Date of Award

3-2003

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science

Department

Department of Systems Engineering and Management

First Advisor

Daniel T. Holt, PhD

Abstract

Few studies in the organizational change literature have examined differences in the change process in different cultures. This cross-cultural study is designed to take a comprehensive view of change using a dynamic model that integrates content, process, context, and individual attribute factors simultaneously. The model is used to compare perceptions of organizational change held by members of military organizations in the United States and in Korea. The U.S. sample consisted of 264 employees who were members of Department of Defense organizations. There were two Korean samples: 280 employees of the Women's Military School and members of the Women's Battalion, and 181 employees of the Men's Artillery School and members of a men's infantry company. The organizational change investigated in the U.S. sample was implementation of a new organizational structure that clarified lines of authority and eliminated duplicate functions. The Korean organizational change was integration of the women's school and battalion into the men's school and infantry company. A questionnaire was administered to all three samples. The questionnaires measured the following variables as related to the organizational change faced by each group: positive affect, negative affect, perceived organizational support, perceptions of co-workers, participation, quality of information, readiness for change, job satisfaction, and affective commitment. The Korean questionnaire also measured self-efficacy, neuroticism, and self-esteem. The results show that change process, internal context, and individual attributes were positively related to employees' perceptions (i.e., readiness factors) that the change was justified. There were no significant cross-cultural differences in individuals' perceptions toward organizational change, nor were there significant differences in perception between genders (Korean samples 1 and 2).

AFIT Designator

AFIT-GLM-ENV-03-05

DTIC Accession Number

ADA413836

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