RESISTANCE TO CHANGE OF EMPLOYEES: AN ANALYSIS OF THE THOUGHT-FEELING-ACTION SEQUENCE

Problem Statement: This paper deepens and expands the study ofthe three dimensions ofresistance to change in employees: resistant thought, resistantfeeling and resistant behavior. It includes an analysis of the sequential character ofthese three dimensions, from the effect that the variables related to the management ofthe change process (i.e., communication and participation) and to the change consequences for the employees (i.e., perceived outcomes) exert on each ofthese dimensions. Method: The empirical analysis uses a sample ofemployees who work in companies that have embarked on programs ofchange in the two years prior the current research being carried out. This research follows the methodproposed by Frazier, Tix and Barron to test the mediating effects ofthe variables through the multiple regressions. Results: The results question the mediating effect of resistant thought and resistant feeling and, consequently, the sequential character of the three dimensions of resistance to change. Conclusions: The results put forward that resistant thought and resistant feeling are conceptually different, have different antecedents and exert different effects on resistant action, which they jointly determine