Role of Sense-Making between Organizational Change and Change -Supportive Intentions in Contemporary Work Environments

Abstract

Organizational change has many influences and consequences but existing literature has left many gaps regarding change-supportive intentions as what those people intents about their work that face organizational change. This study is aimed at filling the gap and enhances the existing research of organizational change. A framework comprising of the social cognitive theory is developed and empirically tested using a time-lag research design. Data have been collected from 330 employees using convenient sampling (from public hospitals in Pakistan). The results indicate that change-supportive intentions does not occur because of the hypothesized precursor (organizational change) and that the underlying mechanisms (sense-making) delineated in this research positively and significantly affect intentions of employees. The added significance of the study is its relevance for practitioners with opportunities to manage the factors affecting organizational change and its relationship with employees’ outcomes through appropriate interventions to improve the outcomes. The current study have multiple implications including managerial, academic, economical and social implications. The present study would not only foster change supportive-intentions of an individual employee but it will also impact on increasing the satisfaction level in changing routines post COVID-19 that will ultimately lead towards a better society. When an organization will provide adaptability culture to its employees, it would ultimately lead them towards managing the organizational change occurring due to COVID-19. The study opens new roads of research for further research with regard to the study of organizational change and outcomes additionally with exploring moderator to strengthen the relationship between organizational change and employee related outcome.