Social and Organisational Psychology Research Group Seminar
Please come and join us for a research presentation by Dr Emina Subasic
WHEN: Tuesday 19th May, 12-1pm
WHERE: Keats Reading Room, Psychology Building, Callaghan (Video link to Ourimbah Science Offices Meeting Room)
WHAT: Research presentation by Dr Emina Subasic (School of Psychology, the University of Newcastle) entitled “Leading organisational change by giving us a voice: Implications for follower commitment to change, productivity and grievances”
ABSTRACT: Organisational change is ubiquitous, yet fraught with risks for organisations and their leadership. It is well established that those leading organisational change can boost support for their initiatives by enabling employees to have a say or voice their concerns as part of the change process. Only some of the views canvassed are ever implemented, however, while many are shelved indefinitely. We propose that this competitive process is not lost on followers. Rather, people are less likely to embrace change processes in which their views are canvassed without fundamentally affecting the nature of leaders’ decisions and actions. Further, it matters whether it is ‘our’ or ‘their’ idea that leaders have decided to adopt and materialise into standard practice. In line with this reasoning, I will present findings from field surveys that demonstrate that follower commitment to change stems from the view that leaders are willing to go beyond consulting to implement change that accommodates ‘our’ needs and concerns. Findings from laboratory experiments further show that people work harder and complain less when leaders implement a change initiative that (ostensibly) has been proposed by ‘us’ rather than ’them'. Interestingly, the experimental findings were observed despite participants working on an (objectively) identical task and following identical instructions. Implications for leading organisational change in multi-audience contexts will be discussed.
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