Times of Turmoil: Short- and Long-Term Effects of Organizational Change on Newsroom Employees

Abstract

A period of major transformation is forcing news organizations to adapt and change. This study provides a longitudinal analysis of the effects of organizational changes and change-management efforts at CNN Headline News on newsroom employees' attitudes, morale, and likelihood of quitting their jobs. The study found that for newsroom managers, organizational change was a losing proposition, resulting in staff members' perception of greater unhappiness with their jobs. Newsroom employees were most negative about changes they thought hindered their ability to produce high-quality journalism, and change-management efforts had only limited impact on job satisfaction and commitment.