Literature Review (Paraphrasing)

Running Head: UNDERSTANDING ORGANIZATIONAL CHANGE: AN EMPLOYEE PERSPECTIVE

UNDERSTANDING ORGANIZATIONAL CHANGE: AN EMPLOYEE PERSPECTIVE 20

Literature Review

Introduction

Change in business is inevitable. Whether dictated by circumstances or planned for business growth, change is always difficult to manage. The implementation of change is made difficult by a number of organizational, logistic and HR management challenges. Change management strategies are therefore needed if the company were to implement change effectively. Without these strategies, the implementation of change could lead to reverse effects on business performance. Organizational change management is “the discipline that guides how we prepare, equip and support individuals to successfully adopt change in order to drive organizational success and outcomes” (Cummings et al, 2016). It involves reviewing as well as modifying the management structures and the whole process of the business. In a rapidly changing world organizational change is essential for business survival (Gibson & Rodgetts, 2013).

Organizations grow and evolve, and through all these processes, it experiences changes. However, the implementation of the changes can be problematic for some organization especially if the unsuitable techniques are used. Development of efficient means of introducing as well as implementing changes can make it easier for the organization to overcome the stress that is being felt by the employees when the change is introduced (Cummings et al, 2016). Effective implementation of the changes reduces the issues of resistance by the employees on some of the suggested changes (Will, 2015). Reduction of stress is also important for clients, and the business partners. It enables them to adjust to any changes in the manner in which business is being operated. One of the ways through which the implementation of the changes can be successful is through making the employees feel like they are the owners of that particular organization (Spector, 2013). Including the employees on the board that is responsible for the changes in the organization enables them to make the internal smooth transition and assists the customers and the vendors in adjusting to the changes (Spector, 2013). Allowing employees to think like entrepreneurs through letting them know how they significantly influenced the implementation of the changes in the organization is vital in improving the profitability.

Understanding Change Management

Good change implementation starts with mapping. If the organization leaves too much to the staff's imagination regarding the changes, then this leads to the creation of misinformation thus making the changes difficult to implement (Will, 2015). According to the Kotter step change model, employees have to be provided with details of what changes are and how it is likely to affect the organization (Kotter, 2016). An attempt to make drastic changes without giving information to the employees about the nature of the changes is likely to lead to confusion. It is therefore necessary to tell employees about what is happening to make them aware of what to expect.

Change implementation should occur in stages. The organization must develop a sense of urgency that will make change a necessity (Will, 2015). This is followed by the development of the solution which must be tried first before use. A team of employees can be created to test these solutions to see if there are any errors caused by that particular change (Spector, 2013). When there are errors, some modification is needed to this this solution which is then integrated into the organization. This is important because it gives the workers the opportunity to become familiar with the changes being made. Employees would be able to adjust to these changes on a gradual basis (Spector, 2013).

The implementation of the change can also be accomplished through involving every person. The entire company: managers and employees should be involved. Despite the fact that some of the staffs might not be directly involved in the change process, their support is essential to promote a culture of change. A united team of management that supports an initiative makes it easier for other employees to accept the proposed change (Cummings et al, 2016).

Studying the importance of the organizational changes is important to promote a culture of change. Changes in the organization are important because the global businesses continue to evolve. This implies that every organization must look into ways of adapting to and meeting the growing business demands and technological advances (Cummings et al, 2016). Changes in the organization enable firms to compete with other organization in the global market. Studying the organizational change is important in helping the already existing firms to look into ways of meeting the demands of the customers as well as surpass their competitors regarding methods of running the businesses (Will, 2015).

Many traditional firms are starting to accept the changes in the growing and emerging competitive markets. Strategically, the management of the organizational change is vital towards the implementation of the newly developed programs and initiatives (Ford, 2009). It is also essential for the ultimate achievement of the organization success. Most of the efforts of the organizations to implement change are failing at a high rate. The reason for this failure is because these suggested initiatives do not consider how changes affect people within an organization (Ford, 2009). To achieve change, it is the job of leaders to identify the need for change as well as communicate these changes throughout the organizations (Ford, 2009).

Organizations which are slow towards changes are likely to be in trouble. With the current growing competition amongst companies, there is a need to embrace change because it enables firms to maintain their competitive edge and be able to meet the demands of the increasing number of customers. Learning of the organizational changes enables firms to adopt new technologies that meet the needs of the clients (Cummings et al, 2016).

As cultural values shift, the introduction of technology has the potential of changing the traditional cultural behavior such as free communication. Cunnigham et al (2012) state that the change management is always capable of limiting access to technology and communication as a way of controlling the hierarchy of power within an organization (Cunnngham et al., 2012). In Saudi Arabia, there are firms which still rely on the traditional methods of communication and do not embrace the technological advancement (Cunnngham et al., 2012). Most of the organizations have no desire to use the technologies that are related to the internet. Therefore, the most preferred method of interaction is face to face.

According to Burke and Litwin, the new scientific knowledge and technological developments are resulting in a significant change in the business filed (Burke & Litwin, 2013). The large-scale information like enterprise resource planning system, customer relationship management, and the supply chain management systems are amongst the information technology being driven by the technological changes (Burke & Litwin, 2013). There are three types of information technology that can assist the leaders in understanding the technologies and the ways to maximize the returns of these techniques. These include the function information technology (FIT) which is consisting of technologies that facilitate the execution of standalone tasks. Next, the Network Information Technology which offers resources like email, instant messaging, and the blogs. The third one is the enterprise's information technology (EIT) which is used by the organization to approve the restructuring interactions amongst a group of workers (Burke & Litwin, 2013). There are several changes which are being undertaken by several organizations because of the new emerging technologies. Change as a result of technology tends to increase the productivity as well as Technology service of the agencies. Today, the growing communication technology is a representation that changes enable firms to discover more rapidly than ever before.

Another reason to study organizational change is that it informs the organization about the demands of the customers (Burke & Litwin, 2013). As the world continues to evolve, the needs of the customer's grow. This leads to the creation of the new demands for the new categories of products as well as services (Will, 2016). The development of the new ideas through organizational change offers an opportunity to many organizations to fulfill the needs of the customers. According to Merlo, agencies have more and more involved their client in most of their processes this has led to the inclusion of customer participation which is connected to the actions as well as the resources being provided by the clients when they become implicated in the firms' processes (Merlo, Fisingerich, & Auh, 2012).

Customers' participation is a conception that originated from the services marketing literature. According to Fang, customer participation can shape and provoke the evolution of the organizations' business model (Fang, 2013). Customer participation influences the quality of the services production process as well as the outcome which will at the end of the changes improve the service production and outcome of the organization. Customer participation also influences the new product development and the innovative processes (Fang, 2013).

Economic theories of business strategies often put more emphasis on the importance of commitment in change management. According to Waddell & Sohal, commitment to a particular approach enables an organization to coordinate the efforts of the employees and thus making them operate efficiently (Waddell & Sohal, 2015). Employees always have incentives to organize and to take part in the strategic investment. The economy can affect the organization negatively or positively, and both can be associated with stress. A stronger economy with an increase in demand for the products and services will simply imply that the organizations must consider change within the organization that might include the addition of staffs and the facilities (Waddell & Sohal, 2015). When changes like this are undertaken, more opportunities become available for the team as well as representing new changes. Weak economy leads to problems as most of the firms would find it necessary to come up hard decisions that can affect salaries of the employees and the benefits thus threatening their jobs (Waddell & Sohal, 2015). Studies on the organizational change enables firms to get more opportunities to successfully implement change and enlightens future research. The organizational change enables the employees to learn innovative skills, investigate the new opportunities as well as exercise their inventiveness in various ways (Waddell & Sohal, 2015). This will, in the end, benefit the organization, through an increase in the new ideas and commitment. Organizations prepare the employees for how to handle these new ideas. The process of employees' preparation involves the analysis of the tools and the training that is needed to assist them in learning the new skills. Training can take place in classrooms or through online learning opportunities (Waddell & Sohal, 2015). The organization can evaluate its employee's abilities in efficiently performing their tasks so that the gaps can be filled with the current skills and the skills required to meet the demand of the growth (Will, 2016).

The organization usually benefits from the changes that lead to new methods of looking at the needs of the customers. It also results to change in the manner in which the organization delivers services to the customer; new means of strengthening the interactions of the clients; and the innovative products that can catch the attention of new markets (Ford, 2009). New employees within an organization are necessary because they might be resourceful regarding having the ideas on the areas of opportunities for the growth of the organization in comparison to the long-serving employees of the organization (Waddell & Sohal, 2015). The current workers should also be put into the task by asking them why certain things are done in a particular way as well as make them look for new ways of getting the task done quicker, better, and with high levels of quality and services (Waddell & Sohal, 2015). This is likely to draw their attention to the need to change.

Overview of the Literature

Most of the studies on the organizational changes in Saudi Arabia have adopted a macro outlook while putting much focus on the strategic concerns from the perception of the organization as well as its management. Some studies have been focusing on change planning, the importance of change management, the methods, and the role of leadership in the change management. However, few studies have placed significant emphasis on the individual and more particularly on the role of the workers and their responses towards the change in the organization. Employees are an essential part of the organization and the success of any change depends on how much they adjust to it.

Employees play a significant role towards bringing changes within an organization. Their resistance is a blow towards the implementation of the changes that have been drafted by the management of the agencies (Waddell & Sohal, 2015). Resistance from the employees should not be treated as an obstacle that needs to be overcome, but the management should consider it as a valuable source of knowledge and critique of the change program (Ford, 2009). Over the past years, the focus of the corporate change has been on the structural aspects of the organizations and this has systematically changed because of the fact that there has been a neglection of the certainty that change does not occur exclusive of individual without individual changing their thoughts, attitudes, and their behaviors (Kotter & Schlesinger, 2016).

In Saudi Arabia, there are different barriers to effective implementation of the strategic organizational; changes. These restrictions include devotion to the status quo by specific individual groups (Will, 2013). According to Szamosa and Duxbury, change management forms an integral part of life and parcel of the organization (Szamosi & Duxubury, 2013). Change in the organization is sometimes constant. There are firms that face stiff competitions from the emerging organizations and other large companies. These firms, therefore, have to manage their change efficiently to hold their competitive advantages up both nationally and internationally. According to Lozano, organizations that effectively manage their changes have significant advantages over their competitors (Lozano, Nummert, & Cculemans, 2016).

Resistance towards changes consists of the behaviors being acted out by the change recipients, i.e., the employees to slow down or even terminate on the intended organizational change (Waddell & Sohal, 2015). Resistance from the employees prevents effective planning thus it is a barrier to the organizational change. According to Andriopoulos and Dawson, resistance to change by the employees comes as result of psychological effects. This effect might be as the result of the managers failing to include employees in the decision-making processes towards the changes in the organization (Andriopoulos & Dawson, 2014). Therefore, this implies that the success or failure of the suggested organizational change program lies in the hands of the good management of the organization's members.

Resistance is a significant concept that has to be considered during the organizational change program. It is just a reaction towards the change initiatives which should be considered as a normal thing which can be managed efficiently. According to Graetz et al., despite the fact that the meaning of resistance is precise (Graetz, Lawrence, Rimmer, & Smith, 2012), however, its translation is sometimes unclear. Therefore, it can involve a broad range of behaviors which includes refusing to participate in a joint problem solving, refusing to seek common ground, silencing of the advocates for change, sabotage, and the use of the sanctions in addition to lack of being cooperative (Graetz, Lawrence, Rimmer, & Smith, 2012).

In their study, Robbins and Judge indicated that even if the employees are provided with the evidence that shows that things are not normal in the organization and change is needed, they can sometimes end up latching onto the data that shows that everything is reasonable and the organization does not need any changes (Robbins, Judge, Odendaal, & Roodt, 2012). Usually, change initiatives purposely meant to bring some form of a positive outcome to the organization; however, some employees are so used to the manner in which things are being done in the firm that any slight change is likely to cause displeasure and be problematic to them (Graetz, Lawrence, Rimmer, & Smith, 2012). Robbins and Judge further noted that organizations are naturally resisting changes (Robbins, Judge, Odendaal, & Roodt, 2012). Employees feel that they are being moved from a familiar and a comfortable place to the unknown.

Therefore, employees feel frustrated and stressed and due to the fear and stress caused by the unknown they resist change. Usually, there are different people in the organization. There are those who are ready to embrace change and other people who do not want to hear anything to do with changes. Most of the organizations view this behavior as a huge obstacle towards the achievement of the positive outcome. Nevertheless, change managers use this resistance threat positively to benefit the organization. Resistance informs them that there are some concerns and this leads to the opening up of room for discussion (Graetz, Lawrence, Rimmer, & Smith, 2012).

In his research, Yue revealed that the most significant challenge regarding the implementation of the organizational change is the response to the changes and how to manage these responses (Yue, 2013). Changes create anxiety, uncertainty, and stress in the organization. Robbins and Judge divided sources of resistance in the organization into two parts, i.e., the individual sources and the organizational sources. Individuals with high need for security are highly probable to resist against the changes since they feel it is a threat to their safety. Changes in the job tasks cause economic fears especially when people feel that they are highly likely to fail in their new duties when payment is based on the productivity. Fear of the unknown, disturbance to the social framework, lowering of the status, and creation of uncertainties lead to resistance from the employees.

According to Graetz et al., resistance to change can be due to psychological concept whereby employees naturally challenge any change in the organization (Graetz, Lawrence, Rimmer, & Smith, 2012). Resistance is also a system whereby the employees become uncomfortable with the process of changes that might likely to affect them directly. Employees might also resist changes that are interfering with their beliefs and attitudes (organizational culture). There can also be resistance from the employees are a result of the institution whereby the entire employees resist the changes when they think that it is not necessary (Graetz, Lawrence, Rimmer, & Smith, 2012).

The degree of transformation is influenced by the needs of the organization. In this regard, some organizations are likely to embrace the transformational change, and as this is done, there must be adequate processes and practices to control the changes (Graetz, Lawrence, Rimmer, & Smith, 2012). Maintenance of the lasting changes is not an easy task because most of the organizations consist of more than one culture. This, therefore, makes the process of making changes to be a difficult task. For the organization to have a long-term change, it is essential to make every effort to transform the manners, rituals, rites, and the values of the persons within the organization (Graetz, Lawrence, Rimmer, & Smith, 2012).

The process of change implementation, as well as management, can sometimes be disorganized and confusing thus making the process not to be similar to “well-oiled machines” as it is always illustrated in the literature (Graetz, Lawrence, Rimmer, & Smith, 2012). The organization can be dinosaurs because of it sometimes burdensome, deliberate to become accustomed to and is still likely to be affected by the extinction. He also stated that some firms are destined to collapse. Thus, for this collapse to be prevented, it is the responsibility of the organizational management to be precise concerning the reasons for the change to happen, what is in the firm that needs change, the methods to be applied to come up with long-standing change, and means of handling the shortcomings that the shift and the non-change can bring (Cummings et al, 2016).

Kotter & Schlesinger (2016), state that there are few cases where change management process has been successful, and this has resulted in wastage of resources and burning out; scared as well as frustrated workers within the organization. Some errors are present within the organizations and are the key contributors towards the fall of change management process. These errors include: permitting excessively excellent deal self-satisfaction within the organization; failing to develop clear as well as high guiding principles; existence of controlled visions in terms of the future plans; absence of communication among the staffs; failing to handle problems immediately after they have occurred because of too much focus on the lasting gains and the expenses of the temporary benefits; acknowledgement of the change success more rapidly that it is accomplished; and failing to decisively support change in the shared culture of the firm (Kotter & Schlesinger, 2016).

Based on the suggested errors above, Kotter & Schlesinger put forward some of the remedies towards these mistakes or on how they can be avoided. The maintain that there should be effective implementation of the management change practices and strategies; there should be re-engineering within the shortest time possible for the change to become useful in terms of cost as well as be aligned with the changes; there should be downsizing within a restricted and cost-saving, and there should be careful selection of the organizations' programs to help in achieving the desired end outcomes (Kotter & Schlesinger, 2016).

Krclts (2015) argue that people, work, informal organizational arrangement, and the formal organizational arrangement are the four components of the organizational change. According to him, people are the employees' behavior, knowledge, skills, perception, expectations, and the needs that are being brought into the firm. The operation, in this case, is the fundamental and natural tasks that are being carried out within the organization together with its departments. It includes the activities performed in the organization most those which targets at meeting the strategies that are set in place (Krclts, 2015).

According to Krctlz, for the organization to succeed in change management, the belief that firms are merely concerning issues related to tasks must be considered. Instead, more concentration has to be put on the range of plan and the unorganized arrangements that are under the influence of the individuals acting upon them, i.e., the employee (Krctlz, 2015). Organizations as entities are the complex beings, and for it to be understood, it does not merely mean having a view on a single way. Organizations are rational decision makers as well as the unreasonable creatures of habit. Humans are also random products of inner politics and authority (Krctlz, 2015). Therefore, to prevent adverse consequences associated with the change management, workers, and the organizational system must not be treated exclusively (Krctlz, 2015). Complexity layers, the sense of stuff that is past human control and out of control are merely the signs of human disappointment to understanding a profound authenticity of organizational life.

Employee resistance in change management

Implementing change in a company is usually a daunting procedure for managers. In most of the cases, change is met by resistance from employees. To be successful, change should not be imposed by managers. Employees need to feel that they are part of this change and that their interests are not threatened with this change. The question of how to implement change has been the subject of academic research since the 1940s. Kurt Lewin’s theory of behavioral change represents the first attempt at providing a theoretical background for organizational change. The model he provides is not only simple but practical. The essence of his model is that change cannot be implemented unless managers create the perception among employees that this change is needed. Lewin’s model is made up of three stages: unfreezing, moving and refreezing.

The model Lewin devised in the wake of WWII is still relevant in today’s business environment. It still forms the basis of many change processes today. The model involves three stages of change implementation: unfreezing, moving (sometimes referred to as changing) and refreezing. It provides a good theoretical framework to understand what change is and to put this theory into practice (Cummings et al, 2016). According to Lewin the success of the implementation process depends on the ability of managers to create an awareness among employees that change is needed (Spector, 2013). Once this awareness is established, moving towards change follows automatically. What exactly are the three stages of Lewin’s model and how can they be applied in practice?

The first stage is called the Unfreezing Stage. As its name indicates, unfreezing refers to the act of melting or shaking of the status quo. The essence of this process is to bring about the dissatisfaction of the employee with the current state of affairs. The unfreezing stage is important because without it change will be difficult to implement (Will, 2015). Unfreezing aims at easing solving the resistance of employees to change to make them realize that the status quo is not in their interests. Unfreezing can target anything from old behaviors, ways of thinking, human resources and organization structures (Cummings et al, 2016). By targeting these things, managers seek to make employees feel that change is not only inevitable but also timely. Because change cannot be imposed on employees, communication plays a central role in the unfreezing stage (Will, 2015). Through communication, employees get the chance to know more about change and become more supportive of it. The more they understand change, the more motivated they are to move towards it. Unfreezing is a good metaphor as it makes us imagine that the employees can’t move (change) because they are frozen. Unfreezing will make them walk again.

The second stage is the moving stage. After having successfully unfrozen the employees, the managers can now lead them to change. Moving is an essential part of change implementation in Lewin’s model. It is at this stage that change becomes a reality. Managers can finally see change taking place in front of their eyes. However, it is should be noted that this stage is very critical as everyone in the company will be struggling to adjust to the new business reality (Ford, 2009). Employees will try to learn and implement the new behaviors, processes and work standards (Spector, 2013). The success of this stage depends largely on the previous one. The more prepared employees are for moving, the smoother is this process (Will, 2015). Communication is again well-needed at this stage to help people assimilate to their new work environment. It would also be of help to remind the employees that this change is needed for their own interests (Ford, 2009).

Finally comes the refreezing stage. Lewin originally called stage “freezing” (Cummings, 2016). The term was later turned into refreezing by experts and academicians to refer to the stabilization of the new reality after change. It is when change is made into (refrozen) as the status quo. Lewin considers freezing to be the most vital stage in change implementation as it guarantees that people do not go back to their old behaviors (Ford, 2009). Managers have to make every possible effort to reinforce the new culture in the organization. Rewards and communication are good to maintain the new status quo.

Resistance as a complicated phenomenon since it introduces the unanticipated interruption, costs, and the instabilities into the process of strategizing the change. Even though few pieces of evidence are available to show the positive side effects of resistance, resistance can be used to test the obligation of those instigating the change (Waddell & Sohal, 2015). Resistance can be essential in weeding out the bad ideas that might have an impulsive response to the external agents. (Cummings et al, 2016). It can also offer a passage for the worker's emotions and energy in the times of extreme pressure.

However, resistance becomes harmful when it prevents the employee's adaptation to the change and the organizational progress (Waddell & Sohal, 2015). Techniques within an organization manifest itself in some ways. Few organizations have managed to overcome this resistance. The most effective tools that most of the of the organizational leaders use involve the understanding of the predictable, universal sources of the facility in every circumstance and then strategizing around those situations (Waddell & Sohal, 2015).

An example of employee resistance can be seen in the case of the Saudi Telecommunication Company. Saudi Arabia joined the World Trade Organization (WTO) in 2005. The effect of entering this trade union has caused this country to change some of its old ways of keeping with the competition with other world organizations. The foreign investment by Saudi Telecommunication Company created healthy competition that motivated other organization in Saudi Arabia to change, adapt, and thrive in the global markets (Waddell & Sohal, 2015).

The challenges faced by this organization is based on the fact that the world is changing every day and this cannot be overcome, and therefore, it has no exception most so after joining the World Trade Organization (WTO). STC has faced a lot of resistance regarding the implementation of the organization changes. This organization is facing a lot of resistance from its employees. There is ineffective management team; there is inadequate support from the top management employees; there is the absence of resources and planning; and the lack of communication (Jones, Hnery, & Hammad, 2017). All these act as obstacles towards the organization change management.

Most of the change resistance in this organization is revolving around the employees being comfortable with the status quo; changes which are forcefully being imposed on them; lack of clarity; a simultaneous occurrence of the changes; and fear of the future state (Jones, Hnery, & Hammad, 2017). It has negatively affected the Saudi Telecommunication Company because it has faced a reduction in its productivity and competitiveness; confusion within the organization; and the ineffective running of the organization.

Looking at the overview of this Saudi Telecommunication company, this organization has employees totaling to 17,000. The Saudi government owns 70 percent shares while the remaining 30 percent is owned by the private owners. This organization offers integrated services like fixed lines, phone services, internet status, as well as the multimedia services to over 160 million customers in Saudi Arabia and other international locations (EL Emary, Alsereihly, & Alyoubi, 2012). This company is considered to be that largest telecommunication company by the market capitalization.

Communication has also influenced the change in this organization. The common type of communication used is face to face. This kind of communication is also extended to business as many people prefer to use face to face communication as opposed to other types of communications like phones and emails which has been brought through the technological changes in some organizations. It is believed that this kind of communication enables the leaders to maintain their rapport with the team of employees, the building of trust, and having open communication (Jones, Hnery, & Hammad, 2017).

When operating in a negotiation setting through face to face method of communication, some workers become defensive and won’t be convinced. Even though this type of communication might be useful in some occasion, its use is becoming limited as the communication methods continue to advance. This type of communication cannot be relied on as some form of communication for example when communicating with the client who is far from the organization would require phone or email communication.

Another factor that causes resistance by the employees towards changes in the organization involves collectivism and individualism most of the managers in some units or departments of Saudi Telecommunication Company (Jones, Hnery, & Hammad, 2017). This behavior is affecting this organization as some of the employees may be feeling that the recommended changes at benefiting some few individuals rather than the whole organization. This individualism occurs when a manager comes up with individual decisions and limiting the inputs provided by the followers.

It is evident that commitment to change is an issue that Saudi Telecommunication Company faces in every time they propose a new change. Engagement is essential to the success of the organization towards implementing the changes (Kotter & Schlesinger, 2016). The innovational modifications need a commitment from the participant's employee included, and this is important for the successful enterprise's. Commitment by every participant leads to the success of the organizational change, and it is an important variable that should be regarded when it comes to the changes within an organization (Armenakis & Bedeidan, 2013).

Change management is an organized procedure of planning. Initiating, realizing, controlling, stabilizing and sustaining the new and enhanced operational activities at the organization and the individual level (Abbs, 2013). Saudi Telecommunication Company is one of the significant fastest growing firms in Saudi Arabia; change management is the primary factor that has to be considered for it to survive, grow and developed. Despite that fact that most of the academicians recommend an organizational change for the sufficient alignment with the changing business environment, the majority of the organizations which have tried this idea have failed. This is because of the resistance being encountered towards the changes in the way company's operations should be carried out. At Saudi Telecommunication firm, resistance is conceived to be a problematic factor which tends to impede the overall growth of this business.

When implementing change, leaders usually have to deal with a number of challenges including employee resistance. In order to achieve the desired results “resistance to change must be overcome; if this does not happen, the change management effort will not be successful” (Johannsdottir et al, 2015, p74). However, employee resistance is not the only thing that has to be handled when implementing change. Certain elements must be in place in an organization for change to take hold: including a functional and effective leadership structure, and a culture that promotes and rewards change

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