Exploring the implications of vision, appropriateness, and execution of organizational change

Purpose – The purpose of this paper was to examine the interaction effects of managers’ perceptions of the supporting vision clarity, appropriateness, and execution of a major organizational change on their job satisfaction, organizational commitment, turnover intentions, and role ambiguity. Design/methodology/approach – Data were collected from upper and middle-level managers of a Fortune 500 US manufacturer and maker of consumer goods involved in a large organizational change initiative. A survey was completed by 217 managers, for a response rate of 89 percent. Change attitudes, job satisfaction, organizational commitment, turnover intentions, role ambiguity, and control variables were all assessed. Findings – A three-way interaction between change vision clarity, change appropriateness, and change execution was found to predict managers’ job satisfaction, turnover intentions, and role ambiguity. Research limitations/implications – The study relied on self-reports collected at one point in time, allowing for the possibility of common method bias. The complex, nonlinear relationships indicate that method bias cannot fully account for the reported relationships. Practical implications – Study results illustrate that the individual experience of major change is multifaceted and that simultaneously considering the combined effects of individual’s change attitudes including readiness (in the form of believing a change is needed and appropriate) and the perceived effectiveness of the change execution on key job-related outcomes can help practitioners understand more fully the implications of organizational change. Originality/value – The findings lend support to the notion that individual’s sentiments concerning organizational change are interactive and should not be ignored.