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A Grounded Model of Organizational Schema Change During Empowerment

Author

Listed:
  • Giuseppe Labianca

    (A.B. Freeman School of Business, Tulane University, New Orleans, Louisiana 70118-5669)

  • Barbara Gray

    (Department of Management and Organization, The Smeal College of Business, The Pennsylvania State University, 403 Beam BAB, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802)

  • Daniel J. Brass

    (Department of Management, Gattan College of Business & Economics, University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky 40506)

Abstract

We analyzed employee resistance to an organizational change project in which employees were empowered to participate in the design of a new organizational structure. What emerged from our analysis was the importance of cognitive barriers to empowerment. Employees' resistance appeared to be motivated less by intentional self-interest than by the constraints of well-established, ingrained schemas. Resistance was also fueled by skepticism among the employees about management's commitment to the new decision-making schema, especially because employees judged managerial actions to be inconsistent with their new espoused framework. A grounded model of schema change is developed for changes in organizational decision-making schemas during empowerment efforts. Theoretical implications and suggestions for improving organizational change efforts are proposed.

Suggested Citation

  • Giuseppe Labianca & Barbara Gray & Daniel J. Brass, 2000. "A Grounded Model of Organizational Schema Change During Empowerment," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 11(2), pages 235-257, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:inm:ororsc:v:11:y:2000:i:2:p:235-257
    DOI: 10.1287/orsc.11.2.235.12512
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    References listed on IDEAS

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