Predictors and Outcomes of Change Recipient Proactivity in Public Organizations of the Kurdistan Region of IRAQ

ABSTRACT:

Despite a growing interest in change recipients’ reactions to organizational change efforts in general and proactive change responses in particular, the extant literature has mainly overlooked the proactive behavioral responses that recipients may play in response to planned change efforts in public organizations. The purpose of this article is, therefore, to examine empirically the antecedents and work-related outcomes of the emerging concept of change recipient proactivity in the organizational change management literature. To test the study’s hypotheses, we collected data from a field study of 158 public personnel in two public organizations (universities) that were undergoing major structural reforms in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. It was found that locus of control, change-related self-efficacy, prosocial motivation, formalization, and change leadership significantly predict the extent to which change recipients respond positively and proactively to organizational changes initiated by others. The study also found that change recipient proactivity (1) positively affects outcome variables such as organizational commitment and extra-role behavior; and (2) mediates the relationship between the predictor variables and extra-role behavior. This exploratory study provides initial empirical support for the claim that change recipients can step outside the boundaries of passivity and respond positively and proactively to changes initiated by others.

FUNDING

The authors would like to thank National Natural Sciences Foundation of China (Project 71673185), and SMC-Chenxing Young Scholar Program (Shanghai Jiao Tong University) for the financial support.

Notes

1 We thank the editor for raising some issues about common method bias.

2 BC CI = Biased-corrected confidence intervals; 1000 bootstrap samples.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Ahmad Bayiz Ahmad

Ahmad Bayiz Ahmad ([email protected]) is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the School of International and Public Affairs of Shanghai Jiao Tong University. He is also a lecturer at the University of Raparin in Kurdistan Region of Iraq. Ahmad received his Ph.D. in management at the School of Economics and Management of Beihang University, China. His current research focuses on organizational change and public sector reform and how employees react to such change and reform efforts.

Bangcheng Liu

Bangcheng Liu ([email protected]) is a professor of organizational behavior and human resource management at the School of International and Public Affairs, Shanghai Jiao Tong University. He received his Ph.D. in management at the Antai School of Management, Shanghai Jiao Tong University. His current research focuses on cross-cultural organizational behavior and strategic human resource management, especially for public organizations. He also is interested in talent policy and innovational and entrepreneurial management.

Atif Saleem Butt

Atif Saleem Butt ([email protected]) is an assistant professor at the American University of Ras Al Khaimah, UAE. He received his Ph.D. from Monash University, Australia. His research interest includes behavioral dynamics in buyer-supplier relationship in supply chains. He also researches other topics focused on management of new business processes within organizations, and changes in organizational culture and structures (organizational change management).