Research has shown that social pressure is related to treatment motivation and plays an important role in treatment engagement in adults with problematic substance use. Despite the shifts in autonomy and decision-making in emerging adulthood, the factors affecting treatment motivation (e.g., readiness to comply with treatment) and motivation to change (e.g., problem recognition and taking steps towards change) during this period have been largely ignored. In this study, 134 youth presenting to an outpatient substance abuse program completed questionnaires investigating substance use history, mental health, social pressure to reduce use and enter treatment, and motivation. Results indicated that peer pressure accounted for significant variance in internal positive and internal negative treatment motivation. Family pressure was related only to external treatment motivation. Neither social network source had a significant impact on motivation to change. Limitations, directions for future research and treatment implications are discussed.

Globalization, new technologies, culture shifts are some of the factors contributing to the fast-moving environment where organizations develop their activities. As a consequence, organizations have to change more frequently in response to the environment. The ability to manage change effectively has become crucial. However, recent research shows that 2 out of 3 change initiatives fail. Resistance to change is often cited as a main factor contributing to these failures. Based on that we decided to analyze the concept of resistance, its sources and what can be done to cope with it. After reviewing the literature we found that most researchers consider it as an obstacle; however, we also found that resistance can offer benefits to the change process, such as addressing possible weaknesses or serving as a source of innovation. We described a model to diagnose resistance based on the equity theory with an empirical illustration included. In addition, to manage resistance properly we found that communication and participation are two methods that target numerous sources of resistance and make possible to harness its benefits. Finally, we described the attributes of transformational leaders linking them to a specific example of the sports field to show the effective role that this leadership style has in terms of bringing changes to organizations and managing resistance.

This study aims to understand, describe, and analyze the factors that lead employees resist organizational change efforts. More specifically, by locating various types of roots and symptoms of resistance, we have developed a framework which managers or individuals, who plan to initiate a change program, can use to manage resistance and to benefit, if exist, from the constructive value of resistant behaviors of employees. Findings are drawn from the reinterpretation of two case studies which were conducted on the area. While the first one involves introduction of activity-based costing system in a Portuguese telecommunications company, second one analyzes implementation of a new management program, called BATON, in a university funded research organization. By relying on these case studies, existing models and concepts related to resistance were tested, reinterpreted and an alternative framework to manage resistance is developed. As a result of the study, it is found that despite the amount of theoretical concepts and tools, there is still an important deficiency in terms of resistance management, and managers usually tend to employ pre-set methods to overcome resistance in change management. Findings of the thesis provide those who plan to start and implement change programs with a comprehensive framework to locate, understand and analyze resistance and to take appropriate managerial actions in organizational change efforts.

Purpose – The purpose is to explain the relationship between communication and employee perceptions during organizational mergers. It will furthermore enhance the knowledge about effective organizational communication which should be able to ensure support and to deal with resistance. The study will be based on the actual merger between Växjö University and University of Kalmar in Sweden. Methodology – A comparative study is chosen as general research orientation. The employed methodology will be of a deductive and quantitative nature. Empirical data for this study will be collected through an online survey which is distributed among the employees of both Växjö University and University of Kalmar. Findings – Early information and communication seem to have an influence on the general attitude toward a merger but not on the general interest. Employees distinguish communication devises according to their quality. Appealing reasons induce positive effects on the employee’s opinion about the merger. Communication efforts were not able to visibly reduce resistance in the particular merger of Linnéuniversitet. Research limitations – The major limitation of this study lies in the limited amount of participants which makes it difficult to deduce concrete and general results and to formulate recommendations. A further methodological limitation lies in the used one point in time measurement. Recommendations and Conclusion – The focus of communication should rely on the quality of information and not on sheer quantity. Positive quality-related reasons should be emphasized during communication about mergers while still recognizing less favorable reasons. Mutual discussion should be provided so that constructive feedback can be obtained. / A

The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between teachers&rsquo / sense of efficacy in student engagement, instructional strategies, and classroom management and perceived openness to change in schools as regards willingness of the teachers to embrace change and teachers&rsquo / perception related to principal&rsquo / s openness to change, and teachers&rsquo / willingness to respond to community pressure for change. The research was designed as a correlational study and participants of the study consisted of 552 teachers working at primary and secondary level public schools selected from the four school districts in Ankara. Cluster sampling approach was used in selecting the overall sample of the study. In order to measure teachers&rsquo / sense of efficacy and their perceived openness to change in schools, Turkish adaptation of Teachers&rsquo / Sense of Efficacy Scale (TSES) and newly adapted The Faculty Change Orientation Scale (FCOS) were utilized in the research as data gathering instruments, as well as the administration of a demographic survey. For the data analysis, both descriptive and inferential statistics techniques (Canonical Correlation Analysis) were used in the study. Exploratory Factor Analysis was also performed for Faculty Change Orientation Scale and Teachers&rsquo / Sense of Efficacy Scale to ensure construct validity of the instruments. The results of the analyses in the study indicated that there is a low relationship between teachers&rsquo / sense of efficacy in student engagement, instructional strategies, and classroom management and perceived openness to change in schools as regards teachers&rsquo / willingness for change, teachers&rsquo / perception about principal&rsquo / s openness to change and teachers&rsquo / willingness to respond community pressure for change.

Recent research has urged more comprehensive theoretical development and empirical validation in the field of organizational change. This study is aimed at further developing the change leadership construct and investigating its effect on employees¡¯ commitment to a particular change, along with investigating the moderating roles of leaders¡¯ general transformational leadership styles and subordinates¡¯ affective commitment to the larger organization. The results for the change leadership measure suggest that change leadership behaviors encompass two factors¡ªleaders¡¯ change-selling behavior and change- implementing behavior. Hierarchical linear modeling results indicate that the two aspects of change leadership have different effects on employees¡¯ affective commitment to change. Results on the three-way interaction also provided a more comprehensive view of organizational change situations. Additional theoretical and empirical implications are discussed.

<p>Abstract</p><p>Problem: This thesis was made by a commission from Svensk Logistikanalys AB (SLA). SLA is a relatively new firm who is working as a freight broker for firms that wants to lower their freight costs. SLA contacted Jönköpings international business school because they experienced a problem with too many firms, that had SLA’s concept introduced to them, but turned down their services. On the basis of this, following purpose of the report has been stated.</p><p>Purpose: In this thesis we will study companies that have said no to the services of SLA. The purpose is to find and understand the factors that make them say no to the services.</p><p>Method: In order to investigate factors that influence potential customer to SLA we interviewed six firms to whom SLA had introduce their concept to, but after a negotiation turned them down. The interviews have been well documented with help from a tape recorder, so there would be no loss of important details. The interviews was then reviewed and compared with the theory and our own opinions of the content of the interviews.</p><p>Analysis: The analysis is divided into three topics; contact with customers, relations and resistance to change. When analyzing these topics we have gone through all the firms’ topic by topic and this led us to several conclusions.</p><p>Conclusion: We have found several causes which has influenced SLA’s potential customer to reject SLA’s concept. Something that is common for all the firms are that time of delivery is very important and the uncertainty with introducing a new transportation company influences their decisions. Another cause is the resistance to change that arises when introducing a new transportation company. We also found some skepticism about the savings promised by SLA.</p> / <p>Sammanfattning</p><p>Problem: Denna uppsats är gjord på uppdrag av Svensk Logistikanalys AB (SLA). SLA är ett relativt nystartat företag som arbetar som fraktmäklare åt företag som vill minska sina fraktkostnader. De kontaktade högskolan eftersom de upplevde att de hade problem med att för många företag, som fick deras koncept presenterat för sig, tackade nej till deras tjänster. Utifrån detta arbetades följande syfte med uppsatsen fram:</p><p>Syfte: I denna uppsats kommer vi studera företag som tackat nej till SLA:s tjänster. Syftet är att finna och förstå de faktorer som gör att de tackar nej till tjänsterna.</p><p>Metod: För att undersöka vad som påverkat potentiella kunder till SLA har vi genomfört intervjuer med sex stycken företag som SLA har presenterat sitt koncept för men som efter förhandling inte har köpt deras tjänster. Intervjuerna har noga dokumenterats med hjälp av en bandspelare för att inte missa några viktiga detaljer i intervjuerna. Intervjuerna har därefter granskats och jämförts med den teori som studerats och våra egna uppfattningar av intervjuernas innebörd.</p><p>Analys: Analysen är uppdelad i tre områden; kontakt med kunden, relationer samt motstånd till förändring. Vid analys av dessa områden så har vi gått igenom alla företagen område för område vilket har utmynnat till flera slutsatser.</p><p>Slutsats: Vi har funnit flera orsaker till vad som har påverkat SLA:s potentiella kunder till att de tackar nej. Något som är gemensamt för alla företagen är att leveranssäkerheten är av största vikt, och att osäkerheten med att införa en ny transportör påverkar deras beslut. En annan orsak är att den förändring som uppstår vid införandet av en ny transportör är jobbig samt skapar motstånd hos dem som jobbar närmast transportören. Vi har även funnit en viss skepsis hos företagen till SLA:s lovade besparing vid upphandlingstjänsten.</p>

<p><strong>Purpose – </strong>The purpose is to explain the relationship between communication and employee perceptions during organizational mergers. It will furthermore enhance the knowledge about effective organizational communication which should be able to ensure support and to deal with resistance. The study will be based on the actual merger between Växjö University and University of Kalmar in Sweden.<strong></strong></p><p><strong>Methodology – </strong>A comparative study is chosen as general research orientation. The employed methodology will be of a deductive and quantitative nature. Empirical data for this study will be collected through an online survey which is distributed among the employees of both Växjö University and University of Kalmar.</p><p><strong>Findings – </strong>Early information and communication seem to have an influence on the general attitude toward a merger but not on the general interest. Employees distinguish communication devises according to their quality. Appealing reasons induce positive effects on the employee’s opinion about the merger. Communication efforts were not able to visibly reduce resistance in the particular merger of Linnéuniversitet.</p><p><strong>Research limitations – </strong>The major limitation of this study lies in the limited amount of participants which makes it difficult to deduce concrete and general results and to formulate recommendations. A further methodological limitation lies in the used one point in time measurement.</p><p><strong>Recommendations and Conclusion – </strong>The focus of communication should rely on the quality of information and not on sheer quantity. Positive quality-related reasons should be emphasized during communication about mergers while still recognizing less favorable reasons. Mutual discussion should be provided so that constructive feedback can be obtained.</p> / A

Adapting to change in a constantly changing environment is a challenge that organisations face on a daily basis. In order to stay competitive globally, the management of resistance to change becomes crucial. Research done on leadership reveals the very strong effect that leaders have on followers’ behaviours and attitudes and it is emphasized the role leadership plays in the implementation and supporting of change. The purpose of this dissertation is to determine whether a relationship between leadership and resistance to change exist within the higher education sector. The study obtains data of 75 participants within the faculty of engineering. The survey was done by means of a questionnaire. The statistical analyses included frequency analysis, descriptive statistics, reliability analysis, correlations, independent t-tests, Mann-Whitney tests, ANOVAs and Kruskal-Wallis tests. Results indicated that employees’ reactions toward change could be influenced by the type of leadership style present in the organisation, therefore it is necessary that the correct leadership style within an organisation cannot be underestimated. It could mean the difference between success and failure. For the purpose of this study, the researcher considered the scales of the Resistance to Change questionnaire sufficiently reliable, but further exploration of the scales and its adaptation to this context may be needed in future to enhance reliability measures. An important insight of this research is that, to be more effective in creating and supporting change within organisations, managers need to learn to recognise and understand resistance within them as well as in others. This research contributes to the already vast content of research on leadership and resistance to change and does so by being focused on studying these constructs under a unique set of circumstances. / Thesis (MBA)--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2013

Adapting to change in a constantly changing environment is a challenge that organisations face on a daily basis. In order to stay competitive globally, the management of resistance to change becomes crucial. Research done on leadership reveals the very strong effect that leaders have on followers’ behaviours and attitudes and it is emphasized the role leadership plays in the implementation and supporting of change. The purpose of this dissertation is to determine whether a relationship between leadership and resistance to change exist within the higher education sector. The study obtains data of 75 participants within the faculty of engineering. The survey was done by means of a questionnaire. The statistical analyses included frequency analysis, descriptive statistics, reliability analysis, correlations, independent t-tests, Mann-Whitney tests, ANOVAs and Kruskal-Wallis tests. Results indicated that employees’ reactions toward change could be influenced by the type of leadership style present in the organisation, therefore it is necessary that the correct leadership style within an organisation cannot be underestimated. It could mean the difference between success and failure. For the purpose of this study, the researcher considered the scales of the Resistance to Change questionnaire sufficiently reliable, but further exploration of the scales and its adaptation to this context may be needed in future to enhance reliability measures. An important insight of this research is that, to be more effective in creating and supporting change within organisations, managers need to learn to recognise and understand resistance within them as well as in others. This research contributes to the already vast content of research on leadership and resistance to change and does so by being focused on studying these constructs under a unique set of circumstances. / Thesis (MBA)--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2013