Date
11-17-2022
Department
Graduate School of Business
Degree
Doctor of Business Administration (DBA)
Chair
Kimberly Johnson
Keywords
organizational change, job satisfaction, employee resistance, human resources, COVID-19
Disciplines
Business | Human Resources Management
Recommended Citation
Miles, Takeisha Shante, "Organizational Change in the Workplace during the COVID-19 Pandemic" (2022). Doctoral Dissertations and Projects. 3940.
https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/doctoral/3940
Abstract
Failed change initiatives continuously plagued organizations throughout time, mainly because of the complexities involving the response to change. Researchers studied to understand the cause and effect of failed change efforts. The type of change often notes as a precursor to the kind of response, while the resistance to change was a catalyst to the 70% rate of failed change initiatives (Burnes & Jackson, 2011; Maheshwari & Vohra, 2015). Organizational change initiatives become further complicated, involving a crisis. This qualitative multiple case study included the phenomenon of unsuccessful change proposals during a crisis, its implications on job satisfaction and employee resistance, and the human resources sector’s culpability in this matter. COVID-19, a recent global pandemic, was the crisis in this study. Disruptions in the food services sector were the industry of choice studied. The participants were 16 employees and managers of fast food and casual dining establishments in California, Virginia, and North Carolina who experienced the changes brought on by COVID-19. Data came from structured in-person and telephone interviews and field studies. The findings revealed multiple themes, including (a) fear-driven compliance, (b) change generates opportunities, exposes deficiencies, and alters the workplace, (c) people, stress, and communication impacts job satisfaction, (d) employee resistance, and (e) human resources management ambiguity. A key recommendation implored the human resource sector to increase its visibility and manage its involvement with change initiatives, especially during a crisis. The recommendation is further studies that include interviewing human resources personnel and exploring different business sectors impacted by COVID-19.
