Employee participation in organizational change : investigating the effects of proactive vs. reactive implementation of downsizing in Swedish hospitals

Whereas employee participation is generally conceived to facilitate implementation of organizational change, only limited research has investigated whether it may reduce the negative effects of downsizing. The present study compares two Swedish hospitals that implemented downsizing in different ways. While there were no major differences in stressors between hospitals, proactive implementation was associated with more employee participation. Moreover, employee participation variables were positively associated with employee work attitudes and well-being at both hospitals. These findings provide insights concerning the importance of a long-term strategic implementation of organizational change.