The impact of high involvement human resources practices on resistance to change: The mediator effect of commitment to change and the influence of ethical leadership

A Work Project, presented as part of the requirements for the Award of a Masters Degree in Management from the NOVA – School of Business and Economics

Due to today’s economic situation, organizational change is becoming frequent and inevitable. Even though there are a lot of studies about the topic, few tested the influence of organizational functioning on employees’ reactions to change. In this study we tested the relationship between high involvement HR practices and resistance to change through commitment to change, and the influence of ethical leadership in this relationship. Two questionnaires in two different times were applicable to 131 employees from 14 organizations that had recently faced major change interventions. The results showed a negative relation between all HIHR and resistance to change, as between HIHR and intention to resist future changes, through enhancing affective commitment to change. These relationships were stronger in the presence of high ethical leadership.