A Phenomenological Study on Employee Tenure and Resistance to Organizational Change Initiatives

A Phenomenological Study on Employee Tenure and Resistance to Organizational Change Initiatives

Kory Kubiak | 2016

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to explore employee tenure and resistance to organizational change initiatives. Research has indicated that employees’ resistance to organizational change is abundant; however, further insight into the specific tenure of employees’ resistance to change is needed. In this qualitative phenomenological study design, I conducted interviews at two flagship organizations—Target and Wal-Mart—to better understand how specific employee tenure affects resistance to change. These interviews were conducted with eight participants in which saturation was achieved. I conducted four interviews with employees who had 1-5 years of service and four interviews with employees who had 10+ years of experience. After the interviews were finished, thematic text analysis began. Coding units emerged from the interview data. After the categorization of these codes, themes were developed. The findings revealed that short-tenured (1-5 years) employees are more adaptable to organizational change initiatives and have a positive comradery with their leaders. The findings also revealed that long-tenured (10+ years) employees are more resistant to organizational change initiatives and have a more negative comradery with their leaders. The results of this research contribute to the theoretical as well as practitioner literature on the phenomenon of resistance to organizational change. I examined and discussed the findings and proposed recommendations for future researchers.