Organizational Change and Employees’ Psychological Well-Being: The Mediatory Role of Resistance to Change

Abstract

This study analyzed the impact of transformational change and frequency of change, i.e. employees’ subjective experience to change, on employees’ psychological well-being. Contrary to most works on resistance to change, here resistance to change that consists of affective, behavioral and cognitive resistance were conceptualized as a critical mediator of relationships between employees’ subjective experience of change and employees’ psychological well-being. Data were taken with the help of questionnaires filled by 183 employees belonging to different organizations within Pakistan. Different statistical techniques such as descriptive statistics, confirmatory factor analysis, and structural equation modeling were used for analysis. Results showed a negative impact of transformational change and frequency of change on employees’ psychological well-being and prove that resistance to change acts as a mediator between these variables. The findings of the study have the potential of practical implications for managers and employees too. Practitioners need to understand the causes of resistance and work on reducing the resistance which resultantly increases employees’ psychological well-being.