Effects of Change Valence and Informational Assessments on Organizational Readiness for Change

Effects of Change Valence and Informational Assessment on Organizational Readiness for Change by James Edward Phillips MS, Swinburne University, 2004 BA, University of South Carolina, 1988 Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Management Walden University July 2017 Abstract Nearly two-thirds of organizational change initiatives are unsuccessful due to a lack ofNearly two-thirds of organizational change initiatives are unsuccessful due to a lack of high levels of change readiness prior to implementation of the change. A review of the literature supported the importance of establishing organizational readiness for change (ORC), but a gap remained in the empirical data and extant literature about whether presumed antecedents identified in ORC theory contribute to increased levels of ORC. The purpose of this study was to gather empirical data to address this question of whether change valence and informational assessment scores are associated with increased levels of organizational readiness for implementing change. The research design was quantitative and nonexperimental. Data were collected via online Likert-type survey from employees (n = 70) in an organization undergoing significant change. An analysis was performed using OLS regression and principal components analysis. The results showed that change valence and informational assessment were positively and significantly associated with increased organizational readiness for change score (β = 1.778, p < .001, and β = 1.392, p < .001, respectively), and that change commitment and efficacy loaded favorably in a principal components analysis of ORC score. The findings are significant to the field of management as they show how establishing increased levels of change valence and informational assessment may help positively influence employee participation and organizational change outcomes. The study is socially significant because it may illuminate differences in perception between employees and leadership regarding change and may contribute to greater inclusion of a broader array of employee perspectives, opinions, and experiences in the organizational change process. Effects of Change Valence and Informational Assessment on Organizational Readiness for Change by James Edward Phillips MS, Swinburne University, 2004 BA, University of South Carolina, 1988 Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Management Walden University July 2017 Dedication This dissertation and my doctoral degree are dedicated to the most important people in my life. To my wife, Celeste, thank you for all your sacrifice, support, and understanding. I could not have finished this without you. I love you so. To my daughter, Arabella, and my son, Samuel, work hard, chase your dreams, and always remember that you can do anything. To my Mother, I wish you had lived long enough to share in this. I miss you. Acknowledgments I would like to acknowledge those who have helped me along the journey to completing my doctoral dissertation. A very special thank you to my academic mentor and Dissertation Committee Chairman, Dr. Anthony Lolas. I could not have achieved this without his insightful guidance, tireless support, and unwavering encouragement over the past three years. I could not have asked for a better Chair. My sincerest thanks and appreciation to my Dissertation Committee Member, Dr. Thomas Spencer, for his invaluable advice and guidance, and for helping me make sure that my statistical analyses made sense. To Dr. Mohammad Sharifzadeh, my Dissertation URR, thank you. Your advice made me a better researcher and your guidance made my dissertation better. Special thanks to everyone in Walden’s various support offices for all the help they rendered along the way. Finally, I am forever grateful to Walden University’s leadership for their support of the CCSSO National Teacher of the Year Program. Without their generosity this highest of academic achievements would not have been possible.