Employee Perspectives on Implementation Communication as Predictors of Perceptions of Success and Resistance

Abstract

This study examines employee experiences in communicating with implementers of planned change and the effects of those experiences on employees' perceptions of success and of resistance to planned changes. Results indicate that the higher the perceived value of their own input and of leaders' communication of vision, the higher their perceptions of success were, whereas higher degrees of involvement of lower level staff and perceived resistance militated against success. Further, the higher the evaluation of quality of implementation information, the less likely the employees were to perceive resistance to the change. Also, the more forced the nature of the implementation, the more likely the employees were to perceive resistance to the change. Mere frequency of communication (both in receiving information and providing input) was unrelated to employees' perceptions of success. Implications for implementers and future research directions are discussed.