Irritated and Broody? Relationship Between the Characteristics of a Change Process and the Psychological Stress of Employees as Well as the Moderating Effect of Social Capital

The study examines which characteristics of a change process influence the psychological stress placed on employees (cognitive and emotional irritation) and to what extent these relationships are moderated by social factors. It considers the following characteristics of the change process: the extent and benefits of change processes for the work unit, the effects of the changes on one's own workplace, and the extent of participation. We interviewed employees whose organization was in the midst of a comprehensive, long-term change process (full survey, n = 219). The results show that certain characteristics of a change process significantly affect and irritate employees. Moderator analyses confirm, for example, that positively perceived leadership and a positive team climate can weaken the irritation among those employees for whom the change process has particularly major effects in their own workplace. Results also show that a positively perceived organizational culture can weaken the irritation of employees who consider the specific change process to be less useful.