Occupational Heterogeneity in Healthcare Workers’ Misgivings about Organizational Change

Abstract

Past research on organizational change has explored how workers embrace change in some scenarios, resist it in others, and in some cases, subtly circumvent change efforts by feigning conformity. What remains unclear is the role of occupations in explaining workers’ responses to change. Using survey data ( N = 226) and in-depth interviews with workers ( N = 33) in a neonatal intensive care unit as it transitioned from a multiple-occupancy ward design to single-patient rooms, this study examines occupational discrepancies in reactions to the change. Findings reveal that misgivings about the move vary considerably across groups and illustrate the enduring significance of occupational identity.