey feedback approach significantly contributed to a reduction in resistance to change and that both survey feedback approach and the model of individual resistance to change merit further investigation. / Industrial Psychology / M.A. (Industrial Psychology)

Made available in DSpace on 2009-11-18T19:00:49Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 ACF21E.pdf: 2001646 bytes, checksum: f701f43c8d0badcc2458daf83fd88397 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2007 / Nowadays, the free software has been presented as an alternative to the acquisition structure of proprietors¿ software licenses, being adopted by a large number of companies. This study presents the analysis, through a case study, of a project of proprietors¿ software migration for free platforms. The main purpose was to identify decisive factors of success in the adoption of free softwares for private companies. For this, was used the single case methodology of study, presented by Yin (2005). The theoretical referential approaches issues related to the definitions and the historic of the free software, the resistance to information systems and the change resistance. The idea is to look for the fundamentals to support the researchers understanding of the situations observed in the field. The data found at this research was analyzed using a meta-frame, which has as the main point the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Information Technology, developed by Venkatesh et al. (2003). Also, to complete this meta-frame, were used the Technology Acceptance Model, proposed by Davis (1989), and Interaction¿s Model of system and context of Use, developed by Markus (1983). The researche¿s result has been gotten by the analysis of documentation, interviews, questionnaires, direct observation and participant observation, that made possible the obtaining of valuable group of data on the researched subject. The result of this research allow the establishment of subsidies for the planning and development of project of proprietors¿ softwares migration for free softwares. / Atualmente, o software livre tem se apresentado como uma alternativa à estrutura de aquisição de licenças de softwares proprietários, sendo adotado por um número cada vez maior de empresas. O presente estudo apresenta a análise, através de um estudo de caso, de um projeto de migração de softwares proprietários para plataformas livres. Buscou-se identificar fatores determinantes de sucesso na adoção de softwares livres por empresas privadas. Para tal, foi utilizada a metodologia de estudo de caso único, apresentada por Yin (2005). O referencial teórico aborda questões relacionadas com as definições e o histórico dos softwares livres, resistência e sistemas de informação e resistência a mudanças, buscando levantar uma base teórica para auxiliar o pesquisador no entendimento dos fatores observados em campo. A pesquisa utilizou um meta-frame para análise dos dados levantados. Este meta-frame possui como ponto central o Modelo Unificado de Aceitação e Uso de Tecnologia da Informação, desenvolvido por Venkatesh et al. (2003). Completam este meta-frame o Modelo de Aceitação da Tecnologia, proposto por Davis (1989), e o Modelo da Interação Sistema Contexto de Uso, desenvolvido por Markus (1983). Os resultados da pesquisa foram obtidos através da análise de documentações, entrevistas, questionários, observações diretas e observações particulares, que possibilitaram a obtenção de um conjunto valioso de dados sobre o assunto pesquisado. As conclusões desta pesquisa permitem o estabelecimento de subsídios para o planejamento e desenvolvimento de um projeto de migração de softwares proprietários para softwares livres.

The aim of this study was to explore the role of feedback in managing resistance to organisational change. A general systems theoretical model of individual resistance to change was developed. It describes the origin, function and outcomes of individual resistance to planned organisational change. The role of feedback within this process was identified as a central one and feedback was therefore identified as an important point of leverage in managing resistance to change. The survey feedback approach was adopted in a retail organisation undergoing significant change. Staff were asked to respond to a survey on their experience of the change. Results were analysed and then fed back to them during group discussions. The process was repeated. It was concluded that the survey feedback approach significantly contributed to a reduction in resistance to change and that both survey feedback approach and the model of individual resistance to change merit further investigation. / Industrial Psychology / M.A. (Industrial Psychology)