This paper studies participation as an essential component of the success of strategic change within an organization. Participation is widely believed to contribute to lower organizational resistance, qualitatively better strategic decisions and a great sense of psychological commitment to the change process (Lines, 2004).
There have been no conclusive scientific studies on the subject of participation and strategic organization change. The purpose of this study is to assess the outcome of participation during strategic change in an organization. This paper addresses this issue through a broad based study of the participation of managers in the strategic changes that took place in the telecommunication industry.
The study tested five hypotheses. The first hypothesis was there is a positive relationship between participation in strategy process and post change organizational commitment (Lines 2004, p.198). The second hypothesis stated that there is a negative relationship between participation and resistance towards change (Line, 2004, p.199). The third proposition stated that participation is positively related to the achievement of change objectives. The next supposition was that the effects of participation are negatively moderated by the compatibility of the change with the organizational culture (Lines, 2004, p. 199). The last premise for the study was that the effects of participation are negatively moderated by the change’s compatibility with the change recipients’ goals (Lines, 2004, p. 200).
The study sampled 241 managers from a company with 17000 employees (Lines, 2004). The questionnaire measured achievement, resistance, participation, change novelty, cultural compatibility and the veto power of the managers. The study found a beneficial relationship between participation, organization commitment and goal achievement. The conclusion of the study was that participation is influenced by organization culture and the compatibility of the changed being made to the personal goals of the participants.
The three most influential articles in the article scrutinized are Glew, O’ Leary, Griffin and Van Fleet (1995), Pasmore and Fagans (1992) and Skivington and Daft (1991). Glew et al (1995) as quoted in Lines, 2004) has been used exclusively to define participation which is a key variable in the study. Glew et al also provided insights into the outcomes of participation in an organization. The second article is by Pasmore and Fagans (1992) is a study about how people overcome dependence to become independent and capable of autonomous behavior. This article adds to the question of participation already defined by Glew et al. Lastly, Skivington and Daft. There study provides a framework and process for the conclusions made in the study.
Reference
Lines, R. (2004). Influence of participation in strategic change: resistance, organizational
commitment and change goal achievement. Journal Of Change Management, 4(3), 193-215. doi:10.1080/1469701042000221696
