Organizational change: insights from Buddhism and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy(ACT)

ABSTRACT

Adaptation to change takes longer because of emotions employees experience such as discomfort, anxiety, or grief. Research suggests experiencing rather than avoiding discomfort and experiencing it within the psychological safety of nonjudgment help individuals adapt to change. However, the large literature on resistance to change suggests that avoidance is more common. This paper describes two practices that are effective at allowing for discomfort with nonjudgment, Buddhism and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), and proposes that insights from these practices be used to help organizations implement change. Specifically, it is important to view suffering as inherent and accept this suffering as well as to pursue values in the midst of this discomfort using the transcendent self. Implications for the practice and study of organizational change are discussed.

KEYWORDS:

• Organizational change
• resistance to change
• Buddhism
• Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
• acceptance
• transcendence

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Sonia M. Goltz

Dr. Sonia M. Goltz is Professor of Organizational Behavior in the School of Business and Economics at Michigan Tech in Houghton, Michigan. She received her Ph.D. in Industrial/Organizational Psychology from Purdue University. Her research has examined topics such as organizational change, power, organizational justice, decision-making, and group mental models.