The Relationship of Bowlby's Attachment Theory to the Persistent Failure of Organizational Change Initiatives

Abstract

The focus of this article is to demonstrate the relationship between research that evolved out of the development of the model of an organizational loss of effectiveness (LOE) and the comprehensive research of John Bowlby in his three volume work on attachment theory. It is our position that the symptoms identified in the individuals experiencing an organizational change as a result of the loss of a ‘leaned on’ or ‘attached to’ object are the same as or are the practical equivalent of the responses described by Bowlby in individuals who are experiencing a sense of separation and/or loss. These findings constitute a significant contribution toward the explanation and mitigation of the high failure rate associated with organizational change initiatives.

Keywords:

• Organizational change
• effectiveness
• failure rate
• motivation
• turnover
• morale
• conflict
• productivity
• absenteeism