A COGNITIVE-APPRAISAL BASED MODEL OF CHANGE RECIPIENTS’ BEHAVIORAL RESPONSES TO A MAJOR ORGANIZATIONAL CHANGE

Abstract

Organizations plan changes to mitigate problems, and to capitalize upon available opportunities in the market for sustainable development. Practically, it is necessary to bring these transformational changes from time to time to maintain the status quo in the market. In this study, a transformational change in terms of compliance regulations was studied in the commercial banks of Pakistan. To contribute towards the organizational change theory this research analysed how cognitive appraisal in terms of coping potential and person-organization goal fitness impacts change recipients’ behavioural responses over the passage of time. The research aims to study how workplace factors: transformational leadership, organizational identification, overall justice judgments, organizational trust, participation in change, and perceived organizational social support create an indirect effect on the behavioural responses of employees: change acceptance, change resistance, change proactiveness, and change disengagement via cognitive appraisal. This study employed hypothetical deductive research approach, in three waves of data collection with a final sample size of 184 (Sample size, Time 1=552, Time 2=252, and Time 3=184). The data were compiled in three waves to consider the development of cognitive appraisal process and the reflection of mature behaviours of employees the transformational change at hand. Data were collected through survey questionnaires from employees working in commercial banks of Pakistan. Hypotheses were tested through multiple regression analyses and mediation procedures in PROCESS Macro. Overall, the findings suggested that cognitive appraisal theory plays an critical role in characterizing the change recipients’ behavioural response circumplex with the maturity of change. It is found that P-O fit, and coping potential with change has a direct relationship with change recipients’ behavioural response circumplex. P-O fit (as primary cognitive appraisal) mediates the connection between organizational identification, and transformational leadership (factors that helps to decrease the psychological distance of change recipients and the transformational change at hand) with change recipients’ behavioural response circumplex. P O fit (as primary cognitive appraisal) mediates the relationship of organizational trust, and overall justice judgments (factors that helps to retain confidence on management about change implementation) with change recipients’ behavioural response circumplex. Coping potential with change (as secondary appraisal) mediates the relationship of perceived organizational social support, and participation in change (factors that helps to maintain a control over change) with change recipients’ behavioural response circumplex. This study provided empirical evidence to the practitioners about the process formation of change recipients’ behavioural responses towards transformational changes. These behaviours towards change emerged after the test of time through cognitive appraisal mechanism. Therefore, change agents can understand that these are the actual responses towards change rather a pre-dispositional behaviour towards any change. It would be helpful for change agents to foresee and rely on the potential long-term benefits of change from employees’ perspective. This research also sheds light on the degree of activation of behaviours, so managers should ponder upon the implicit and explicit nature of responses as well. Overall, this study unfolded a new perspective in change management studies through investigating behaviours, differentiated by their innate degree of activation, and valence.