Article Type : Research Article
Authors : Biyikli F, and Fidan M
Keywords : Resistance to change; Intra-Organizational communication; Smart PLS 4.0; Structural equation modelling
Organizations are in a constant evolution
due to environmental changes. Although this change process is inevitable and
continuous, organizational employees generally view the change process
negatively and resist change. Many management scientists have conducted
important research to deal with resistance to change. Many of these studies
have concluded that communication is important in reducing resistance to change
and harmonizing change. This research examined the effect of
intra-organizational communication on resistance to change. This research is
conducted on academicians working in public universities in Turkey. The
research model was designed by grouping intra-organizational communication into
two subscales, horizontal and vertical communication, and resistance to change
into three subscales: scepticism, anxiety and acceptance. The designed research
model was tested with the Smart-PLS 4.0 structural equation model. As a result
of the research, all proposed hypotheses were accepted, and it was determined
that as organizational communication increased, resistance to change decreased.
In addition, it was concluded that the relationships between horizontal and
vertical communication styles with scepticism, acceptance and anxiety, which
are the sub-factors of resistance to change, are significant. It has been
concluded that, especially as vertical communication increases in
organizations, the anxiety and scepticism of academics increase; as horizontal
communication increases, anxiety and scepticism decrease and acceptance
increases.
The constant change brought about by our age is
significant for organizations. One of the most critical processes of this
process is to adapt to change organizationally. This change must occur and be
accepted in every department and unit of the organization to succeed. For this
process to be carried out successfully, the flow of information within the
organization must be ensured. Because people fear and resist what they do not
know the most. In addition, there are routine work practices and habits of the
employees before this planned change and a culture that has settled in the
organization over time. One of the biggest obstacles to the process, especially
regarding radical changes and transformations, is the resistance to change
among employees. In this sense, realizing change is largely related to
preventing this resistance. This change process needs to be planned well, and
necessary preparations must be made [1]. In order to prevent possible
resistance, managers should explain to all employees that the current situation
will be good for everyone and that the process should be transparent [2]. In
addition, resistance can be reduced by using methods such as an effective and
healthy communication environment, management support and reward systems. In
this context, the research problem was determined as determining whether
intra-organizational communication affects resistance to change based on the
positive effects of communication. The research was carried out by taking
academics working at state universities as a sample. The next section of the
research includes concepts related to the determined variables and the studies
carried out. Following this, information about the purpose and importance of
the research, sample and data collection, and the scales used are included.
Finally, the analysis and findings and the study results are presented.
The concept of communication is derived from the Latin word "communis" [3]. People have lived in society by communicating. For communication to occur, the process must occur synchronously and within a system. The basic elements required for this system to be successful are the sender, receiver and channel [4]. The criterion for successful communication is that the sent message is perceived the same for both the sender and the receiver. The sender and receiver need to consist of individuals or groups with similar characteristics and values to perceive the message and symbols and attribute the same meaning to the message and symbols [5]. The communication we use to maintain our relationships with our family and environment in social life is very important in organizations. Communication occurs by transferring information, emotions, thoughts, ideas and values between individuals and groups [6]. Communication is a powerful tool for persuading people working in organizations, ensuring cooperation, and directing business and other processes [7]. Organizations determine their goals and objectives within the framework of their organizational requirements. They include their stakeholders in the organization to achieve these goals. Although the organization must ensure the relationship, interaction and harmony between these stakeholders, they can only achieve this through communication [8]. Organizations represent and introduce themselves to their employees and other organizations through communication. They can also communicate the information they need to fulfil their responsibilities to their employees. In this context, organizations implement different policies to provide and optimize the organizational communication environment to achieve their goals [9]. In their study, defined organizational communication as exchanging information and ideas with the internal and external environment to carry out routine work and achieve organizational goals. The processes of receiving, understanding and directing any message sent by organizational members are defined as communication in organizations [10]. Strong and successful communication is extremely important for organizations. By using communication, members within the organization can be activated and directed. Organizational managers should manage their communication processes well. A well-organized communication network ensures that organizational managers and employees are better motivated [11]. In this context, the main purpose of communication is to establish interaction and relationships, to develop them, to ensure that the work is done and to help solve the problems that may arise harmoniously [12-14]. Communication is the primary purpose of creating an organization. Problems that arise in providing a communication environment and establishing communication will constitute an obstacle to the success of the process [15]. Communication benefits to organizations are as follows [16].
Communication in organizations can take place formally
or informally. While formal relationships include rules and procedures
determined in the organization, informal relationships are a form of
communication that occurs spontaneously between members without rules and can
sometimes be destructive [17]. Organizational communication occurs
horizontally, vertically and crosswise [18]. Vertical communication is two-way
communication between those working at the upper levels of the organization and
those working at the lower levels. While managers create a communication channel
for their subordinates regarding task orders, procedures, and information needs
regarding decision-making, they communicate with employees regarding feedback,
requests, and improvement suggestions regarding the activities carried out
[19]. On the other hand, horizontal communication takes place in a formal or
informal form between employees working at the same level in the organization.
Members share about solving problems and tasks. Cross-communication is the
communication that takes place between subordinate and superior members
operating in different units in the organization. With cross-communication,
harmony and interaction between different units of the organization can be
achieved [20]. For the organization to achieve its goals, it must enable these
three forms of communication to be realized in the best possible way.
As in other organizations, communication is very
important in organizations that carry out educational activities. When we
evaluate universities, they have a more complex structure than other
institutions, considering their management styles, organizational structures,
missions, activities, employees and hierarchical processes [21,22]. University
communication occurs through a more comprehensive process that includes all
stakeholders (students, academic and administrative staff, alumni, society,
etc.). With so many stakeholders participating in communication, it becomes
more complex regarding the operation and control of the process. Within the
scope of our research, academicians were taken as samples to examine the
relationship between intra-organizational communication and resistance to
change. States that it is wrong to describe academic staff as only recipients
of intra-organizational communication, as they have the most important role in
achieving the goals of universities; on the contrary, they constitute the most
crucial part of the process [23]. He states that academic staff, grouped
according to their expertise, academic ways of doing business, and departments,
create a unique communication environment. In his study, states that the
academic environment has some factors that affect the communication situation
positively and negatively. The researcher reveals that one of the most critical
factors is disciplinary culture.
Change brings any situation or entity to a different
level than its current level. It is also expressed as personal knowledge and
skills becoming different from their current state [24]. Organizations may
encounter many obstacles in these change processes. Achieving change is not a
simple process and requires new responsibilities [25]. In addition, change can
occur in organizations positively or negatively. While positive change refers
to the growth and development of the organization, negative development can be
defined as the failure of the organization or it’s moving away from its goals.
Resistance to change is the feeling of distrust, doubt, obstruction, or trying
to prevent change that occurs among employees in the face of change that is
attempted to be carried out in organizations. Preventing and eliminating this
resistance is very difficult [26]. According to Dublin and Ireland, there are
three reasons for resistance to change. These include the concern of employees
about not having enough income to satisfy their socioeconomic levels or that
they need to work harder to earn income, secondly, people's fear of what they
do not know, and finally, managers' remaining unresponsive or ignoring the
problems that may arise with change [27]. It appears more challenging for
public institutions to manage the change necessary to adapt to the times due to
the different types of resistance and the issues resisted [28]. The
bureaucratic culture consisting of common shares, habits and beliefs over time
creates resistance in the public sector [29]. Bureaucratic culture is also one
of the factors that create resistance to change. Stated that it would be
beneficial to establish a change management team from outside the organization
that knows the culture of the organization in order to realize the change [30].
They revealed that the team will play an important role in solving problems
that may arise regarding change by strengthening communication between senior
management and employees. In a study where sampled employees in a manufacturing
enterprise, he concluded that organizational communication would eliminate
uncertainty in processes and reduce resistance [31]. In a different study, it
is seen that as employees' trust in the organization and their manager’s increases,
the resistance to change will decrease [32]. It can be seen that it is
important for employees to be supported with positive concepts during the
change process. In this context, the effect of intra-organizational
communication on resistance to change was investigated within the scope of the
study. It is thought that working in universities will contribute to realizing
the process in an age where change is inevitable.
Aim and importance
The role of universities in the development level of
countries is quite significant. Rising international rankings and educating
qualified, well-equipped international students contribute to the country and
the relevant university. As in every sector, change is inevitable in the
education sector. It is thought that understanding academics' attitudes towards
change in this change process and revealing the impact of intra-organizational
communication will contribute to both the literature and universities. In this
context, the research aims to explain the relationship between resistance to
change in academics and intra-organizational communication.
Scope and limitations
Within the scope of the research, academicians working
at state universities were taken as a sample. The study can be carried out in
the education sector at different levels (primary, high, and secondary). In
addition, research can be conducted in which a sample of administrative
personnel who support education and training and are available in considerable
numbers in every university can be conducted. Again, comparisons can be made by
carrying out the study on academics from private and state universities.
Based on the research problem created, the population
consists of academicians working at universities in Turkey. The sample is
academicians working at some state universities within the scope of the study.
As a sampling technique, convenience sampling was preferred among
non-probability sampling techniques. In convenience sampling, the researcher
tries to obtain data from the most comfortable and easy participants until he
reaches the sample size. While data was being obtained, the digitally created
survey form was sent to 697 academics working at different universities via
their e-mails. Participants' e-mail addresses were accessed from the
institution's websites. However, 238 survey forms were filled out and sent to
the researchers. Within the framework of the research problem created, two
scales (resistance to change intra-organizational communication) were used. The
Resistance to Change Scale, developed and adapted into Turkish was used
[33,34]. The scale consists of 3 dimensions: scepticism (10 items), anxiety (9
items), and acceptance (9 items). The intra-organizational communication scale
is the scale used in his thesis study and created [35,36]. 12 of the questions
in the scale were prepared in the vertical communication dimension (Vertical
Communication), and 3 of them were prepared in the horizontal communication
dimension (Horizontal Communication). Within the study's scope, the scales'
sub-dimensions were also analyzed.
In this study the effect of intra-organizational communication on resistance to change is measured through Smart-PLS SEM. Compared to other structural equation models (Amos, Lisrel, etc.), the Smart-PLS structural equation model is a structural equation model that has been frequently used recently due to its ease of user interface and the fact that it is a variance-based method [37]. The important advantage of this method that distinguishes it from other methods is that it does not require normal distribution and can work very well with small data. In addition, the fact that both formative and reflective models can be drawn and that it works very well with complex models are among the important advantages of the model. In this context, the research model in our study is presented in (Figure 1).
Figure
1: Research
Model.
As it can be understood from the figure 1 above not
only direct effect of intra-organizational communication on resistance to
change is analyzed but also the effects of subscales were also analyzed. In
order to see the effects the following hypothesis are created:
H1: Horizontal Communication effects Acceptance
positively
H2: Horizontal Communication effects Anxiety
negatively
H3: Horizontal Communication effects Scepticizm
negatively
H4: Horizontal Communication effects Resistance to
change negatively
H5: Intra-Organizational Communication effects
acceptance positively
H6: Intra-Organizational Communication effects Anxiety
negatively
H7: Intra-Organizational Communication effects
Scepticiszm negatively
H8: Intra-Organizational Communication effects
Resistance to change negatively
H9: Vertical Communication effects Acceptance
negatively
H10: Vertical Communication effects Anxiety positively
H11: Vertical Communication effects Scepticism
positively
H12: Vertical Communication effects Resistance to
Change positively
Analysis
of the data
There are some prerequisites for constructing PLS-YEM. We can list these prerequisites as follows (Hair et al., 2017):
Factor analysis is the first and most important
condition of PLS-SEM. Because the relevant factor of each variable expresses
its explanatory power (outer loading). Although there are different opinions in
the literature about what factor loadings should be, the generally accepted
value is expected to be above 0.60. This value shows the percentage of each
sub-variable explaining the relevant factor. It is recommended to remove each
variable below 0.60 from the model. Because those variables are insufficient to
explain the relevant factor and cause incompatibility in the model by
negatively affecting important tests such as reliability and validity. The factor
loading table resulting from the factor analysis conducted in this context is
shown in (Table 1). As it can be seen in table 1, factors of R?C17, R?C20,
R?C22, R?C23, R?C24, R?C25, R?C26, R?C27, should be exluded from the model as
they are below 0.60. Therefore the model is restructured after excluding these
questions
Reliability and validity
tests
Reliability and validity tests of the model were conducted based on the new model constructed as a result of factor analysis. At this point, firstly, the reliability test findings are reported in (Table 2). When table 2 is examined, it can be seen that there are four different reliability test results. In order for the model to be reliable, Crobach Alpha, rho_a and rho_c values must be at least 0.70 and AVE value must be at least 0.50 [38].
Therefore, as can be seen from the table, the reliability of the model was high for each factor. Another report that should be tested along with reliability is the validity of the model. There are two different validity tests for the PLS-SEM model. These are the HTMT (Heterotrait-monotrait) ratio and the Fornell Larcker Criterion. The HTMT ratio is reported first in (Table 3). Table 3 shows the HTMT results regarding the relationships of the variables with each other. For the relationships to be valid, these ratios must be below 0.90 [39]. When table 3 is examined, it is seen that the ratios for all relationships are below 0.90. Therefore, it can be said that HTMT ratios are valid. The second validity test that must be reported is the Fornell Larcker criterion. According to this criterion, each variable is expected to have the highest value in the relevant row and column [40]. Fornell Larcker test results for the model are given in (Table 4). When Table 4 is examined, it is seen that each factor has the highest value in the relevant row and column. Therefore, it seems that the model is also valid within the framework of the Fornell Larcker criterion.
Variance increasing
factor (VIF) values
Another important issue to consider after reliability
and validity tests is to test whether there is a multicollinearity problem
among the variables. VIF values are checked to measure whether there is a
multicollinearity problem in PLS-SEM. Although there are different opinions in
the literature about what these VIF values should be, there is a consensus that
this value should be at least 5. However, ideally it is recommended not to
exceed 3. (Table 5) shows the VIF (Variance Increasing Factor) values of the
sub-variables. When Table 5 is examined, it is seen that there is no value
above 3. Therefore, it can be said that there is no multicollinearity problem
in the model constructed between the variables.
Another prerequisite for the constructed structural
equation model is that it must be within the limits of the model fit indices.
In this context, three critical values should be noted. These are SRMR
(Standardized Root Mean Square Residual), RMStheta (Root Mean Square Residual
Covariance), and NFI (Normed Fit Index) values. When the literature is
examined, the SRMR value is lower than 0.10, the RMStheta value is higher than
0.12 and the NFI value is higher than 0.90 [41-43]. (Table 6) shows the ratios
regarding the model fit index values of the structural equation model. When
table 6 is examined, it is seen that all values are within the specified
ranges. Therefore, it can be said that the constructed model is within the limits
of fit indices. As a result of reporting all these prerequisites, path analysis
can now be performed and reporting on the relationships between variables can
be made.
In our research model we seeked the effect of
intra-organizational communication on resistance to change. Along with this
main effect we also investigated the effect of subscales with each other.
Therefore the constructed SEM can be seen in (Figure 2). In the model in figure
2, p values and path coefficients are given. While path coefficients provide
information about the direction of the relationship, p values provide
information about whether the relationship is significant or not. When the p
values are examined, it is seen that all of the constructed relationships are
significant. The bootstrapping table, where all direct and indirect
relationships are shown, in [44-47] (Table 7). When table 7 is examined, it is
seen that the p values and t statistics related to the hypotheses are within
the expected limits. Interpretations regarding the hypotheses will be made in
the findings section.
When table 2 and figure 2 is examined it can be seen that all hypothesis is found be significant. Path coefficients tells us the direction of relationship among variables. If it is positive in can be said that the relationship is positive as well. If it is negative then the relationship is also found to be negative from this perspective we can look at the hypothesis one by one. When we look at the horizontal communication subscale in table 7 there can be 4 different effects seen and these effects are H1, H2, H3 and H4. While horizontal communication is found to have negative effect on anxiety, scepticiszm and resistance to change, it has positive effect on acceptance. These findings also mean that when horizontal communication increases at universities the anxiety, scepticizm and resistance to change of academicians decreases and vice versa. On the other hand when horizontal communication increases at universities the acceptance of academicians also increases and vice versa. Therefore it can be said that H1, H2, H3 and H4 are all confirmed. When we look at the vertical communication subscale in table 7 again there is also 4 effect can be seen and these effects are hypotheses as H9, H10, H11, and H12. While vertical communication is found to have positive effect on anxiety, scepticiszm and resistance to change, it has negative effect on acceptance. These findings also mean that when vertical communication increases at universities the anxiety, scepticizm and resistance to change of academicians also increases and vice versa. However when vertical communication increases at universities acceptance of academicians decreases and vice versa. Therefore H9, H10, H11, and H12 are all confirmed as well. Finally when we look at the main intra-organizational scale in table 7, it can also be seen 4 effects as well and these effects are hyphothezed as H5, H6, H7, and H8. The findings of these effects show great similarities with horicantal communication. While intra-organizational communication is found to have negative effect on anxiety, scepticiszm and resistance to change, it has positive effect on acceptance. These findings also mean that when intra-organizational communication increases at universities the anxiety, scepticizm and resistance to change of academicians decreases and vice versa. On the other hand when intra-organizational communication increases at universities the acceptance of academicians also increases and vice versa. Therefore it can be said that H5, H6, H7, and H8 are all confirmed.
Figure
2:
Structural Path Model.
In this study, the effects of intra-organizational
communication styles (horizontal and vertical) in public universities in Turkey
on academics' resistance to change (acceptance, anxiety and skepticism) were
measured through the structural equation model. It has been observed that as
the form of communication in universities moves from horizontal to vertical,
academicians' resistance to change increases. At the same time, it was
concluded that their anxiety and skepticism, which are the sub-factors of
resistance to change, increased and their acceptance decreased. These results
reveal that academics are more accommodating in horizontal hierarchies and that
they welcome the change process more positively in horizontal hierarchical
structures. On the contrary, it has been observed that vertical hierarchical
structures increase the resistance level of academicians to change. When all
these situations are evaluated, making the hierarchies in public universities
more horizontal becomes a very important tool to accelerate the change efforts
in these universities. In further studies, the intra-organizational
communication styles of academics at private and state universities and the
effects of these styles on resistance to change can be revealed.