A perception-based view of the employee : a study of employees' reactions to change

Drawing on several theoretical perspectives (e.g., individual motivation, behavioral decision-making, social exchange theories, organizational justice theories, social cognition, institutional theories and neoclassical economics theories) from different disciplines (e.g., organizational psychology, strategic management, and economics), this dissertation developed a perception-based approach to examine a possibility that employees' perceptions and/or attitudes will be associated with their decisions in an organizational setting. Specifically, this dissertation examined the effects of employees' perceptions and/or attitudes on their reactions to organizational change. This dissertation addressed two major research questions relevant to organizational change management, organizational behavior and applied psychology. First, it addressed a question of what perceptions and/or attitudes influence employees'resistance to change. Second, it addressed a question of what perceptions and/or attitudes influence employees' support for change? This was done by drawing on several theoretical perspectives and examining relationships between perception and/or attitude variables and resistance to change and support for change ...